Malachi Toney, called ‘Baby Jesus,’ is 5-foot-11 with apparent speed on the football field to match that of a fox or cheetah. At only 17 years old, he should be in high school rather than arranging six parties for the tenth-ranked Miami Hurricanes; still, here he is.
CJ Daniels, the former wide receiver from Liberty and LSU, is also here. His one-handed touchdown grab Sunday evening at Hard Rock Stadium could be remembered as one of the best of the whole season; a spectacular, horizontal hand spread seemed to be coated in glue. It raises the issue of what quarterback Carson Beck could accomplish with receivers who are able to, you know, catch the ball.
Beck began his Miami career a year after guiding a Georgia team that had the most dropped passes in the country. 20 completions out of a group of wide receivers who frequently got open, grabbed aerial passes, and helped their quarterback to a great performance from 30 tries, 205 yards, and two touchdowns.
Beck’s first game featured Sunday’s top-10 matchup on a humid, rainy, and absolutely soupy night in South Florida. Miami triumphed over the sixth-ranked and defending national runner-up Notre Dame, 27-24, in a manner that suggests the Canes are genuine contenders, truly legitimate, as in playoff and championship worthy. But much to the astonishment of many, Mario Cristobal’s crew showed at least for one night that they have considerably more to offer, including a game-controlling offensive line and a defense that came up with key stops.
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Notre Dame committed an expensive pass interference penalty after the quarterback linked with Daniels once more. Thus setting the Canes up for their 47-yard Carter Davis score, a go-ahead field goal. Still, with 64 seconds left needing a touchdown to win, a field goal to tie, the Irish gained possession with first-year starter CJ Carr at the helm.
