The Miami Hurricanes had Florida A&M buried almost before the night really got rolling, rolling to a 77-7 win Thursday night to open the 2026 home schedule. The starters were done by halftime, when Miami had already built a 49-0 cushion, and the Hurricanes were sitting on a 77-0 lead with more than three minutes left in the third quarter.
That kind of runaway score makes it tough to draw big conclusions. Still, it also gave a lot of Hurricanes a chance to get on the field, and Pro Football Focus’ grades offered a useful snapshot of who stood out and who didn’t among players who logged at least 20 snaps.
At the top of the list was Darian Mensah at 92.4, followed by Javian Mallory at 90.0, Malachi Toney at 89.8, Vance Spafford at 82.5 and Armondo Blount at 81.8.
Mensah backed up the grade with a sharp stat line, completing 14 of 15 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns. Toney delivered one of the night’s biggest moments with a highlight grab over a defender and finished with 96 yards and a score.
Mallory looked every bit like the force he’d hinted at being in the spring. Spafford turned in what might have been the catch of the year, hauling one in between two defenders in the third quarter in a play that almost looked impossible.
Blount, meanwhile, kept flashing as Miami’s best pass rusher, continuing to stress the pocket even though PFF credited him with just one pressure in 17 pass-rushing snaps.
PFF also handed out strong marks to several players who didn’t reach the 20-snap cutoff. Luke Nickel, Jonathan Cline, Seuseu Alofaituli and Ahmad Moten, Sr. all earned honorable mention. Nickel and Alofaituli each posted a 93.6 grade, Cline checked in at 86.4, and Moten finished with an 85.8 in 19 snaps.
On the other end of the board, Ben Congdon finished with the lowest grade at 45.9. Tyran Evans followed at 55.8, then Canon Pickett at 56.1, Milan Parris at 56.6 and Isaiah Taylor at 60.1.
Miami rotated heavily on defense, which made the 20-snap threshold harder to hit than usual on that side. Taylor was tagged for a missed tackle and a made tackle, but his tackling grade of 29.1 dragged him down in a way that felt a little harsh. The grades also pointed to issues with Miami’s reserve offensive linemen and receivers, though the late-game slowdown on offense didn’t really produce anything that felt especially revealing.
One grade that did stand out came without enough snaps to qualify for the main list. Brennan Burton, who had the ball ripped away from him in the fourth quarter and watched it get returned for FAMU’s only points, received a team-low 28.0 offensive grade in just two plays. In that spot, the number fit.
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For Miami, the attention now shifts to a Wake Forest offense that has found production quickly through its first two games and has shown it can stress a defense in more than one way. The road environment, the conference stakes and the fact that both teams enter without a loss make this one feel like an early barometer for how Miami handles the first real stretch of its season. [Read more 🡒]
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The Hurricanes have their own long memory for what happens when a season turns on one signature moment, and the broader history around college football is full of examples of teams using a win over the No. 1 team as a springboard. Ohio State has even turned that kind of defeat into a path toward national championships in the past, which only adds to the value of landing one of those games in the first place. For Miami, the lesson is obvious: the next climb is not just about being good, but about finding the kind of win that makes everyone else take notice. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Heads Into A Brutal Rivalry Test With Stakes Suddenly Rising
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For the Hurricanes, the challenge is not just the setting but how to handle it. Miami is dealing with key absences and uneven recent performances, which puts even more on quarterback Mensah as he tries to navigate a difficult environment and keep the offense steady. Rivalry games often reward the team that stays composed longest, and this one carries enough baggage already that every possession figures to matter long before anyone worries about the final score. [Read more 🡒]