Canes Rout Rattlers
But the Marching 100 Band rocks the house
Carlos Miller
An excited Miami Hurricanes fan shows his team spirit before the Georgia Tech game.
Facing an unranked team for the first time this season, the Miami Hurricanes did as expected; rout their opponent.
But their opponent did have a better band. Probably top in the nation.
But it’s what’s on the scoreboard that counts. Miami 48. Florida A&M 16.
"You need a game like this," coach Randy Shannon said. "We came out focused and started the game fast."
In front of 47,859 fans at Land Shark Stadium, Jacory Harris led No. 11 Miami to 31 points playing only the first half before he sat out the second half with 217 yards under his belt.
It was a game where reserves saw plenty of action, including fourth-string halfback Damien Berry, a former safety who carried for the first time in his career and racked up 162 yards in 14 attempts, including a 49-yard and a 35-yard touchdown run on consecutive plays.
"I was a little nervous," Berry said. "My heart was going 150 mph."
Berry's rushing total was the largest by a Miami player since 2005.
Six Hurricanes scored a touchdown apiece, and 12 caught at least one pass.
"When you have games like this, you've got to stay tuned to what you need to do," Shannon said. "If a guy doesn't respond, you go to the next guy."
Miami totaled 24 first downs, 215 rushing yards and 470 total yards. Cornerback Brandon Harris led the defense by intercepting one Rattlers pass and breaking up five others.
"We're pretty excited to get a win like this," he said. "It means a lot to avoid the letdown. We knew they would play hard. A lot of those guys wanted to be at the University of Miami."
Meanwhile, the FAMU Marching 100 band, which is renowned throughout the world, performed a tribute to Michael Jackson during halftime.
If you’re not familiar with the band, check out the following video.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC 6 Miami
Posted Sunday, Oct 11, 2009 - 9:45 AM EST
