Miami Hurricanes Throttle Appalachian State 45-10
Mark Walton ran 80 yards for a touchdown on the Miami Hurricanes first play from scrimmage, Brad Kaaya threw for 368 yards and three touchdowns and the Hurricanes never let the App St crowd get into the game in a 45-10 demolition in Boone, NC.
Many experts nationally, including two USA Today prognosticators, had Miami’s trip to Appalachian State pegged as one of the games to watch for a possible upset this week. Walton’s touchdown 2:12 into the game took the crowd out of the game early, the Hurricanes led 21-0 after one quarter and scored on their first four possessions to take a 24-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Kaaya didn’t have to do too much with a dominant running game the first two weeks. Kaaya was 21-27 for the 368 with three touchdowns and one interception. Walton contributed 130 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns. If it weren’t for the explosive start by Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, Walton would be a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate.
The only time Miami seemed like it might be in trouble is when App St. scored to get within 24-10. The touchdown drive came after Kaaya threw an interception on the Mountaineer one on fourth down that John Law returned 60 yards to the Miami 38.
App State went 38 yards in six plays that culminated with a 24-yard pass from Taylor Lamb to Barrett Burns. The ‘Canes answered with a four-play, 75-yardrive in 1:51 to push the lead back to 21 points and seemed to deflate the Mountaineers.
Appalachian State lost leading rusher Marcus Cox in the first half with an ankle injury. He was injured on a 79-yard touchdown run in the first half that was called back for holding. Cox had 248 yards and two touchdowns in the first two weeks. Backup Jalin Moore had 101 yards on 23 carriers.
Through three weeks, Walton has 401 yards on 48 carries with seven touchdowns. Joseph Yearby finished with 30 yards on eight carries. Yearby and Walton were both over 100 yards in the wins over Florida A&M and Florida Atlantic.
Mark Richt kept the Mountaineers off balance by utilizing a hurry-up offense and continually going to the bubble screen. Four Miami receivers finished with three catches and at least 48 yards. Through the first two weeks, only four receivers had more than 50 yards total.
Brad Kaaya as he was leaving us: "Florida State lost, too, It's a good day." pic.twitter.com/1AJcMIZehf
— Susan Miller Degnan (@smillerdegnan) September 17, 2016
Freshman receiver Ahmmon Richards had a breakout game. Richards finished with four catches for 142 yards. He had receptions of 61 and 62 yards in the third quarter to get Miami inside the Appalachian State 20.
Stacy Coley had another solid day with five catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns. He has 11 receptions for 126 yards and three touchdowns on the season. Wide Receiver Dayall Harris and Tight End David Njoku contributed 5-48 and 3-69 and a touchdown.
The offense has scored an impressive 153 points through the first three games, but its the defense that’s been truly dominant. The ‘Canes entered today fourth nationally in total defense, first in rushing defense, and 18th in pass efficiency defense. This is a defense that wasn’t in the top 100 last season in various categories. Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz has made just as big, if not a bigger impact than Richt.
The defense was dominant again today. Appalachian State ran 70 plays for 241 yards, for an average of 3.4 yards per play. They held a Mountaineer offense that came in averaging 207 yards per game rushing to 126 on the ground. App State managed just 115 through the air on 22 attempts. The Miami defense also added three sacks and 12 tackles for loss for loss for a total of 41 yards.
Next: How to Watch Miami vs Appalachian State
Defensive End Chad Thomas had nine tackles, 1.5 sacks and three tackles for loss. That gives Thomas five TFL’s and 2.5 sacks on the season.