The Miami Hurricanes went into Sunday night knowing they would need their new revamped wide receiver room to make big plays against one of the best defenses and secondaries in the country. That position group was the biggest question mark heading into the season, due to the lack of experience and production in that room. The talent wasn’t the issue; it was the unknown and how they would perform in a huge primetime game, especially in a season with big goals ahead. Here’s how the Hurricanes’ wideouts
graded out in the 27-24 win against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.
Malachi Toney: A
The hype around the true freshman receiver is for real. In his first-ever college football game, on primetime, against the National Champion runner-ups, Toney recorded six catches for 82 yards and a touchdown. He forced three missed tackles after the catch, and five of his six receptions were first downs. He moved the chains at will and was the best wide receiver at Hard Rock Stadium Sunday night.
His quickness out of the slot allowed him to create separation against Notre Dame’s nickel defenders, and he provided a steady option for Carson Beck. The Irish are known for their man coverage, and Toney took advantage with a couple of nice whip routes for easy completions and big gains. The Canes have a superstar in the making, as the 17-year-old showcased to the world why he’s so special. He was arguably the biggest winner of the night.
CJ Daniels: A
The transfer from LSU not only made the play of the night, but possibly the play of the year. CJ Daniels was terrific against the Irish as he recorded five receptions for 46 yards and one incredible one-handed touchdown.
Daniels caught all of his targets from Beck and recorded a 144.6 NFL Passer rating when targeted. He was incredible and showcased his great abilities against a stingy Notre Dame secondary unit. This is a great game to build off of because the Canes will need him to be a consistent threat in the passing game. He has all the tools to make an impact week in and week out, as he is primed to have a great season with Miami.
Joshisa “JoJo” Trader: C-
Man, this was a tough one for me because there are just so many question marks surrounding JoJo Trader after Sunday night. He played a total of nine snaps against Notre Dame, as everyone has been anxious to see him be one of the top targets this year.
Miami rotated receivers in and out, yet Trader got the short end of the stick in terms of playing time. Out of the nine snaps played, he ran four routes and was targeted twice with no receptions. Going into the night, I thought he was going to have a few receptions and most likely be one of the leaders to move the chains on offense. Unfortunately, that was nowhere near the case.
The reason I didn’t give him anything lower than the grade I gave him is that he did have a drive where he had a couple of nice blocks in the run game that led the offense to good field position, and ultimately resulted in a score. Time will tell what happens with Trader, but I am not giving up on the talented Sophomore whatsoever. There is a reason why ESPN ranked him fourth in second-year guys to have a breakout season. He’s ultra talented, and his time will come.
Keelan Marion: B-
I liked what I saw out of the BYU transfer. Keelan Marion showcased his speed and route-running skills against Notre Dame, impressing with his performance. Despite only recording three catches for 29 yards, he had a bigger impact on the game than the box score shows us. He forced the DPI against the Irish late in the fourth quarter, which led to the game-winning field goal. If he doesn’t get tripped up there, Beck may have connected with Marion on a touchdown.
OC Shannon Dawson has publicly praised Marion in the media for his skills as a receiver. “He has true game-breaker speed,” Dawson said. “A lot of times, guys like that struggle with intermediate routes, but he doesn’t. He has the ability to run the whole route tree.”
It’s going to be fun to see how Marion will be utilized in the offense with the other playmakers the Canes have. Dawson looks to have a fun, speedy receiver who can break the defense in just one play.
Joshua Moore: D+
The true freshman receiver that I am extremely high on is Joshua Moore, and he didn’t have the best debut by any means. He played a total of 13 snaps and recorded only two catches for eight yards while being charged with a drop as well (per PFF).
The 6’4 WR didn’t have much of an impact at all, but it was nice to see him involved a couple of times against one of the best teams in the country. He looked apart when he was out there. The physical traits he possesses are unique, as he has a bright future ahead of him. With time, I see Moore making an impact in this offense. For now, he’ll continue to grow and learn under someone like Daniels.
Tony Johnson and Ray Ray Joseph: INC
Due to the sample size, I think it’s best that we give Cincinnati transfer Tony Johnson and Ray Ray Joseph an incomplete grade. If I were to give them anything lower than a D, it wouldn’t be fair, and the last thing I want to do is make it seem like they didn’t do anything when they were out there.
Johnson played a total of two snaps, and Joseph recorded eight snaps. They didn’t record a single target in the game. I’m sure we’ll see more of them in the next game against Bethune-Cookman. We’ll see how they look then with an extended snap count and possible targets.
