MIAMI — For the second straight year, Bethune-Cookman scored first against Miami.
The celebration lasted 12 seconds. The rest of the Wildcats' day was lost in a blur of Duke Johnson highlights.
Miami's standout freshman scored four touchdowns — getting them three different ways — and finished with 246 all-purpose yards to lead the Hurricanes past Bethune-Cookman 38-10, the Wildcats' first loss in nine games dating back to last October.
"He exploded because we missed tackles," said Bethune-Cookman coach Brian Jenkins, whose team lost at Miami 45-14 a year ago. "Any running back that had been back there could do what we did if we miss tackles, and that's what we did."
Isidore Jackson's 1-yard touchdown run gave the Wildcats (2-1) an early 7-0 lead, capping a 20-yard drive set up after Miami's Phillip Dorsett fumbled away a punt return.
With that, the Johnson show began. He took the ensuing kickoff back 95 yards for a score, dived in for a 1-yard touchdown with 5:48 left in the half to put Miami on top to stay, then reached the end zone twice more after halftime — on a 50-yard reception in the third quarter and a 28-yard rush in the fourth.
"It wasn't what Miami did," Jenkins said. "It wasn't what they did. It was what we didn't do. No disrespect to them."
Johnson now has six touchdowns in his first three college games, four going for at least 50 yards. He's the first Hurricane with a four-touchdown outing since Tyrone Moss in 2005, and according to STATS LLC, Johnson became just the 10th player at the major-college level in the last seven seasons to have rushing, receiving and return touchdowns in the same game.
You surprised, Duke?
"Not really," Johnson said.
Not even a little?
"Nah," he said with a grin.
The Hurricanes have raved about Johnson's humble ways since his two-touchdown opener at Boston College — both of those scores exceeding 50 yards — and did more of the same on Saturday. Of Miami's 11 touchdowns this season, six have been scored by Johnson, one of the nation's most coveted recruits out of Miami Norland High last year.
"As I've said all along, he's very mature in his work ethic, his approach, his preparation," Miami coach Al Golden said. "You can ask him to do some things and he accepts it, he accepts that challenge and then goes out and executes it. He's a kid that's proving it to himself right now, not really to any of us. He's one of those guys who's got a standard of excellence right now."
Johnson finished with 94 rushing yards and quarterback Stephen Morris shook off a rusty start and completed 20 of 35 passes for 211 yards for the Hurricanes (2-1), who return to Atlantic Coast Conference play at Georgia Tech next weekend.
Bethune-Cookman's quarterbacks combined to complete just 10 of 25 passes for 122 yards, and another on a fake punt was intercepted.
"We just made too many mistakes, bottom line," Jenkins said. "I don't care who we played. We could have played the mighty midgets. With the execution errors we made today, they would have beaten us. Miami's a good football team. They took advantage of our miscues."
After Jackson's score, Johnson swung momentum back Miami's way in a hurry with the kick-return touchdown.
He was just getting started.
Miami took the lead after going 50 yards in nine plays midway through the second quarter, Johnson getting the last yard after taking a pitch and running left, cutting inside Bethune-Cookman safety D.J. Howard and diving just past the goal line for a 14-7 Miami lead. The Hurricanes forced a three-and-out on the next Bethune possession, and Jake Wieclaw's 20-yard field goal with 35 seconds left sent Miami into halftime leading 17-7.
Johnson dazzled again in the third, catching a short pass from Morris, waiting for some blocking to develop and sprinting 50 yards for his third score of the afternoon. His fourth score came with 8:25 left, a 28-yard rush that pushed the lead to 31-10 — and after that play, Johnson sprinted back to check on Maurice Hagens, who had just caught a pass on the previous play and threw a key block to spring Johnson free for his final score.
"I just want to say he's amazing," Miami offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson said. "I love the way he plays. I love blocking for him."
Eduardo Clements had a 10-yard touchdown run with 3:56 left for Miami, which lost linebacker Denzel Perryman, safety Andrew Swasey and long-snapper Sean McNally to injuries.
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