Now, if it were Ohio State, they would be running up the score, just because they could. “Muck Fichigan”, and “Woody is a Pecker”!
Just because the Buckeyes beat Miami (of Ohio) 76-5 with the game called early (lightning strike nearby, both coaches agreed) doesn’t mean that they ran up the score. The second half started with OSU using only 2nd and 3rd string teams at all positions. They ended up with many 4th deep players.
If you were one of those players, wouldn’t you want to play your best against any opponent in the Horseshoe? You can’t blame the coach for the players wanting to shine when they got their chance at the home field.