Locked On 'Canes POSTCAST: Cam Ward, #19 Miami Pound Florida 41-17 in season opener at The Swamp

Locked On Canes - Daily Podcast On Miami Hurricanes Football & Basketball

Cam Ward threw for 321 yards and three touchdown passes in his Miami debut, leading the 19th ranked Hurricanes to a statement-making 41-17 road win over the Florida Gators.

The blowout win put an emphatic end to the Gators' 33-game win streak in their home openers, dating all the way back to 1991.

The 41 points put up by Miami is the most the Gators have allowed in a home opener in the history of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, aka The Swamp.

The Hurricanes put up 500+ yards of offense. Ward, the senior transfer QB from Washington St, completed 26-35 passes for 385 yards, including scoring tosses to Cam McCormick, (9 yds) Xavier Restrepo, (24 yds) and Jacolby George. (23 yds)

Ward is so good and has such a great command on the field that he is making Hurricanes fans so much hope that they might (finally) have another great QB at Quarterback U. They might be right.

Restrepo led Miami with 7 catches for 112 yards and the TD.

Damien Martinez, who transferred from Oregon St, ran for 65 yards on 15 carries for Miami. Mark Fletcher, Jr added two rushing touchdowns.

----- 'LIVE' Instant Reaction from Jim GRIES Grieshaber -----

The Hurricanes dominated up front, with both the offensive and defensive lines asserting their will against the Gators all afternoon.

Miami safety Mishael Powell picked off Mertz and ran it back 67 yards to set up another score.

Mertz, a preseason awards contender, finished with just 91 yards passing before being knocked out of the game on a hit when he threw an interception.

Montrell Johnson Jr ran for 106 yards for the Gators, but most of that came on his 71-yard TD scamper in the second quarter.

The Miami defense was outstanding for the entire game, holding the gators to 17 points and just 261 yards of offense.

The Hurricanes got the ball to start the second half, and went right down the field to score a touchdown and make it 31-10.

The six-play, yard drive was a thing of beauty, with Ward hitting big passes to Restrepo and Fletcher, Jr, who took it in from a yard out for his 2nd score of the day.

Miami will definitely be a problem for teams this season. The Canes are looking to make the twelve-team playoff and compete for their first national championship since 2001.

The Hurricanes host Florida A&M in their home opener next Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. We will be here right after the game with your Locked On Canes POSTCAST, hosted by Jim GRIES Grieshaber.

For day-to-day coverage of the Miami Hurricanes, check out Locked On Canes with Alex Donno, here on the Locked On Podcast Network- your team, every day!

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