SoFla Guide Editors
Malachi Toney basically turned Hard Rock Stadium into his personal highlight reel on Saturday as No. 1 Miami hammered Pittsburgh 52-23, according to reports from WSVN 7News and WPLG Local 10. The Canes are now 7-0, and their first game wearing the AP’s No. 1 tag since 2002 looked a lot like a team that plans to keep it.
Toney Was Everywhere
Let’s start with the receptions, because the number is just silly. Toney’s 16 catches set a new Miami single-game record, according to the AP wire report carried by WSVN 7News. The old mark was 13. WPLG Local 10 noted that Toney hit 13 in this season’s opener against Stanford.
So yes, the guy keeps chasing his own name in the record book.
WPLG Local 10 reported that Toney finished with 194 receiving yards and three touchdown grabs. Along the way, he crossed 2,000 career receiving yards in just his 23rd college game, according to the Associated Press via TSN. That puts him in very short company. The AP reported that Toney and Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith are the only two active FBS players to reach that milestone by the end of their sophomore seasons.
The milestone catch reportedly came on a 20-yard pass from quarterback Darian Mensah late in the first quarter, per the Associated Press via TSN.
The AP also reported that Toney is the 11th player in Miami history to reach 2,000 career receiving yards. Not bad for a kid who reclassified and arrived at Coral Gables a year early in 2025, then set Miami’s freshman single-season records with 109 catches and 1,211 receiving yards.
Mensah Dealt, the Run Game Piled On
Somebody had to get Toney the ball, and Mensah was sharp doing it. WPLG Local 10 reported that the quarterback completed 31 of 37 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. Clean, efficient, and very hard to argue with.
The ground game chipped in too. Freshman running back Javian Mallory ran for two touchdowns, according to the Associated Press via Yahoo Sports. Mark Fletcher Jr. also found the end zone for the 33rd rushing touchdown of his career, which the AP reported moved him to No. 2 on Miami’s all-time rushing TD list.
Pitt had its moments. According to WSVN 7News (AP wire), Panthers quarterback Holden Geriner started and went 18 of 32 for 268 yards and a touchdown, and receiver Blue Hicks put up five catches for 149 yards and a score. It just wasn’t close to enough.
The Panthers came in at 5-2 and left at 5-3 overall and 2-3 in the ACC, per WSVN 7News. That’s three straight losses for Pitt.
A Very 2001 Kind of Night
The vibes in Miami Gardens were extremely throwback. According to the Miami Hurricanes’ official athletics site, the Canes wore 2001 throwback uniforms and welcomed back members of the 2001 national championship team for the squad’s 25-year reunion celebration.
Fitting timing. Miami climbed to No. 1 in the AP poll released October 18 after a 43-35 double-overtime win over Florida State on October 17 at Hard Rock Stadium. That was the program’s first trip to the top spot since December 8, 2002, back in a season that ended with a double-overtime loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl national title game. Older Canes fans can tell you exactly where they were for that one. Maybe don’t ask.
A few more numbers from the AP wire, via WSVN 7News: Miami is now 43-6 all-time as the nation’s No. 1 team. Pitt, on the other hand, fell to 0-14-1 when facing the top-ranked team in the country. Rough history.
What 7-0 Means for the Canes
With the win, Miami improved to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in ACC play, according to WSVN 7News (AP wire). The Hurricanes are unbeaten, sitting atop the poll, and getting record-breaking production from a sophomore receiver and an efficient quarterback at the same time.
Undefeated and No. 1 at the end of October is the kind of position every contender wants to be in. It doesn’t hand anyone a trophy, but it does mean every remaining Saturday matters, and Miami controls its own path in the ACC for now.
The bigger takeaway from this one? The 2001 champs got to watch from the stands as the current Canes looked the part. Whether this team can write its own reunion story 25 years from now is the question South Florida will be asking every week from here on out.
