Call him “Doubting Marcus.”
As in Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman.
As in, he’s still not entirely certain whether Miami’s Malachi Toney injury is as serious as advertised or whether there’s some gamesmanship involved.
Individuals told USA TODAY Sports that Toney, the Hurricanes’ superstar wide receiver, "got banged up pretty good" during Wednesday morning’s practice and is set for a "medical procedure" expected to keep him out this week and for the remainder of the regular season.
Still, skepticism was Freeman's sentiment Thursday when he met via Zoom with reporters for a final session ahead of No. 11 Notre Dame (7-1) hosting top-ranked Miami (8-0) Saturday night
under the lights at Notre Dame Stadium (7:30 p.m., NBC).
"We started prepping on Sunday (for Miami), and you got to have a plan for a dynamic player like that," Freeman said of Toney. "We'll see if he plays or not. We got to have a plan to make sure if he plays, we're ready.
"If he doesn't, you know, how we will adjust. They got great players, and I'm not saying one player is going to replace Malachi Toney, but they have a lot of great players on their team."
Toney has 24 career touchdowns, plus two touchdown passes, in 26 career games at Miami and earned second-team AP All-America honors last season as a freshman.
Though Notre Dame lost last month at then-undefeated BYU and Miami was pushed to the waning moments Oct. 31 by North Carolina, Saturday’s game represents a make-or-break statement opportunity for both teams.
The Irish have only SMU remaining on their Nov. 21 schedule as it pertains to opponents with even a remote pulse in the College Football Playoff race.
The Hurricanes have a road win at No. 16 Wake Forest from earlier this season, but mostly table scraps across their other seven victories, including narrow escapes against UNC and in overtime against in-state rival Florida State, which most recently was seen firing coach Mike Norvell.
Thus, the stakes are supercharged, even if the trash talk in a series long known as "Catholics vs. Convicts" has been almost entirely muted.
"I think we're really focused on doing the things that help you actually win football games," said Miami coach Mario Cristobal, who last season guided the Hurricanes to the CFP title game a year after Freeman had done the same for Notre Dame. "There's no value in those (trash-talking) words. There's no value in some things we talked about the other day in predictions, forecasts, narratives.
"Not one of the people talking about those things can block anybody, throw a ball, catch a ball, chase down and make a tackle."
Still, this is about as close to must-win as it gets for Freeman and Notre Dame, which notably went from preseason top-10 in 2025 to out of the CFP and declined all bowl bids.
ESPN's College GameDay is set for Saturday in the shadows of 'Touchdown Jesus,' and the Irish will honor late College Football Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz while also debuting new fan-interactive bracelet-light technology for in-game interactions.
"We know what type of battle Saturday is going to be," said Freeman, who also reemphasized a need to "continuously have a plan for if (Toney) is playing" in his comments. "Let's continue to focus on the prep, and that, to me, will keep them distracted from daydreaming about Saturday and what Saturday is going to be."
Miami vs Notre Dame football spread, channel
- When: 7:30 p.m., Saturday
- TV: NBC
- Spread: Notre Dame by -7.5 points
Miami vs Notre Dame football predictions: Who wins?
- John Brice: Notre Dame
- Matt Hayes: Miami
- Jordan Mendoza: Miami
- Paul Myerberg: Notre Dame
- Erick Smith: Notre Dame
- Eddie Timanus: Miami
- Blake Toppmeyer: Notre Dame
- Craig Meyer: Notre Dame 31, Miami 30
- John Leuzzi: Miami 24, Notre Dame 17
- Jordan Mendoza: Miami 29, Notre Dame 24
- Adam Bittner: Miami 35, Notre Dame 24
- Notre Dame 27, Miami 24: Notre Dame needs this win for its College Football Playoff hopes. The Fighting Irish are running out of opportunities for signature wins, and are also seeking revenge after losing to Miami last season (which ultimately kept them out of the field). Those reasons — plus, Notre Dame playing at night in South Bend — give the Irish the edge. — Austin Curtright, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Malachi Toney is expected out vs Notre Dame. Try telling Marcus Freeman that
