AP News Media Polls’ No. 7 Miami piled up 856 yards of total offense and scored on 11 of its first 12 possessions, routing FAMU 77-7 in non-conference play Thursday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The Hurricanes improved to 2-0, while the Rattlers fell to 1-2 in a game that ended with a 10-minute fourth quarter by agreement between the two teams.

Miami raced to a 49-0 halftime lead

Mark Fletcher Jr. opened the scoring with a 46-yard touchdown run less than three minutes into the game, and Miami never let up. Joshua Moore hauled in a 55-yard touchdown pass from Darian Mensah on the very next Hurricanes possession, and Fletcher scored again from a yard out to make it 21-0 after one quarter. Fletcher finished with 105 rushing yards, while Javian Mallory added 142 yards on the ground.

The Canes tacked on four more touchdowns in the second quarter, including a pair from Girard Pringle Jr. and Cooper Barkate, to take a 49-0 halftime lead. Miami finished the first half with 453 total yards on just 32 plays. Mensah threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns before giving way to Luke Nickel, who added 144 yards and three more scoring strikes through the air.

The third quarter was more of the same

Nickel found Somourian Wingo for a 47-yard score, Vandrevius Jacobs for 33 yards and Vance Spafford for 21 yards, sandwiched around a 52-yard touchdown run by Mallory that made it 77-0 with 3:31 left in the third. Miami rotated quarterbacks throughout the night, with Mensah, Nickel and Dereon Coleman combining to complete 27 of 29 passes for 426 yards and six touchdowns without an interception.

FAMU avoided the shutout on a defensive score

Florida A&M, playing its second game in five days with both contests in Miami Gardens, avoided the shutout in the fourth quarter when Caleb McKenzie scooped up a fumble by Miami’s Brennan Burton and returned it 72 yards for a touchdown, cutting the final margin to 77-7.

FAMU quarterback Dustin Fletcher completed 8 of 17 passes for 33 yards, and the Rattlers managed just 37 net rushing yards on 21 carries. Bobby Engstler punted 13 times for FAMU, averaging 36.7 yards per punt on the night. Denzel Johnson headlined the Rattlers’ defense with a game-high 10 tackles and a pass deflection, followed by Frank Callum with eight stops, five of them solo.

Miami moves to 2-0. Florida A&M falls to 1-2 and returns home to face Tennessee State for a “Hall of Fame” weekend on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee. Track both teams the rest of the way on our 2026 football season dashboard.