MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - Inclement weather did not stop the Miami Hurricanes from dominating the Ball State Cardinals in a 62-0 win on Saturday (Sept. 14) at Hard Rock Stadium. Initially set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff. Torrential downpours and lightning pushed the game start time back by more than two hours to 5:55 p.m.

The Cardinals (1-1) could not get anything going on either side of the ball. They were limited to 115 total yards. Meanwhile, the Canes (3-0) gained a whopping total of 750 yards for the night, the most in program history.

The Hurricanes had 31 first downs and committed no turnovers in what may be the most successful offensive game in the program’s illustrious history.

“From start to finish, I thought we became a better football team,” Canes head coach Mario Cristobal said. “I thought we left the field different than how we entered, just finishing drives. All in all, just proud of the team for handling the delay. They did a good job with that. I’m proud of them for making the decision to get better today.”

Quarterback Cam Ward turned in another sensational performance, completing 19 of 28 passes for 346 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. Ten of his 19 completions went for 20-plus yards.

“We’re hitting on all cylinders in the passing game,” Cristobal said. “But, you know, you’ll ask Cam and he’ll tell you that he felt like he left some things out there that could have made it a better day. And that’s the way we want to stay.”

Ajay Allen led all Canes running backs with seven carries for 104 yards and a touchdown, while Jacolby George led all Canes wide receivers with six receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown. The Canes running back room combined to gain 243 yards and two touchdowns, with five runners contributing to the amazing effort on the ground.

“I thought we, early on, weren’t running the ball very well,” Cristobal said. “I think it was a little bit of everybody contributing to our lack of really running the ball to our standard. As the game went on, we started wearing on them a little bit, started popping some runs. We’ll look at the film, and we’ll certainly attack that because that’s a big part of what we do.”

Once the action started, it was all about the Canes (3-0; No. 10 in the latest Associated Press national rankings) on offense, defense, and special teams. Ward led the offensive drive to two scoring drives in the first quarter. The first was an 11-play, 71-yard drive that resulted in a 30-yard field goal by kicker Andres Borregales, who gave the Canes a 3-0 at the 6:15 mark.

The second drive featured three pass completions of more than 20 yards, two of which went to wide receiver George and the other to receiver Xavier Restrepo, who caught a 21-yard touchdown pass with 1:25 left in the opening quarter. Miami went into the second quarter with a 10-0 lead over Ball State, which gained only 47 yards in the first frame.

It was a warm-up of what was to come for the Canes, who would score on three of its four offensive drives in the second quarter. While the first second-quarter drive for the Canes ended in a punt - the only one of the first half - the next three drives ended in passing touchdowns from Ward, who got a running back, a tight end, and a wide receiver in the scoring action.

Running back Chris Johnson Jr. caught a swing pass from Ward for a 37-yard touchdown that helped Miami extend its lead to 17-0 over Ball State with 4:46 left in the first half. After Miami’s defense forced the Cardinals into a turnover on downs, Ward completed passes of 32 and 21 yards to tight end Elijah Arroyo. The 21-yard pass to Arroyo went for a touchdown that helped extend Miami’s lead to 24-0 over Ball State at the 1:53 mark. It only lasted for two plays when Ball State got back on offense.

On second down, from the Ball State 25-yard line, quarterback Kadin Semonza threw an interception to Miami defensive lineman Elijah Alston, who caught his first pick on the collegiate level. Alston’s interception set Miami up with another score to close out the second quarter. A 21-yard touchdown pass from Ward to Restrepo helped extend the Miami lead further to 31-0 with 1:30 left.

At the end of the first half, Miami outgained Ball State in total yardage, 339-90. The Canes offense had 14 first downs and did not commit any turnovers. Ward completed 17 of 25 passes for 318 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.

In the third quarter, the Canes had three offensive drives, two of which resulted in points on the board. Ward got George involved in the scoring action with a 17-yard touchdown connection at the 12:26 mark. This score helped the Canes push their lead to 38-0 over the Cardinals.

After the Canes' defense forced BSU to punt again, Ward engineered a 13-play, 63-yard drive that took almost seven minutes off the clock. It resulted in a 32-yard field goal by Borregales, who extended the Canes lead to 41-0 with 3:32 left.

Once again, the Canes' defense forced the Cardinals to a punt on a short drive. The Canes made the Cardinals pay with a touchdown as a result. This time, it came from running back Allen, who broke through on a 56-yard scoring run with 14:49 left in the game. As Allen’s touchdown run helped extend the Canes' lead to 48-0, the Cardinals lost four yards on their next drive and had to punt again.

When the Canes got the ball back, a quarterback change occurred. Emory Williams came in for Ward, who finished this game by completing 19 of 28 passes for 346 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions. Williams led the Canes to another score, a 40-yard touchdown pass to tight end Elija Lofton.

This one helped the home team get a 55-0 lead with 11:46 left. From there, it was another Cardinals punt and another Canes touchdown.

Running back Jordan Lyle punched the ball into the end zone on a 7-yarder with 6:40 left, as the Canes crossed the 60-point threshold. Meanwhile, Ward and Williams combined for 507 yards and six touchdowns in the air, while 12 Canes caught at least one pass in this one.

“Cam sometimes checks us and puts us in great protection, and when he knows he’s not protected, he knows where to go with the ball,” Cristobal said. “He gets to that person quickly.”

Miami scored 159 total points in its three games, the most in program history. The 62-point margin against an FBS program is also the most in program history.

Miami’s next game is on Saturday, Sept. 21 (7 p.m. kickoff) at USF.

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