It's time to start taking the No. 8 Miami Hurricanes seriously following their decisive victory over USF.

 TAMPA — After years of false starts and unmet expectations, it’s time to take the No. 8 Hurricanes seriously. They are not just the ACC favorites or contenders for the expanded College Football Playoff; they have the potential to make a significant run in the 12-team field.

Saturday night’s 50-15 blowout against USF at Raymond James Stadium confirmed that this 4-0 team is more legitimate than Miami has been for most of the past two decades.

“The only thing that can stop us is us,” said star quarterback Cam Ward.

USF (2-2) certainly couldn’t halt Miami’s momentum— and that’s not meant to disparage the Bulls. Ward called them the toughest team Miami has faced, especially considering the Hurricanes opened their season against Florida.

In fact, USF even did something the Gators, Ball State, and Florida A&M couldn’t: take the lead. After USF pushed Miami into a 15-14 deficit late in the second quarter, the Hurricanes responded by scoring the game’s final 36 points.

“They’re resilient,” said Miami coach Mario Cristobal. “There’s no penalty, there’s no injury, there’s no score situation that our guys can’t overcome.”

Damien Martinez starred for Miami, scoring three touchdown runs against USF.

While one might question how a team from the AAC stacks up against the opponents Miami will face as ACC play kicks off Friday against Virginia Tech, consider this: even No. 4 Alabama needed a late push to beat USF at home just two weeks ago.

The Hurricanes all but sealed their victory midway through the third quarter with one of Martinez’s touchdowns, ultimately outgaining USF 574-365. This performance came on the road in front of an announced crowd of 58,616 for one of USF’s biggest games in years.

Miami dominated in all aspects. The Bulls entered with a top-10 rushing offense, yet the Hurricanes limited them to just 1.9 yards per carry—less than half of what Alabama managed. Under coach Alex Golesh, only Georgia’s national championship team in 2021 has held his squads to a lower rushing average.

Miami displayed complementary football in the second half. After Mishael Powell intercepted a pass in the end zone, the offense methodically drove 80 yards in 10 plays for another touchdown, further extending their lead.

“That’s the brand of football we want to play,” Cristobal noted.

Ward, the early Heisman Trophy favorite, threw three touchdowns to different receivers, with his sole interception coming off a deflection. He has surpassed 300 passing yards in each game since transferring from Washington State, with Saturday’s 404 yards marking a season high. He appears to be the best quarterback Miami has had since Ken Dorsey.

Golesh praised Ward, saying, “No matter how good the coverage was, he snuck them in there. A lot of credit to him.”

But the credit also belongs to the rest of the offense. Miami has exceeded 500 total yards in every game, while the 2017 team—considered Miami’s best since its glory days—hit that mark just twice. The Hurricanes have scored at least 50 points in three consecutive games for the first time in the program’s storied history.

These statistics suggest that this Miami team is different from the past, particularly from last year’s squad, which also started 4-0.

Against similar competition last season—one SEC opponent, one AAC foe, a MAC team, and a lower Football Championship Subdivision team—Miami outscored its first four opponents by 125 points and outgained them by 984 yards. This year, the Hurricanes have outscored their opponents by 168 points and outgained them by 1,471.

Cristobal senses a locker room that remains restless and eager to achieve more. “There’s no settling,” he said. “They know we can be a really good team.”

This sentiment may not be new for Miami, where potential has often been questioned, but for the first time in years, this team appears ready to fulfill that promise.

Next Up: USF has shown it can compete in the first half; now it needs to address the second.