Miami Leaves No Doubt, the U is Still Back, Thumps Stanford

Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal shouldn’t need to answer another “is the U back?” question this year.

The No. 7 Hurricanes left no doubt on Friday night at Stanford with a 45–6 drubbing of the Cardinal. Last season’s national runner-up had no trouble with a Stanford team fresh off a big non-conference win over Hawaii from the week, and Miami did it with a new-look team.

Miami clearly has hit the reloading stage, where the program is primed to stay toward the top of college football for a while. That hadn’t been the case for years since the glory days between 1983 and 1991 with four national championships, followed by the 2000-2003 run with a national title and a title game loss.

Miami had been mired in mediocrity from 2006 to 2023, and Cristobal turned it around afterward. A member of the Hurricanes’ 1989 and 1991 national title teams, he led the Hurricanes to a 10–3 mark in 2024 and a 13–3 season last year with a run to the title game.

Miami lost many key players after falling 27–21 to Indiana in January. That included top defensive stars such as Reuben Bain Jr., Akheem Mesidor, and Mishael Powell. Offensive departures include linemen Francis Mauigoa and quarterback Carson Beck.

Enter the new faces, or sort-of-new faces, who dominated the Cardinal on Friday. That started with Hurricanes redshirt junior quarterback Darian Mensah, who went 27-30 for 401 yards and five touchdowns in his debut.

“His skill sets really fit what we do,” Cristobal told reporters afterward. “His ability to read the field, and his ability to digest concepts, and to continue to evolve is really impressive.

“He is a guy we always felt the sky was the limit,” Cristobal added. “When the lights come on, the game for him is fun. It’s exciting, and he gets after it.”

​Mensah, previously played at Duke, helped sophomore wide receiver Malachi Toney break Eddie Brown’s school record for the most receiving yards in a game. Toney caught 12 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns in three quarters, surpassing Brown’s 220 yards from a 1984 game against Boston College.

Malachi “is an elite route runner,” Cristobal said. “Darian has proved his accuracy, the timing of his throws, and his ability to read the field really stood out. He brings a ton of energy to the team as well.”

Toney had a big season last year with 109 receptions for 1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns. His latest performance has his Heisman Trophy hype growing, and it’s been 34 years since a Hurricanes player won the award.

While a Miami wide receiver has never won the award, the Hurricanes have a lineage of great wide receivers such as Brown, Santana Moss, Michael Irvin, Reggie Wayne, Andre Johnson, and Devin Hester.

​Considering the type of young man Malachi is, hearing his name mentioned alongside those players completely flatters and blows him away, Cristobal said. “It energizes him to come back and work harder.”

“As much as he loves touching the ball … he’s just as happy sticking his face in there and blocking for the running backs to get free,” he said.

​Fellow wideout Cooper Barkate, who came from Duke with Mensah, had four receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown. Junior defensive lineman Armondo Blount had a sack and a tackle for loss, as he looks to take on a bigger role this year.

Miami’s new-look offensive line fared well as the Hurricanes rushed for 121 yards on 32 attempts, and neither Hurricanes quarterback took a sack. The Miami defense, meanwhile, shut down Stanford with 299 yards allowed and 5-15 third-down efficiency.  

Miami has more tune-up type games in September with Florida A&M and Central Michigan. Wake Forest, which faces the Hurricanes on Sept. 18, hasn’t beaten Miami since 1944.

The Hurricanes’ schedule heats up with Clemson, Florida State, and Pittsburgh in October before a road game with North Carolina. Miami then has a tough November with Notre Dame, Duke, and Virginia Tech before closing out with Boston College.