The schedule will get tougher.

But, for now at least, the Miami Hurricanes are 1-0 after a dominating 38-3 win against the visiting Miami (Ohio) RedHawks on Friday night.

Tyler Van Dyke completed 17 of 22 passes for 201 yards and 1 touchdown. He made 1 significant mistake as he failed to see a defensive back leaving his zone and dropping back into deeper coverage to make an interception.
Otherwise, the Canes got dominant defense, balanced offense and solid special teams that included a big kickoff return by Brashard Smith and 3-for-3 field-goal attempts by Andres Borregales.

The Hurricanes’ rebuilt offensive line kept Van Dyke clean and opened some running lanes, including a great kick-out block by pulling right guard Anez Cooper, which resulted in a touchdown.

Defensively, the Hurricanes got big moments from numerous players, including Jahfari Harvey (sack); blitzing linebacker Wesley Bissainthe (sack); defensive end Nyjalik Kelly (diving pass deflection); nickel back Te’Cory Couch (several big plays); safety James Williams (sprinting downfield for special-teams tackle); safety Kamren Kinchens (flawless day for the All-American); linebacker K.J. Cloyd (tackle for loss); and cornerback Jaden Davis (textbook coverage in the end zone).
Cloyd is a Louisville transfer. Davis is a transfer from Oklahoma.

Player of the Week: Colbie Young caught 4 passes for 79 yards and a touchdown. He turned a bubble screen into a 44-yard score on Miami’s 1st drive, breaking a tackle to get free.

Freshman of the Week: Mark Fletcher Jr. giggled as he realized he was about to do a postgame interview with ESPN. That was a sign Fletcher still is a teenager and a freshman. Otherwise, though, he looked like a grown man, rushing for 76 yards, an 8.3 average and a touchdown in his college debut. There was 1 play where Fletcher didn’t wait for pulling center Matt Lee, but the rookie got better as the game progressed.

Other Canes freshmen looked good, too, including wrecking ball defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. Starting right tackle Francis Mauigoa was solid all game with the exception of a holding penalty.
Backup quarterback Emory Williams, who was “born to throw,” according to offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, threw tight spirals in going 3-for-3 for 42 yards. Riley Williams added an 18-yard catch – the only reception all night by a Canes tight end.

Biggest surprise: Even though the Canes said they would rotate their running backs, it still was a bit shocking to see their starting running back, Henry Parrish Jr., get just 9 total carries (90 yards). For the 1st 3 series, Miami had a different running back each time, and it will be interesting to see if that trend continues when the schedule gets stiffer.
For now, the plan is working as Parrish, Ajay Allen, freshman Fletcher Jr. and Donald Chaney Jr. all had either 8 or 9 carries apiece. All of them except Allen scored.

Other surprises included using Emory Williams as the 2nd-string QB ahead of veteran Jacurri Brown. But as good as Williams looked, that appears to be the correct call.

Linebacker Cloyd, who was a backup at Louisville, got the start – which was a bit surprising – and he looked good.
Biggest concern: Canes offensive linemen had 4 false starts, including 2 by Cooper. The unit also had a holding call.

In addition, defensive tackle Leonard Taylor was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, the only case of a lack of discipline by the Canes all night.

Wide receiver Isaiah Horton struggled on 2 pass patterns. On the 1st, he didn’t turn around, resulting in an incompletion. On the 2nd, he bumped into a defensive back, again resulting in an incompletion.

Also, where were the tight ends? They combined for just 1 catch, and that came late.

Developing trend: Miami did more than usual with bubble screens, getting the ball out of Van Dyke’s hands quickly. That type of game kept the pressure off the offensive line, which didn’t allow Van Dyke to get sacked.

Key stats: The Canes were balanced with 250 yards rushing and 243 yards passing.
Defensively, the Canes held the RedHawks to 2-of-12 on 3rd down and 0-for-3 on 4th down.

First impression after Game 1: Although the competition was not what Miami will face starting next weekend against Texas A&M, this was just about a perfect night for the Canes, who won the game, avoided injuries and looked good on both sides of the ball.