The Miami Hurricanes opened their title defense in impressive fashion Saturday, blowing out a helpless Boston College 55-17 at Chestnut Hill.
Despite a driving rainstorm that lasted the entire afternoon, the Canes had no trouble piling up the points against the overmatched Eagles. Miami was led on offense by senior quarterback Marshall Cook, who completed 10 of 13 passes for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns in limited action. Sophomore quarterback Andrew Jackson added another 2 touchdowns through the air as well. The ground game, charged with the daunting task of replacing record-holder Nate Walker, got it done to the tune of 245 yards rushing. Junior Chris Oliver ran for 112 yards and sophomore Bill Luke added another 70, including a 54 yard touchdown scamper in the first quarter.
The defense was led by sophomore defensive tackle BJ Casey who had 7 tackles, 4 TFL, and a sack. Junior superstar Mike Mills added 5 tackles and returned a first quarter interception 21 yards for a touchdown.
All in all, the Canes looked like a title contender should. They dominated both sides of the ball against an inferior team and came out a long way ahead. This bodes well for the Hurricanes heading into next week's tilt with the Florida Gators.