and, despite being behind the likes of Jim Kelly, Vinny Testaverde and Bernie Kosar on the depth chart, amassed nearly 1,500 passing yards during his college playing career. Richt also served as offensive coordinator at Florida State from 1994 to 2000 under Bobby Bowden, overseeing an offense that was one of the most potent in the country, won two national championships, and produced two Heisman Trophy winners in Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke. Miami signed Richt to a five-year contract worth $4.1 million annually. The Hurricanes improved to 9–4 in 2016. They began the season on September 3 by blowing out in-state FCS opponent Florida A&M 70–3. The next week, the Hurricanes defeated Florida Atlantic by a score of 38–10. After defeating Appalachian State 45–10, Miami defeated Georgia Tech by a score of 35–21 to record their first Atlantic Coast Conference win under Richt. Then, the Hurricanes embarked upon a four-game losing streak, dropping games to No. 23 Florida State by a score of 20–19, North Carolina by a margin of 20–13, Virginia Tech by a count of 37-16 and Notre Dame to the tune of 30–27. The Hurricanes rebounded to win their last five games of the season, a 51-28 trouncing of Pittsburgh, a 34–14 victory over Virginia, a 27–13 win over NC State and a 40–21 win over Duke with quarterback Brad Kaaya becoming Miami's all-time leading passer to close the regular season. On December 28, 2016, Richt led the Hurricanes to their first bowl win in 10 years, when they defeated No. 16 West Virginia in the 2016 Russell Athletic Bowl by a score of 31–14. Miami finished 10–3 in 2017. The Hurricanes began the season on September 2, defeating in-state FCS opponent Bethune–Cookman by a margin of 41–13. The Hurricanes were supposed to play Arkansas State on September 9, but the game was canceled due to Hurricane Irma battering the state of Florida that weekend. Although the game was to be played in Jonesboro, Arkansas, the University of Miami administration contended that it would be too difficult for the football team to safely travel in and out of Florida due to the intensity of the hurricane. When Miami refused to reschedule the game and pay the $650,000 they agreed to pay the Red Wolves, the Arkansas State University administration filed a lawsuit seeking the payment. As a result of the cancellation, Miami only played 11 regular