After a tug-of-war in the first half, No. 8 Miami (4-0) pulled away in the second half and notched a 50-15 win over upstart USF (2-2), which has proven its mettle in closely fought games against both UM and Alabama. The Hurricanes are 6-1 all-time against the Bulls.

Cam Ward throws for 404 yards and three touchdowns. And the Hurricanes score 50 points for a third consecutive game.

After years of false starts and false hope ending in Miami mediocrity, it’s time to take the No. 8 Hurricanes seriously. Not just as the ACC favorites. Not just as contenders to make the expanded College Football Playoff.

Fueled by three total rushing touchdowns by Damien Martinez, including two in the second half, and another stellar performance from quarterback Cam Ward, No. 8 Miami pulled away from USF and left Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium with a 50-15 road win.

Can the Miami Hurricanes cap their non-conference schedule with a perfect record? That will come down to how No. 8 Miami (3-0) does on Saturday night against the USF Bulls (2-1). Kickoff from Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium is slated for 7 p.

Meanwhile, left tackle Jalen Rivers and defensive end Rueben Bain Jr., neither of whom has played since UM’s season-opener at Florida, were in street clothes, signaling they’ll most likely be out for a third consecutive game.