Mark Walton got off to a scintillating start, Malik Rosier got hot in the second half and the Miami Hurricanes outlasted Toledo 52-30 to win at Hard Rock Stadium.
Walton had 140 yards on his first four carries of the game before leaving in the second quarter with an injury. He would later return and finished the game with 11 carries for 204 yards and a touchdown in leading the Miami Hurricanes to a 52-30 victory on Saturday.
The Miami Hurricanes player of the game, however, was Rosier. He completed 27 of 36 for 333 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Rosier added four carries for 11 yards and a 23-yard touchdown run. He also had another touchdown run called back because of a penalty.
The Miami offense exploded for 42 points in the second half. All but 50 of Rosier’s passing yards came after halftime. Trailing 16-10 at the half, the Hurricanes exploded for 42 points in the game’s final 30 minutes. Twenty-eight of those came in the fourth quarter.
Rosier fueled the second half explosion. Miami scored 28 unanswered points. That turned the game around. Miami tilted the game from a six-point deficit to a 38-16 lead. A fourth-quarter turnover got Toledo back in the game.
Three plays after Toledo cut the Miami lead to 38-22, Rosier threw an interception. The Rockets returned it 35 yards to the Hurricanes eight-yard line. A Logan Woodside to Diontae Johnson touchdown pass on the first play after the interception cut the Miami lead to 38-30.
Miami marched 75 yards in five plays to regain their two-score lead. Rosier scored on a scintillating 23-yard run to give Miami a 45-30 lead. The next Toledo drive lost 17 yards on four plays.
The Hurricanes then moved 43 yards in five plays to push the lead back to three scores. That provided the final 52-30 margin. Travis Homer had a 15 yard run untouched into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game.
Rosier had the best game of his short career as a Miami Hurricanes starter. He spread the ball around to ten receivers. The Miami Seniors led the way. Chris Herndon IV had a career high with eight receptions and was one yard shy of a career high with 65 yards, he also added a touchdown.
Braxton Berrios obliterated his career high in receiving yards with 105 on five receptions and a touchdown. Six different Hurricanes scored touchdowns on Saturday. Travis Homer was the only one who scored twice. He had one rushing and one receiving touchdown.
Miami Hurricanes Football
The Hurricanes defense made some big plays when they had to in the second quarter. Despite giving up 16 points, they held the Rockets to three field goals in three trips to the red zone. The score could easily have been 28-10 at halftime instead of 16-10.
Keeping the score down allowed the Hurricanes to remain in the game and take the lead with just one drive in the second half instead of being three scores down. Richt decided to use a no-huddle, hurry-up offense in the second half. That, the heat and humidity seemed to wear down Toledo in the second half.
Toledo Quarterback Logan Woodside was 28 of 48 for 342 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Cody Thompson led Toledo with five receptions for 114 yards. Diontae Johnson had eight receptions and touchdowns.
Next: How did Miami Hurricanes Handle Time in Orlando?
Miami faces a short week. The return to Durham, North Carolina on Friday night for the first time since their miracle victory two seasons ago. Duke is 4-0.