CORAL GABLES - The Miami Hurricanes running back room looked very good in their most recent game against the Florida A&M Rattlers. In last weekend’s 56-9 home win, eight Canes had at least one carry on the ground.
They combined for 38 carries, 225 yards, and four touchdowns, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. Leading the way was Miami running back Damien Martinez, who had 11 carries for 91 yards and one touchdown.
The 6-foot, 232-pound junior busted through the lines and stiff-armed the opposition for an explosive 33-yard touchdown run in the third quarter against FAMU. Much of the running back room’s production came in the second half. It was highlighted by the Martinez rushing touchdown, which came at the 9:14 mark of the third quarter. The score helped Miami get a 39-6 lead.
The team’s leading rusher (26 carries, 156 yards, one touchdown in two games) spoke about his touchdown run and how it happened.
“Everybody seen it in the first half,” Martinez said. “We came out kind of sluggish. We kinda hit a wall. Everybody was not expecting that because we know we’re better than that. So we came our second half with a different mindset; everybody trying to execute and do their job the way it’s supposed to happen.”
The running back tandem of Martinez and sophomore Mark Fletcher Jr. (five carries, 42 yards, one touchdown vs. FAMU) has taken form over these past two games against Florida and FAMU. The top two running backs for the Canes have combined for 38 carries, 221 yards, and four touchdowns in two weeks of regular season play.
“We’re playing as good as everybody seen,” Martinez said. “We’re keeping everybody fresh. We got a long season. We’ll just continue to feed off each other’s energy and make an impact on the game.”
Martinez reflected on Canes senior quarterback Cam Ward and how he contributed to the running game against FAMU. Ward’s diving 8-yard touchdown run at the 3:43 mark of the third quarter helped Miami take a 46-9 lead over FAMU.
“It just shows how much of a competitor he is,” Martinez said. “He just wants to come out and be as detailed as he can.”
As a team, the Canes (2-0; No. 10 in the latest Associated Press national rankings) are looking to strive for greater results with the running backs and the offense as whole.
“We don’t want to stay where we’re at,” Martinez said. “This offense can be explosive as can be. We just have to be detailed and execute. That’s what it really comes down to.”
It’s more than just Martinez, Fletcher Jr., and Ward who have been key contributors for the running game. Freshman Jordan Lyle contributed six carries for 40 yards and one touchdown against FAMU. In two games played as a Cane, the 6-foot, 190-pound running back has 12 carries for 58 yards and one touchdown.
“As a freshman, everybody sees he’s a bigger freshman by the way he’s built,” Martinez said, who noted Lyle’s creativity and desire to be detail-oriented. “He’s a young guy. He looks good running the ball. He’s a natural runner. As long as he stays on the path he is in trying to get better everyday, he’s gonna be great.”
Sophomore running back Chris Johnson Jr. will be another to watch for the Canes. The same goes for junior running back Ajay Allen, who had five carries and 25 yards in the home-opener.
The other two contributors in this past game were junior quarterback Reese Poffenbarger (five carries for 12 yards) and freshman running back Chris Wheatley-Humphrey (one carry for seven yards).
“We got depth everywhere, ones, twos, threes,” Martinez said. “We just wanna keep everybody fresh, keep everybody playing. Everybody can play. We all got our own game. We just want to impact the game whenever each one of us is in and be happy for the other that made a play.”
Fletcher Jr. concurred with Martinez’s sentiment on the Canes' running back depth.
“It’s anybody in this running back room that I believe can go out there and start,” Fletcher Jr. said. “It definitely keeps you on your toes, keeps you on point because you don’t want to mess up. That next guy could be right there and take your place. But we all love each other. We want what’s best for the team.”
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