No. 4 Miami subdues Florida: Hurricanes handle business as Gators fall to 1-3 for first time since 1989

Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain has established himself as one of the best defensive linemen in college football. Against Florida, he was nearly impossible to keep out of the backfield. 

On paper, Bain was credited with only one tackle for loss, one quarterback hurry and 0.5 sacks. In practice, Bain impacted nearly every single play with his activity and movement. Several other Miami players recorded sacks almost strictly off Bain's activity alone. 

Miami's defense suffered greatly when Bain went out with an injury last year. Already, his presence has changed everything for the program. 

At halftime, the obituaries started to be written about Billy Napier's tenure. The Gators had an astonishingly terrible 32 yards in the first half, including only one drive of more than five yards. Miami forced negative plays on the first three plays of the game and never looked back. 

The Gators fought back in the second half, and even had the ball with a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter. The offensive line and running game showed real life, especially dynamic running back Jadan Baugh. 

At the same time, it's Year 4. Napier's star quarterback, DJ Lagway, threw for 61 yards on 23 pass attempts. The unit still finished with only 141 yards. It's great that Florida had moments of brilliance. Heading into a bye week, though, it may be too late. 

Miami quarterback Carson Beck played like a Heisman contender in his first few games, but the performance against the Gators was one to forget. He completed only 17 of 30 passes for 160 yards and threw a second-half interception. 

At one point, Beck whiffed on five straight passes. He connected on only one pass of more than 20 yards. Miami's defense has stepped to the forefront, but the passing offense is fading. With a big matchup against Florida State on the horizon, Beck needs to step up his game. 

FINAL: No. 4 Miami 26, Florida 7

No. 4 Miami held off a late charge from Florida to defeat the Gators 26-7 and move to 4-0. The Hurricanes put together a late fourth quarter drive to bleed more than seven minutes off the clock and score a game-sealing touchdown with 4:08 remaining. 

The Hurricanes dominated the first half, holding Florida to only 32 yards and holding a 13-0 lead. Six procedural penalties in the first half limited the offense, keeping them to only 13 points despite several consistent drives. 

Florida fought back in the second half, putting together an 80-yard touchdown drive and eating up most of the third quarter clock. However, a failed fourth down conversion deep in Miami territory ultimately cost the Gators a chance at taking the lead. After the seven-minute Miami touchdown drive, Florida's offense simply couldn't finish.  

Miami running backs Mark Fletcher and CharMar Brown combined for 190 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Brown added 53 yards receiving through the air. The Gators finished with only 139 yards as quarterback DJ Lagway averaged only 2.8 yards per pass attempt. The Gators went 0-13 on third down. 

After the game, Florida fell to 1-3 with two losses in nonconference play to ACC and American Conference opponents. The Gators now head into an early bye week, where coach Billy Napier's job could be at risk. 

• Florida fell to 1-3 through four games, the worst start since 1986. 
• Miami improved to 78-3 at home as an AP Top 5 team. 
• The Hurricanes are in the midst of an 11-game home winning stream, the longest since a 13-game streak in 2018. 
• Miami quarterback Carson Beck moved to 3-0 in his career against Florida, including two wins at Georgia. 

After stopping Florida on another long drive, Miami's offense finally started to find its rhythm. The running backs have come up big, both carrying the ball and giving Carson Beck safe outs in the passing game. The Hurricanes are well within field goal range, but could all but bury the Gators with a touchdown. 

Early 4Q: Miami 13, Florida 7

Miami dominated the first half of the game, but a few miscues have allowed Florida to cut down the lead early in the fourth quarter. The Gators put together their first drive of the game, an 80-yard touchdown drive capped off by a seven-yard run by Jadan Baugh. However, Florida came just short of a fourth down conversion that would have extended their drive. 

Miami held Florida to only 32 yards through the first half, but turned it into only 13 points behind a middling effort from quarterback Carson Beck. Beck is completing only half of his passes with 128 yards and an interception. The Hurricanes also had a touchdown controversially called back as running back CharMar Down was ruled down by forward progress. 

Because of Florida's offensive success, Miami has only run 12 plays in the second half after Beck threw an interception on his first play of the second drive. The Hurricanes have a chance to push the lead after starting their next drive near midfield. 

Miami quarterback Carson Beck stepped back to pass on his first play of the drive. Out of nowhere, Cormani McClain -- remember that name? -- stepped up and delivered a wild interception. Florida has a chance to take the lead. 

Late 3Q: Miami 13, Florida 7

The Gators came into the second half with only 32 yards, but finally started to find itself after forcing a Miami punt. The Gators marched 73 yards down the field, including a key fourth down conversion run by DJ Lagway, to finally set up a touchdown run by Jadan Baugh to cut the lead to only six points. For how miserable the Gators have been all day, the defense has done enough to give them a chance. 

Miami running back CharMar Brown appeared to break off a touchdown run, but the play was called back after one of the strangest forward progress calls you'll ever see. The refs blew it dead after only threw yards, even though the running back seemed to still clearly be alive in the play. It proved costly as Miami was held to a punt. Very few breaks have gone Miami's way on offense. 

HALF: Miami 13, Florida 0

No. 4 Miami is crushing Florida at the end of the first half, holding a 13-0 lead against the Gators. The Hurricanes have bullied the Gators on both sides of the ball and are putting Florida's nation-leading scoring streak at risk.  

Florida's offense was a complete disaster in the first half. The Gators mustered only five yards in the first quarter and had 32 yards in the period. The Hurricanes have lived in the backfield, including forcing negative plays on the first three plays of the game. Florida's 1.5 yards yards per play and 0% success rate is one of the worst performances of the season. 

Miami is moving the ball at ease, posting 198 yards in the half with 100 yards rushing. However, the Hurricanes had to settle for a pair of field goals after drives stalled in the red zone. Miami has been called for six pre-snap penalties, or the margin could be significantly worse. 

Since Miami's monstrous first quarter, both defenses have started to find their groove. Florida still only has 25 yards, but the Gators at least forced punts on the last two Miami drives. This is the Florida defense that we've become accustomed to through the first few weeks, even as the offense struggles. 

Early 2Q: Miami 10, Florida 0

Florida finally had its first positive play of the game to help prevent a second straight touchdown drive. After a false start against the Hurricanes, Florida's Jayden Woods sacked Beck for the first negative play of the game. The sack helped push Miami to the edge of field goal range, where Carter Davis hit a 53-yard field goal. However, that's a win for Florida, which has had dangerously few this Saturday. 

End 1Q: Miami 7, Florida 0

No. 4 Miami is running away with the game against rival Florida after one quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. The Hurricanes held Florida to five total yards on six plays as defensive end Rueben Bain has been deep in the backfield every single play during the hot start. Miami is on the edge of scoring again when the second quarter begins. 

Miami quarterback Carson Beck has diced the Gators' defense up early, completing 5-of-8 for 56 yards. The Hurricanes have also converted on all five third-down attempts to set up potential scoring drives. They held the ball for more than 10 minutes in the period. 

Florida had three straight negative plays to start the game because of disruption and have lost multiple defensive players to injury. The Hurricanes are in the midst of a 13-play drive as the quarter ends. 

1Q: Miami 7, Florida 0

Miami became the first opponent to score on its first possession against Florida in the last 12 games, marching down the field with ease. Running back CharMar Brown took a Carson Beck pass 22 yards through the Florida secondary to set up a two-yard touchdown run two plays later. It only took seven plays to drive 56 yards into the end zone. 

Florida got the ball first against Miami and the gap between the two was astonishing. The first three plays for the Gators all resulted in tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Florida needed a fast start, and this was anything but. 

Florida is a talented roster, but the Hurricanes have built up advantages at nearly every single position group. Miami's offense is rolling behind quarterback Carson Beck and the aggressive defensive line will cause problems for Florida quarterback DJ Lagway. The Gators will fight hard in the first half to try and save Billy Napier's job, but the gap between these two programs is only widening. Pick: Miami -7.5

Florida vs. Miami prediction, pick, odds, spread: Carson Beck, Hurricanes meet in-state rival Gators

Shehan Jeyarajah

After five interceptions against No. 3 LSU, uncharacteristic lateness on throws and simple misfires against South Florida that have contributed to a 1-2 start -- leading to renewed skepticism about Billy Napier's long-term future as Florida coach -- many are asking: What's wrong with DJ Lagway? 

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