Newcomers had huge impact in Miami win over Florida

Quarterback Cam Ward led a group of newcomers that made a huge impact for the Miami football team in their win at Florida on Saturday. Running backs Damien Martinez and Jordan Lyle, edge rushers Elijah Alston and Tyler Baron and several other defensive players had impacts for Miami on Saturday.

Ward will be a contender for ACC Player of the Week. In the 41-17 win over Florida Ward was 26-35 for 385 yards, three touchdowns and one interception with three carries for 33 yards. Florida could not stop the Miami offense for most of the afternoon. Miami scored on seven of its 11 drives.

Miami only punted twice with a missed field goal and ran out the clock in the red zone on the final drive. The Hurricanes had at least 37 yards on eight drives. Miami had five drives of at least 70 yards that resulted in 31 points. Ward was everything he was projected to be and more for Miami on Saturday.

Alston and Baron were dominant versus the Florida offensive line. Baron finished with three tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack. Alston had three tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 0.5 sacks and one pass breakup. Miami finished with eight TFLs, two sacks, five PBUs and one quarterback hit.

Martinez led a deep Miami offensive backfield with 15 carries for 65 yards. Lyle, a freshman looked good with six carries for 18 yards. Expect Lyle's modest three yards per carry to increase throughout the season. The newcomers also made an impact in the passing game for Miami versus Florida.

Houston transfer Sam Brown only had three receptions for 19 yards. Brown was an explosive player for Houston in 2023. Expect Brown to have a few big games for Miami in 2024. Freshman tight end Elija Lofton had a big 35 yard reception on the final drive to allow Miami to run out the clock. Lofton finished with two receptions for 38 yards.

Miami defensive back Mishael Powell had two tackles and a 67 yard interception return that set the Hurricanes up for a scoring opportunity. Andres Borregales missed a 45-yard field goal attempt with Miami leading 38-10. Powell brings vital experience to Miami after playing for Washington in the National Championship game last season.

Miami transfer defensive tackles Simeon Barrow and C.J. Clark were impactful on Saturday as was true freshman cornerback Romanus Frederique. Barrow had one tackle and a pass breakup but had his name called more often versus Florida. Clark had one tackle and 0.5 TFLs. Frederique had two tackles.

Miami transfers and true freshmen will help set the foundation for the 2024 season. Ward is the player getting most of the publicity, but several other Hurricanes will be critical for Miami's success in 2024. Expect to see more newcomers making plays in the next three weeks with Florida A&M, Ball State and South Florida on the schedule.