MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Mark Fletcher Jr. rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown, Marty Brown rushed for a pair of scores and No. 4 Miami struggled at times before beating Florida 26-7 on Saturday night.
Brown had a 2-yard rush to cap the first drive of the game for Miami (4-0), then had a 1-yard plunge with 4:08 left to seal what became the Hurricanes’ ninth win over the Gators in the teams’ last 11 meetings.
Fletcher scored from 1 yard out with 1:57 left.
Jadan Baugh had a 7-yard touchdown run for Florida (1-3), off to its worst start since 1986. The loss sent embattled coach Billy Napier’s record with the Gators to 20-22, and came on a night where Florida had its fewest total yards in a game in more than 25 years.
The Gators were outgained 344-141 and quarterback D.J. Lagway completed 12 of 23 passes for only 61 yards. It was Florida’s lowest yardage since managing only 119 against Alabama on Dec. 4, 1999.
Miami quarterback Carson Beck completed 17 of 30 passes for 160 yards and an interception. Beck improved to 3-0 all-time against Florida; in the last 25 years, only fellow former Georgia quarterbacks Jake Fromm and Aaron Murray also had three wins over the Gators as starters.
The Hurricanes were fuming after a play early in the third quarter where it appeared Brown — on fourth-and-1 from the Florida 48 — bounced off a pile, kept his legs moving and broke free for what would have been a touchdown and a 19-0 Miami lead with an extra point pending.
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Southeastern Conference referee David Smith said Brown’s forward progress was stopped, taking the score off the board, and Miami punted four plays later. The Gators scored on the ensuing drive, and a game where the Hurricanes thought they had gone up by three touchdowns was suddenly a 13-7 contest.
Beck got picked off on the next Miami drive, but the Hurricanes snuffed out that Florida possession by getting a fourth-down stop on the first play of the fourth quarter and holding on to the six-point lead. Florida never got any closer.
The takeaway
Florida: The Gators had 32 yards of offense on their first six drives, before going 80 yards on the third-quarter possession capped by Baugh’s touchdown run. That extended Florida’s NCAA-record scoring streak, which now is up to 465 games dating back to 1988.
Miami: Even on an off night for the offense, the Hurricanes’ defense showed up yet again. Miami improved to 10-0 at home since the start of last season and has now won seven consecutive games against in-state opponents.
Up next
Florida: Host Texas on Oct. 4.
Miami: Visit Florida State on Oct. 4.
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