When Jason Sanders booted the opening kick deep into the endzone, Hard Rock stadium was stirred to a fever pitch.
It had been 223 days since Miami last took the field at in Miami Gardens, and Dolphins fans were elated to see their team live once again.
Saturday night was also the first game action for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa this season.
The signal caller looked cool, calm and collected in the two drives he played, completing 6-of-8 passes.
"I was really happy with Tua," head coach Mike McDaniel said postgame.
Two of Tagovailoa's completions were to his speedy weapon out of the backfield Chase Edmonds, who made his Dolphins debut Saturday. Edmonds showed off his play-making ability on both grabs, breaking tackles and displaying tremendous quickness to move the chains.
But once the second half rolled around it was the rookies' time to shine – and, boy, did they ever.
Skylar Thompson – who played every snap last week – didn't miss a beat, picking up right where he left off.
Thompson finished 9 for 10 with 129 passing yards and the one touchdown toss.
Rookie wide receiver Erik Ezukanma also had a stellar night in his Hard Rock Stadium debut. The fourth-round pick from Texas Tech caught 6 passes for 114 yards.
Rookies on defense also made a splash, as defensive lineman Ben Stille and Owen Carney each had third down sacks.
Next week will be another opportunity for the young guys to make plays as the Dolphins host the Eagles. Tune in on Aug. 27 on CBS 4 for the Dolphins preseason finale at Hard Rock Stadium.
