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Miami guided Florida 7-3 after the first quarter of action in the Swamp, but the lead could have been bigger had it not been for a costly mistake by the quarterback Cam Department.

Ward, who had been forced back to his own side of the field, made a critical error when he threw the ball back across his body and was intercepted by the Florida linebacker Shemar James.

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“Well, you know, we were trying to make something happen as we were running, the ball came out behind him, behind the receiver,” coach Mario Cristóbal said on the ABC broadcast. “Got a tip, got an interception. They do a good job in coverage of mixing up the looks. We’ve got to do a good job of establishing ourselves at the line of scrimmage and then moving forward.”

Florida’s drive after the interception stalled, forcing the Gators to settle for a 41-yard field goal from the kicker Trey SmackThis reduced the deficit to 7-3.

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But Cam Ward and Miami dominated the first quarter, especially in the trenches.

The Hurricanes held a 93-57 lead in total yardage after the first quarter, with 59 yards rushing. At an average clip of 6.6 yards per carry, Miami was able to move the chains repeatedly on the ground, while Florida could not. The Gators averaged just 3.0 yards per carry in the first quarter.

Cam Ward also played a big part in that rushing success, getting loose on a few scrambles to hurt Florida and extend drives. Florida was also assessed a costly third-down penalty after making a stop in the red zone, allowing Miami to build up another set of downs and eventually score a touchdown.

Rueben Bain goes to locker room injured

Miami has suffered a potentially serious injury against Florida, with star defender Ruben Bain on the way to the locker room in the first quarter.

It is unclear when Bain sustained the injury, but ABC reporter Katie George reported on his status during the broadcast of the match.

“Unfortunately for Miami, Rueben Bain, who was their star defensive lineman last year and was looking to build on that this season, got injured on the first drive against Florida,” George said. “He’s been in the locker room since he was evaluated for an injury. I’ll keep you updated.”

Miami led Florida 10-3 at the time of writing, midway through the second quarter. Cam Ward had 107 yards passing and a touchdown, and 36 yards rushing.