On a day the Hurricanes honored their past and celebrated the legacy of the greatest college football team ever assembled, Miami’s future shone plenty bright, too.
The top-ranked Hurricanes, sporting throwback uniforms that matched those worn by the Hurricanes’ 2001 national championship team, were a dominant force in their 52-23 win over ACC foe Pittsburgh at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
And there’s little doubt their predecessors in attendance – including the likes of Ed Reed, Clinton Portis, Jeremy Shockey, Andre Johnson, Brett Romberg, Joaquin Gonzalez and so many other Miami greats – likely enjoyed the show.
Sophomore wide receiver Malachi Toney put together a record-breaking, milestone performance with 16 catches for 194 yards and three touchdowns. He surpassed the 2,000-yard mark for his Hurricanes career and set a new Miami record for catches in a game in the process.
Quarterback Darian Mensah, the national leader in completion percentage, was stellar again, completing 31 of 37 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns. And running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who scored on a 2-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, moved into second place on Miami’s all-time rushing touchdowns list with the 33rd score of his Hurricanes career. He finished the day with 41 yards.
It was a memorable performance all around, and the Hurricanes (7-0, 5-0 ACC) wasted little time setting the tone against the Panthers.
After forcing a quick three-and-out on Pitt’s first possession of the game, Miami got on the board with a 40-yard field goal from Jake Weinberg.
The Hurricanes pushed their lead on their next possession when Mensah and Mallory connected for their first touchdown of the day, a 19-yard pass play that capped a 9-play, 41-yard drive.
Miami pushed its lead to 17-0 in the opening minutes of the second quarter on a 16-yard touchdown run from freshman Javian Mallory, and while Pittsburgh scored a touchdown of its own two possessions, it wouldn’t matter.
For much of the day, the Panthers (5-3, 2-3) simply couldn’t keep pace with the Hurricanes and their high-powered offense.
Toney added another score, this time on a 53-yard touchdown catch, in the second quarter. Then freshman Gavin Mueller notched the first touchdown of his Miami career just before halftime to push the lead to 31-7.
And Miami’s defense consistently made things difficult for the Pittsburgh offense, which has struggled to find its footing since losing starting quarterback Mason Heintschel to a season-ending knee injury earlier this month.
Toney, at the half on Saturday, had as many receiving yards – 159 – as the entire Panthers offense. And Miami’s defense held Pittsburgh to just 69 rushing yards on the day.
The Hurricanes also forced a turnover – a fumble – that led to Mueller’s first-half score.
Freshman JJ Dunnigan continued his impressive start to the season totaling a team-high five tackles, with a sack and a forced fumble. Linebacker Mohamed Toure also had five tackles for the Hurricanes.
The top-ranked Hurricanes, sporting throwback uniforms that matched those worn by the Hurricanes’ 2001 national championship team, were a dominant force in their 52-23 win over ACC foe Pittsburgh at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
And there’s little doubt their predecessors in attendance – including the likes of Ed Reed, Clinton Portis, Jeremy Shockey, Andre Johnson, Brett Romberg, Joaquin Gonzalez and so many other Miami greats – likely enjoyed the show.
Sophomore wide receiver Malachi Toney put together a record-breaking, milestone performance with 16 catches for 194 yards and three touchdowns. He surpassed the 2,000-yard mark for his Hurricanes career and set a new Miami record for catches in a game in the process.
Quarterback Darian Mensah, the national leader in completion percentage, was stellar again, completing 31 of 37 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns. And running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who scored on a 2-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, moved into second place on Miami’s all-time rushing touchdowns list with the 33rd score of his Hurricanes career. He finished the day with 41 yards.
It was a memorable performance all around, and the Hurricanes (7-0, 5-0 ACC) wasted little time setting the tone against the Panthers.
After forcing a quick three-and-out on Pitt’s first possession of the game, Miami got on the board with a 40-yard field goal from Jake Weinberg.
The Hurricanes pushed their lead on their next possession when Mensah and Mallory connected for their first touchdown of the day, a 19-yard pass play that capped a 9-play, 41-yard drive.
Miami pushed its lead to 17-0 in the opening minutes of the second quarter on a 16-yard touchdown run from freshman Javian Mallory, and while Pittsburgh scored a touchdown of its own two possessions, it wouldn’t matter.
For much of the day, the Panthers (5-3, 2-3) simply couldn’t keep pace with the Hurricanes and their high-powered offense.
Toney added another score, this time on a 53-yard touchdown catch, in the second quarter. Then freshman Gavin Mueller notched the first touchdown of his Miami career just before halftime to push the lead to 31-7.
And Miami’s defense consistently made things difficult for the Pittsburgh offense, which has struggled to find its footing since losing starting quarterback Mason Heintschel to a season-ending knee injury earlier this month.
Toney, at the half on Saturday, had as many receiving yards – 159 – as the entire Panthers offense. And Miami’s defense held Pittsburgh to just 69 rushing yards on the day.
The Hurricanes also forced a turnover – a fumble – that led to Mueller’s first-half score.
Freshman JJ Dunnigan continued his impressive start to the season totaling a team-high five tackles, with a sack and a forced fumble. Linebacker Mohamed Toure also had five tackles for the Hurricanes.
