Aside from the FAU Owls, every college football in the state of Florida recorded a win on Saturday.
Miami Hurricanes
The Canes had a tough matchup with the No. 23 Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday but it didn’t seem to affect Tyler Van Dyke. Miami’s starting quarterback threw for 374 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions to secure the 48-33 upset win.
The Aggies had way more first downs than the Canes but the big difference was the “big play”. Van Dyke threw a 52 yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Horton. Brashard Smith had a 98 yard kickoff return. And Jacolby George had a 64 yard touchdown reception. The Aggies simply struggled to tackle throughout the entire game despite having an early 10 point lead.
Miami is now 2-0. The Canes will have a third-straight home game in a matchup with Bethune-Cookman on Thursday night.
Your FL Teams Player of the Week is… Miami Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke!
Against No. 23 Texas A&M:
21/30
374 passing yards
5 touchdowns
0 interceptions pic.twitter.com/YzNipTJgMD— FL Teams (@FLTeams) September 10, 2023
Florida Gators
The Gators recorded their first win of the season after beating McNeese 49-7. Starting quarterback Graham Mertz only threw for 193 yards and one touchdown. So, how did the Gators put up close to 50 points? Well, Florida’s running back room showed out in a massive way, combining for six touchdowns.
Montrell Johnson Jr. (15 carries for 119 yards) and Treyaun Webb (14 carries for 71 yards) each recorded two rushing touchdowns. Trevor Etienne and Mertz also cashed in with a rushing score.
Florida’s defense played well, holding the Cowboys to just six first downs and 112 total yards.
The Gators have a massive showdown at home against the No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers on Friday night.
FSU Seminoles
The No. 4 ranked Florida State Seminoles put up 66 points against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on Saturday night.
Quarterbacks Jordan Travis and Tate Rodemaker each had two touchdowns with no interceptions. Running back Trey Benson was the star for the ‘Noles, rushing for three touchdowns and 79 yards on just nine carries.
There’s nothing really to analyze. The Seminoles are one of the best teams in the nation behind Heisman hopeful Jordan Travis.
FSU plays Boston College next Friday at noon. The Noles will likely be ranked in the top three after No. 3 Alabama suffered a 34-24 loss to the No. 11 Texas Longhorns.
UCF Knights
It was only a two-point win, but the UCF Knights defeated the Boise State Broncos 18-16 on their well-known blue field.
Quarterback John Rhys Plumlee struggled with no touchdowns and two interceptions, so the Knights had to rely on Colton Boomer’s four field goals, including his game-winning 40 yard field goal as time expired. Plumlee did have a role in the ground game, though, running the ball 11 times for 73 yards.
UCF hosts the Villanova Wildcats next Friday night with the hopes of starting their season 3-0.
FIU Panthers
After recording just four wins last season, the Panthers are changing the narrative. FIU has now won two straight games (2-1 on the season) after beating North Texas 46-39 on Saturday night.
Running back Kejon Owens led the way for FIU with over 100 rushing yards and three touchdowns. And Hezekiah Masses had a huge 40-yard interception return for a touchdown.
FIU has looked really good since benching Grayson James. Despite throwing two interceptions, former Miami Central quarterback Keyone Jenkins completed 20-of-32 passes for 291 yards and a touchdown.
FIU will play at UConn next week at 3:30 PM.
USF Bulls
The USF Bulls recorded their first win of the season after defeating the Florida A&M Rattlers 38-24. Their 11 game losing streak is now over.
Quarterback Byrum Brown played extremely well, recording five total touchdowns. Through the air, Brown had 197 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, Brown ran the ball an astonishing 17 times for just 23 yards, but notched two touchdowns.
USF has a huge matchup at home next week. The ranked Alabama Sooners come to Tampa as the Bulls look for an upset of one of the nation’s top programs.
FAU Owls
Well, the Owls were the only Florida team to lose on Saturday; FAU lost 17-10 to the Ohio Bobcats.
Tom Herman’s squad struggled mightily, including quarterback Casey Thompson. Thompson had just 180 yards on 42 passes with no touchdowns and two interceptions.
After rushing for over 100 yards last week against Monmouth, Larry McCammon III rushed for just 23 yards. LaJohntay Wester was one of the few bright spots, recording 12 catches for 101 yards. Jarron Morris was another bright spot; he had a 72 yard pick-six.
FAU has a massive matchup on the road next Friday night. The Owls travel to Death Valley to face a ranked Clemson Tigers team.