Freshman And Reserves Get Plenty of Snaps in Hurricanes Blowout of Florida A&M
Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal was never worried about Saturday's game against Florida A&M ever being in doubt. Miami won the game 56-9.
The only question was how many players was he going to be able to get off his bench and into the game.
"There is nothing like repetitions for these young guys," Cristobal said. "The value is just tremendous. When the reserves starting playing well, we just let them all go."
After Cam Ward did his Cam Ward things, throwing three touchdown passes and completing 20-26 passes for 304 yards, his night was done midway through the third quarter.
"You can see what he brings to the table," Cristobal said. "The fun thing is to find out a new way to challenge him. Certain guys bring a spark. He's that guy. He's the real one."
Ward even scored a touchdown on an eight-yard run before exiting the game. He dove head first into the pylon, almost giving the coaches a heart attack.
"He is not a surrender quarterback. He wants to ball," Cristobal said. "He is actively doing it. It was just a great game by Cam.'
Fellow transfer quarterback Reese Poffenbarger entered the game for his first appearance as a Hurricanes player. Poffenbarger went 6-of-7 for only 20 yards, but he got incredible experience as he led the Hurricanes down the field for a touchdown.
Jordan Lyle scored his first touchdown on a one-yard plunge. He had six carries or 40 yards. It was a good 19th birthday present for Lyle.
"We were practicing it all week," Lyle said. "The whole running back room is very talented. Everyone is talented and helping each other out. We all get little things from other guys game and put them into our game.
"I got to celebrate my birthday with a nice little touchdown, my family, it's nice."
Freshman Justin Scott also registered his first collegiate sack.
"We have to do a better job of coaching the other side of the roster," Cristobal said. "There are going to be times that we need them, not in mop up duty or during a blowout. We have a strong commitment to coaching them up and getting them ready to play."
Tyler Baron filled in at defensive tackle for Rueben Bain who is still out with an injury. He had a sack in the first half and put pressure on the Florida A&M quarterbacks the entire game.
"Baron is built like an avatar," Cristobal said. "He is really smart. He goes full throttle and checks all the boxes. He is a real hungry man."
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Scott Salomon joined On SI in April 2024 covering breaking news and analysis for the Miami Dolphins site, and has since contributed to the Miami Heat, Back in the Day NBA, Miami Hurricanes and San Antonio Spurs sites. Scott is based in South Florida and has been covering the local and national sports scene for 35 years. He's covered and has been credentialed for the Super Bowl, the NFL Combine, various Orange Bowls and college football championship games. Scott was also credentialed for the NBA All-Star game and covered the Miami Heat during their first six seasons for USA TODAY. Scott is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Communication and the St. Thomas University School of Law. Scott has two sons and his hobbies include watching sports on television and binge watching shows on various streaming services.