Hurricanes Dominate Ball State 62-0

After a two-hour rain delay, No. 10 Miami (3-0) dismantled Ball State (1-1) with a 62-0 shutout in their second home game of the weekend. Despite a sluggish start, the Hurricanes quickly shook off any rust caused by the weather delay and turned in one of the most dominant performances in program history.

Quarterback Cam Ward was unstoppable once again, throwing for 346 yards and five touchdowns before being subbed out early in the second half. Ward completed 19 of 28 passes and accounted for over 300 yards of offense, marking his third consecutive 300-yard game to start the season. He connected with Xavier Restrepo for two touchdowns and also found Jacolby George, Elijah Arroyo, and Chris Johnson Jr. for scores.

The Hurricanes put out a staggering 750 yards of offense, breaking a school record for the most yards in a game. Their 62-point shutout was the largest margin of victory over an FBS opponent in Miami’s history, surpassing the 61-0 win against Rutgers in 2001.

The victory came on a special weekend for the Hurricanes as they celebrated the 35th anniversary of their 1989 national championship team—a squad that featured head coach Mario Cristobal as a young offensive lineman. The current Hurricanes did not disappoint, piling up 159 points in their first three games, the most by any Miami team through this stretch.

“It’s good to see everyone lock in and prepare the right way,” Ward said after the game. “We executed, and it showed.”

Ajay Allen added to Miami’s dominance with a 56-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter. Emory Williams, who came in for Ward, threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Elija Lofton, while Jordan Lyle capped off the night with a late rushing touchdown.

Ball State struggled from the start, overwhelmed by Miami’s speed and talent. Quarterback Kadin Semonza managed just 111 yards on 16-of-26 passing for the Cardinals, who fell to 0-9 all-time against Top 10 teams and suffered their first shutout since 2011.

“There’s not a lot of positives to bring out of tonight,” Ball State head coach Mike Neu said.

For Miami, the only concern might be on the offensive line. The Hurricanes were without two starters—left tackle Jalen Rivers and left guard Ryan Rodriguez—and lost right guard Anez Cooper to a lower-leg injury in the first half. Cristobal, however, expects Cooper to practice this week ahead of their next game against South Florida in Tampa.

With Ward’s stellar start to the season, he has now accumulated 1,035 yards and 11 touchdowns through three games, completing 73% of his passes. Ward is also closing in on a career milestone, just 89 yards away from reaching 15,000 career passing yards when combining his time at Incarnate Word and Washington State.

Miami will look to build on this momentum next week as they face a tougher test on the road against South Florida. The Hurricanes are expected to retain their Top 10 ranking when the AP Poll is updated on Sunday.

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