The Miami Hurricanes traveled a considerable distance, and the effort was well justified.
Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney quickly demonstrated how effective their collaboration can be this season for the Hurricanes.
Mensah threw five touchdown passes in his Miami debut, Toney set a school record with 234 receiving yards, and the seventh-ranked Hurricanes began their season with a 45-6 victory over Stanford on Friday evening.
Mensah and Toney were dialed in on touchdown passes on Miami’s first two drives of the game, contributing to their 1-0 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The duo connected again on a 47-yard reception in the third quarter, setting a school record. Eddie Brown previously registered 220 receiving yards in 1984 against Boston College during the notable “Hail Flutie” game.
“We were efficient in several areas, third down we were good, red zone were good, we scored four TDs in our first 5 drives,” Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal said. “And there is a lot stuff to clean up, a lot of progress but miles to go.”
Hurricanes accounted for the longest one-way travel distance for any FBS team during this season’s conference matchups, totaling 2,565 miles.
Mensah demonstrated his ability to make an immediate impact on the Hurricanes by connecting with Toney for a 48-yard pass on his first play, setting the tone against Stanford (1-1, 0-1).
He concluded that drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Toney, and the two teammates collaborated again on a 2-yard score during the subsequent possession. Toney celebrated both touchdowns with a Heisman pose directed towards the Hurricanes fans in that section of the stadium.
“What he does and his approach to life, Malachi Toney is a very different level,” Cristobal said. “We have had different level guys go through the program, he is cranking it even more. There is no governor on him it is full throttle.”
Hurricanes have a 68.5% probability of qualifying for the college football playoffs.
Miami Hurricanes College Football Preview for the 2026 Season
Davis Warren passed for 214 yards for Stanford but was unable to lead the team into the end zone, contributing to a 37-27 victory over Hawaii in his debut game with the Cardinal last week.
“There were spots tonight where we move the football,” coach Tavita Pritchard said. “We got down in the red zone a couple of times. We got to finish. I think that’s what that spoke to. We got to find consistency and we got to finish in the end zone.”
Following a victory over Hawaii in Coach Tavita Pritchard’s debut game, the Cardinal were unable to sustain their performance against the Hurricanes as the level of competition increased. Stanford has not begun a season 2-0 since 2018.
The Hurricanes were expected to be one of the top offensive teams this season, and their opening game performance confirmed those expectations, as they scored touchdowns on six of their first seven drives. Cornerback OJ Frederique left the game due to an injury on the opening drive, and head coach Mario Cristobal provided no update on his status.
Photo/MiamiHurricanesFootball/X