The Miami Hurricanes dominated the Stanford Cardinal last night, 45-6. I regret not betting more money on the Canes. (Deep sigh). Stanford didn’t do itself any favors with some dropped passes, but it was a beatdown. That is going to be one jovial, albeit very long, flight home for Coach Cristobal and Co.
Let’s get to the three stars of the game.
1. Darian Mensah
Miami’s new stud signal caller didn’t disappoint in his debut: 27-30, 400 yards, 5 touchdown passes, one rush for five yards, no interceptions, and no sacks.
Whew. Mensah looked absolutely awesome. He was poised. He threw down the field. He had nice touch, especially on the out pass to Elijah Lofton in the first half. He was accurate. He was everything Miami fans were hoping for. The Canes finished with 549 yards of total offense and went 8-11 on third down. I can’t wait to watch Darian Mensah continue to light up opposing defenses this season. Let’s. Go.
2. Malachi Toney
What is left to say about Toney? I know Jeremiah Smith is incredible, but I wouldn’t trade Toney for any other current player in college football. What he does in space is absolutely incredible. He was so open it was scary. Toney set Miami’s single-game receiving record last night with 233 yards on 12 receptions, with three going for touchdowns. Oh, and he did it in three quarters! He could have had 300 receiving yards if he and Mesnah stayed in the game for another series or two. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it, we Canes fans are so lucky to have this guy on our team. Wow.
3. Armondo Blount
The former five-star recruit looked explosive last night. Blount only finished with two tackles and a sack, but he was a consistent presence in Stanford’s backfield. Blount had other pressures and may have drawn a holding penalty. The Cardinal had so many I can’t remember if he was responsible for one. Just go with it. I am very excited to see what Blount can do playing more EDGE this season.
Honorable mention:
Omar Thornton – Keionte Scott’s replacement in both position and number was all over the field tonight. Thornton finished with three total tackles, one TFL, and one pass defended. I am looking forward to watching him fly around this season.
Cooper Barkate – Mensah’s Duke buddy showed some flashes tonight. Four catches for 67 yards and a touchdown is a solid debut.
Xavier Lucas – I loved the way he played tonight. It’s a shame OJ went down so early in the game, but I think Lucas can be a solid number one corner for us this season if necessary.
Who were your three stars of the game? Let us know in the comments below.
GO CANES!
