Miami was so dominant against Florida A&M that they ended the game early

Miami fans had five extra minutes to celebrate a 70-point win in South Beach.

The No. 7 Hurricanes’ beatdown of Florida A&M became so lopsided that the team employed a rarely used clause to shorten the fourth quarter by five minutes in Miami’s 77-7 home triumph.

Teams can cut time off the clock upon mutual agreement between the head coaches and the referee.

Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney (1) reacts to a touchdown scored by wide receiver Vance Spafford (13) in the third quarter against the Florida A&M Rattlers on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Any time during the game, the playing time of any remaining period or periods may be shortened by mutual agreement of the opposing head coaches and the referee,” NCAA rules state.

Even the staunchest Rattler fan likely had no fake impression that Thursday’s game between the national runner-ups and an FCS school would be competitive, with Miami laying 59.5 points.

And to no one’s surprise, Miami led 21-0 after one quarter, 49-0 at halftime and 77-0 entering the final stanza, leading to the final quarter being shortened by five minutes.

Florida A&M tallied a 72-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to avoid the shutout.

Rattlers coach Quinn Fordham Gray Jr. appeared to say something to Miami coach Mario Cristobal after the game while exchanging handshakes, although the tone appeared hard to interpret.

The shortening of quarters is not often used by schools, although Arizona State and Morgan State agreed to shave off five minutes of the fourth quarter of the Sun Devils’ 70-7 win on Sept. 5.

“Te referees came over and said coach from the other side asked if we could shorten the quarter, and I said, ‘Yeah, of course, whatever he wants, we’ll do,'” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said last week. “I’ve never been a part of a game like that. Didn’t know that was legal. I learned something today.

“I just said, ‘Whatever he wants.’ I don’t know if he wants to be seven minutes, five minutes, 10 minutes…”

Despite the game ending early and Cristobal emptying his bench, Miami posted video-game-like numbers while improving to 2-0.

The Hurricanes’ 856 yards of total offense set the new school record and their 77 points matched the program-high, while their 42 first downs set an ACC record.

Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Vance Spafford (13) celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter against the Florida A&M Rattlers at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Miami QB and Heisman favorite Darian Mesnah completed 14 of 15 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns in a near-perfect performance.

Miami has outscored its opponents 122-13 through two games and faces its toughest game to date next Friday when it visits Wake Forest.

“We had an opportunity to play a lot of guys and see how they fit into our plans and what their roles can be moving forward. Nowadays in college football, that’s invaluable,” Cristboal said.

“You have to play guys you really can’t look at the clock or the scoreboard. You just have to continue developing your roster, and we attempted to do that tonight.”