Miami is ranked in the Top 10 for the first time in 15 seasons after just two games, which is a big deal for most teams. But not for the Hurricanes.
No. 10 Miami (2-0) will host Ball State (1-0) on Saturday, aiming to keep their perfect record. So far, their stats look impressive: sixth in the nation in third-down offense, seventh in third-down defense, and 12th in scoring offense.
And there’s this, too: “We haven’t even played close to our best football yet,” said quarterback Cam Ward.
The celebrations after their wins—24 points over Florida in Week 1 and 47 points over Florida A&M last weekend—were short for the Hurricanes. Ward, the transfer, has allowed himself only about 30 minutes to enjoy each win before focusing on the next challenge.
Recent Miami teams may have been content with early-season success, but this team seems different.
For example, the last six Miami teams were ranked in September, but only one ended the year in the Top 25. This team doesn’t seem to share that mindset.
“We’ve just got to keep on bettering ourselves,” wide receiver Xavier Restrepo said.
Ball State has a similar mindset. The Cardinals are playing Miami for the first time and are heavy underdogs, with a five-touchdown gap according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
Ball State won their opener against Missouri State 42-34, coming back from a 14-7 deficit in the third quarter with four touchdown passes from Kadin Semonza in just over 10 minutes to secure the win.
“Obviously, Miami’s a good football team,” said Ball State coach Mike Neu. “They’re doing some really good things through two games here. They’ve had two dominating wins, and they’ve worked hard in the transfer portal.”
