MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Darian Mensah continued his remarkable start to the season Saturday night, throwing for 338 yards and three touchdowns while adding another score on the ground as No. 6 Miami cruised past Central Michigan 52-3.
The victory kept the Hurricanes perfect at 4-0 and marked the fourth consecutive season Miami has entered October without a September loss.
Mensah was nearly flawless once again, completing 23 of 27 attempts while accounting for all four of his touchdowns in the second quarter. He has yet to throw an interception this season and now has 14 touchdown passes against only 12 incompletions.
“He spread the ball around pretty good, he extended plays, great pocket presence, protected pretty well,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “A couple times when it got sticky, he found a way.”
Mensah Continues to Set the Tone
Mensah’s efficiency has been one of the defining features of Miami’s fast start.
Despite completing 85.2% of his passes against Central Michigan, his season completion percentage dipped slightly from 89.9% to 88.7% because of the four incompletions.
The Hurricanes quarterback made his biggest impact before halftime.
After Miami built its lead, Mensah capped a 97-yard scoring drive with a 5-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter. The score gave the Hurricanes a commanding 35-3 advantage heading into halftime.
“We’ve come a long way and we’ve shown some good things,” Mensah said. “But like Cristobal always says, we’ve got a long way to go.”
Toney Leads Miami’s Receiving Attack
Malachi Toney was once again one of Mensah’s favorite targets.
Toney hauled in six passes for 120 yards and a touchdown, including a 12-yard scoring reception that was later erased by an offensive pass interference penalty.
Cooper Barkate and Daylyn Upshaw also caught touchdown passes from Mensah.
Miami’s offense continued to find ways to produce despite missing starting running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who sat out with an upper-body injury.
Cristobal indicated that Fletcher is expected to be available when Miami travels to Clemson next week.
Hurricanes Roll After Early Setback
Central Michigan briefly gave Miami something it had not experienced this season — a lead by an opponent.
The Chippewas opened the game with an 11-play possession after Miami’s first drive stalled because of two penalties and a sack.
Caden VanHuis finished the drive with a 49-yard field goal, giving Central Michigan a surprising 3-0 advantage.
That lead, however, lasted only a short time.
Miami responded with a barrage of points and eventually took complete control of the game.
Javian Mallory and Chris Wheatley-Humphrey each scored rushing touchdowns, while offensive lineman Jamal Meriweather added another touchdown after recovering a fumble in the end zone.
Central Michigan turned to Jadyn Glasser at quarterback, and he completed 13 of 15 passes for 88 yards after coming off the bench.
A Wild Stretch in the Third Quarter
Miami’s dominance continued after halftime, although the Hurricanes experienced an unusual sequence in which four apparent touchdowns were scored during a four-minute stretch — with only one ultimately counting.
Damon Wilson II appeared to score on a 63-yard fumble return, but the touchdown was wiped out after Marquise Lightfoot, who forced the fumble, was penalized for unnecessary roughness.
Toney then appeared to score on a spectacular one-handed 12-yard reception, only for offensive pass interference to erase the play.
Jordan Lyle seemingly added another touchdown on a direct-snap play, but the score was nullified because referee Garrett Dickerson was still explaining a penalty from the previous play.
Lyle fumbled on the following snap, but Meriweather recovered the ball near the back of the end zone to give Miami another touchdown.
The sequence was strange, but it also demonstrated just how much pressure Miami was putting on the Chippewas’ defense.
The Road Ahead Gets Much Tougher
Miami’s nonconference schedule is now complete, and the level of competition is about to change dramatically.
The Hurricanes have eight regular-season games remaining, including seven against ACC opponents. The other game is a Nov. 7 trip to Notre Dame, a matchup that could carry significant College Football Playoff implications.
For now, Miami enters October undefeated and with its quarterback playing at an extraordinarily efficient level.
Cristobal’s team will find out quickly how much that early-season success translates when it travels to Clemson.
What’s Next:
Central Michigan (2-2) returns home Oct. 3 to host Akron.
Miami (4-0) travels to Clemson on Oct. 3 for its first ACC road test of the season.
