MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Hurricanes did not overlook FCS opponent Bethune-Cookman, taking care of business efficiently in a 45-3 win at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday night.

Although Miami had the game in hand from the first drive, there were several standout factors in the rout.

Beck was nearly perfect

In the second game of his Miami career, Carson Beck set a program record. The veteran quarterback completed his first 15 passes of the game, which eclipsed Vinny Testaverde’s 1986 mark of 14 consecutive completions to start a game.

Beck ended the game with only two incompletions, completing 21-of-23 passes for 265 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a little more than a half of work.

Although the Wildcats were clearly overmatched, it was still an impressive performance from Beck in a follow-up to his solid game against Notre Dame.

“Every opportunity is an opportunity,” Beck said. “And that’s what I try to stress to these guys so much is that every time that you get a chance to get on the field — we only have guaranteed 10 more games. … It’s crazy to think that way, but it’s the truth. You work all year for these 12 guaranteed opportunities, and we’re now we’re two in.”

Freshmen stand out

After taking an insurmountable second-half lead, Miami took out its starters and inserted numerous young, depth players. Those young players performed well, too.

Running back Girard Pringle Jr. had one of the second-half highlights, plunging through an open hole in the defense and outrunning the Wildcats to the end zone for his first career touchdown.

Girard Pringle Jr. TOUCHDOWN! pic.twitter.com/BTUC78jiKk

— Grant Speaks (@GrantSpeaks1) September 7, 2025

Another freshman highlight came from Miami Columbus alum Bryce Fitzgerald. After getting on the field for nine snaps against Notre Dame, Fitzgerald made his first career interception. His pick prevented Bethune-Cookman from scoring its first touchdown of the game.

“I texted my mom this morning, ‘Mom, I’m going to get a pick just for you,’ ” Fitzgerald said. “So going into the fourth quarter, …  I was getting a little down, but (my teammates) told me, ‘Just trust God and just go out there and play the ball.’”

Several other freshmen made their college debut, including Ja’boree Antoine, Max Buchanan, Luka Gilbert, Mykah Newton, Brock Schott, Daylyn Upshaw and Kellen Wiley.

Offensive line shines

Miami’s offensive line continues to show why it may be among the best in the nation.

Bethune-Cookman, clearly overmatched in the trenches, got bowled over. As a team, Miami had an 86.4 run-blocking grade and an 82.1 pass-blocking grade.

Miami had only three negative plays in the game, all of which came when the starters were out. Beck was pressured only twice in the game, and backup quarterback Emory Williams was pressured twice.

Francis Mauigoa, the star right tackle, earned a 90.0 run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. That mark is the highest single-game run grade of his three-year career. Samson Okunlola also performed well when he rotated in, earning a team-best 87.3 pass-blocking grade.

Another stellar Bain performance

Miami star defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. spent another night dominating offensive tackles. The junior lineman had three tackles with a sack and forced fumble.

PFF gave Bain an excellent score for the second game in a row. He earned a team-best 93.0 defensive grade with a 92.5 pass-rush grade. Bain was credited with two defensive stops, as well.

Out of more than 300 defensive ends with 50 or more snaps this season, Bain’s 94.7 defensive grade ranks second in the nation. His 91.2 run-defense grade is second among that group, and his 91.9 pass-rush grade is fifth.

Here comes another test

Miami did a good job of handling its business against Bethune-Cookman. The Wildcats are a scuffling FCS team, and the Hurricanes did what they should against them.

But now UM has a surprisingly big test coming up next weekend. South Florida took down a ranked Boise State team at home in Week 1, then upset Florida in Gainesville on Saturday night. The Bulls are the newest college football darling, and beating a top-five Miami squad would put another feather in the cap of a team that is now in the hunt for the Group of 5’s playoff spot.

If any UM players were overlooking USF before playing Florida the following week, the Bulls’ win over the Gators should shake them out of any complacency.