Cam Ward threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 19 Miami to a convincing 41-17 victory over host Florida on Saturday afternoon in Gainesville, Fla.
In the season opener for both teams, Ward completed 26 of 35 passes and threw only one interception in his first start for the Hurricanes since transferring from Washington State.
Miami beat Florida in Gainesville for the first time since 2002 and for the first time overall since 2013.
The loss snapped the Gators’ 34-game winning streak in home openers, and the Hurricanes’ 41 points were the most allowed by the Gators in a home opener.
Miami never trailed and built a 38-10 lead with 6:08 left in the third quarter. Ward escaped the Gators’ pass rush, rolled to his left and then made an impressive throw across his body for a 23-yard touchdown pass to Jacolby George in the back of the end zone to give the Hurricanes a 28-point lead.
Xavier Restrepo was Ward’s top target as he finished with seven catches for 112 yards and a touchdown.
Florida’s lone hope to make it a game came with 2:25 left in the first quarter when Shemar James picked off Ward at Miami’s 33-yard line. But the Hurricanes’ defense, which finished with three sacks, held the Gators to a Trey Smack 41-yard field goal.
Florida’s only big play came on a 71-yard TD sweep by Montrell Johnson Jr., which cut Miami’s lead to 17-10. But the Hurricanes answered with a 24-yard scoring pass from Ward to Restrepo with 45 seconds left in the half.
The Hurricanes amassed 529 yards of total offense, including 144 yards on the ground, as Miami showed off its offensive balance.
Damien Martinez led all Miami rushers with 65 yards on 15 carries, and Mark Fletcher Jr., who returned after recovering from a Lisfranc injury in the offseason, scored two touchdowns and finished with 23 yards on seven attempts.
Things got worse for Florida later in the quarter when Graham Mertz was injured after throwing an interception with 24 seconds remaining in the third. Mertz was hit as he threw and remained on the ground for a few moments. Mertz, who went 11-for-20 passing for 91 yards, no touchdowns and the lone interception, did not return.
