No. 7 Miami beat FCS Florida A&M 77-7 in Thursday night’s home opener in Miami Gardens, a mismatch so lopsided that both coaching staffs agreed to shorten the fourth quarter before it even began.
Miami led 14-0 before the game was five minutes old. The Hurricanes scored a touchdown on all seven of their first-half possessions, then added four more touchdowns in the third quarter. FAMU managed just two first downs in the entire first half.
Miami quarterback Darian Mensah threw for three touchdowns and completed every pass but one. The backup quarterback went 8 for 8 with three more touchdowns. Even the third-string quarterback missed only a single throw. As a team, Miami ran for more than 400 yards and finished with 856 total yards of offense. FAMU finished with barely 100.
By the third quarter, both coaches agreed to shorten the fourth to bring the game to an early close.
The mismatch is drawing renewed scrutiny of the practice of major programs scheduling FCS opponents for a guaranteed payday. FAMU’s trip to Miami Gardens was, in plain terms, about the paycheck the Rattlers received for the appearance. It’s a common arrangement that helps fund lower-budget athletic departments for the year, even when the on-field results are lopsided.
Critics argue the arrangement has grown untenable in the era of NIL money and the transfer portal, which have widened the talent gap between top programs and FCS schools to the point that competitive games are increasingly rare. Years ago, Bethune-Cookman, another HBCU program, lost to Miami 42-13 — a lopsided score, but nowhere near Thursday’s result.
Miami coach Mario Cristobal went for it on 4th-and-7 from the FAMU 8-yard line with two minutes left, but the Rattlers held, denying the Hurricanes a chance to push the final margin even higher.
