No. 9 Miami did exactly what a top-10 team should do after a loss: respond. Tied 7-7 at the half, the Hurricanes dominated the final two quarters to bury Stanford 42-7 at Hard Rock Stadium, riding a relentless defense, a downhill run game and clean quarterback play. Mark Fletcher Jr. rushed for 106 yards and a career-high three touchdowns as Miami outgained the Cardinal 404-144 and owned the ball for 36:42. These are the three biggest takeaways from the dominant win.
1. The defense is this team's identity — and it's one of the nation's best
After conceding a 74-yard opening drive, Miami slammed the door: Stanford finished with eight first downs, 2.7 yards per play and two interceptions. Wesley Bissainthe returned one pick 32 yards, and Xavier Lucas added an interception and a sack. Stanford managed 55 rushing yards on 27 attempts (2.0 per carry) and 89 net passing yards. The suffocating defense has been there in every game this season for Miami.
Through seven games, Miami is allowing 14.1 points per game and 259.7 opponent yards per game (top-10 nationally in the latter). That type of play will help a team as the season goes on, and, to go a step further: it's the team's identity at this point. The D-line, with Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor (who was OUT against Stanford), are both leaders on the team. When the offense doesn't have it going, the defense still holds. It may be too quick of a turnaround for people to believe it, but this Miami team's bread and butter is the defensive side of the ball.
2. Balance matters — and the ground game is more important now than ever
This was trench football and it was so important for the Canes. Miami ran it 44 times for 199 yards and five touchdowns, with Fletcher's trio of scores breaking the game open before Jordan Lyle and Girard Pringle Jr. closed it out. That run volume and efficiency complemented a steady Carson Beck (21-of-28, 189 yards, one TD) and kept the offense on schedule. When Miami leans into this balance, the entire playbook opens and the pressure on Beck is a fraction of what it could be — and that's exactly what you want.
Protection continues to be a quiet superpower. Beck has been sacked just four times this season, and PFF charted him with a clean pocket on roughly 80-86% of his dropbacks in recent weeks — an elite rate. Credit to the offensive line for keeping the jersey clean and helping bring back the run game.
3. Slow starts can't carry over against better opponents
Miami can't spot quality teams a half (or even a quarter for that matter) and expect to lean on them late. The Hurricanes needed a 15-play, seven-minute march in the final 90 seconds of the first half just to pull even at 7-7, then overwhelmed an overmatched Stanford after the break. That type of game script won't always be available, especially on the road. The Louisville loss — when Beck threw four interceptions and Miami trailed throughout — is the reminder. Clean, urgent first quarters are the next step for a group with College Football Playoff ambitions.