Miami dominates South Florida in second half winning easily

Miami used another dominant third quarter to pull away from South Florida for a 50-15 win on Saturday night in Tampa. Leading 22-15 at halftime, Miami outscored South Florida 14-0 in the third quarter to separate themselves from the Bulls. Miami added an early fourth-quarter touchdown to put the game away.

Entering week four, Miami was 10th nationally averaging 12.0 points per game in the third quarter and tied for first nationally not allowing any points versus Football Bowl Division opponents. Miami outgained South Florida 185-51 in the fourth quarter with another 14-0 run to silence any thoughts the Bulls had about a comeback.

Cam Ward had another Heisman Trophy performance. Ward completed 24 passes in 34 attempts for 404 yards and three touchdowns. The performance on Saturday was the fourth consecutive to begin the season by Ward with over 300 yards passing and three touchdown passes. Ward added four carries for 25 yards.

The first half was tight with five lead changes. Damien Martinez finished off a seven-play 75-yard drive in 3:29 to open the game and give Miami a 7-0 lead. South Florida answered with a 58-yard Nico Gramatica field goal cutting the Miami lead to 7-3. South Florida took a 9-7 lead on a trick play.

Wide receiver Sean Atkins threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to quarterback Byrum Brown to give South Florida their first lead. Miami regained the lead on the next drive with a Ward to Isaiah Horton six-yard TD pass. South Florida retrieved the lead with a pair of field goals.

Ward put Miami in front to stay with a 76-yard TD pass to Sam Brown with 1:56 left in the first half. That began a 36-point Miami run to finish the game. Horton led Miami with eight receptions for 108 yards, Xavier Restrepo had six for 99 yards and a TD and Brown had two catches for 75 yards and the score.

Jordan Lyle had a 91-yard TD run in the fourth quarter and finished six carries for 104 yards. Miami outgained South Florida 574-365 and had a 338-143 advantage in the second half. The Miami defense was dominant again over the final 30 minutes. Francisco Mauigoa paced the defense with 11 tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack.

Miami finished non-conference play with a 4-0 record. Virginia Tech comes to Hard Rock Stadium on Friday night to begin ACC Play. Virginia Tech is 2-2 after losing 26-23 to Rutgers on Saturday. The Hokies are 2-2, but 0-2 versus Power Four opponents. Vanderbilt beat Virginia Tech in the season opener.