Malachi Toney matches Pitt's entire offense in flawless first half as No. 1 Miami rolls New York Times (Online) Manny Navarro MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Pitt finally found something that could stop Malachi Toney on the first play of the second half Saturday: a holding penalty on somebody else. Moments after Miami honored its 2001 national championship team at halftime, Toney caught a pass deep down the sideline from Darian Mensah and took it 48 yards to the Pitt 2. Elija Lofton's holding penalty wiped it out. Thus, Toney's numbers stayed at 12 catches on 12 targets for 159 yards and two touchdowns — matching Pitt's entire offensive output (159 yards) in a 31-7 first half for top-ranked Miami. He eventually finished with a school-record 16 catches on 17 targets for 194 yards and three scores in a 52-23 rout. The guys who had just been honored could appreciate what they were watching. A day earlier, at a golf tournament at Turnberry Isle celebrating the program's last national championship in 2001, several Miami legends explained why Toney reminded them of the guys they played with. “I see Santana Moss,” former Miami offensive lineman Joaquín González said Friday. “I see, like, all of these great players that, you know, are game changers, guys that created moments that will last forever.” Toney spent the first half giving Pitt plenty to remember. Third-and-19? He caught a pass for 20 yards. Third-and-11? He turned a throw caught behind the line of scrimmage into a 19-yard touchdown. Third-and-18? Another catch, another 21 yards and another Miami first down. Toney's second touchdown covered 53 yards on another pass caught behind the line, a play reminiscent of Moss — a 2001 first-round pick and consensus All-American — weaving his way through opposing defenses. Toney finished the half with 116 yards after the catch. “IT'S HARD TO TACKLE A VIDEO GAME!” Malachi Toney takes it 53 yards to the HOUSE! pic.twitter.com/fCr7jcQET5 — ESPN (@espn) October 24, 2026 Defenses know what's coming. That doesn't mean they can do much about it. “Hiding him is hard,” offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said Monday. “They know his number. They watch film.” They still can't stop him. Toney entered the week third in BetMGM's Heisman Trophy odds at 5-to-1, behind Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith and Mensah. He already had a school-record 234-yard receiving game at Stanford and caught the winning touchdown in double overtime against Florida State last week before throwing the ensuing two-point conversion pass. Saturday, he set the school record for catches in a game (15) on a 13-yard slant down to the Pitt 3 midway through the third quarter. Freshman running back Javian Mallory scored two plays later to make it 45-14 Hurricanes. Toney's stat line at the end of the drive: 15 catches, 183 yards and two touchdowns on 15 targets. Dawson said the ball finds Toney because he gets open and his quarterback trusts him. Former Miami linebacker D.J. Williams sees why that trust extends beyond the passing game. “He don't need to speak, man,” Williams said Friday. “When you're the first guy in, the last guy out, you're throwing, you're catching, you're running, you're 5-10, 180, and you're in the box blocking. He leads by example, right? Like, that's louder than anything that can ever be said.” By halftime, Toney had passed Stacy Coley for fourth on Miami's career receptions list with 171 catches. His 20 receiving touchdowns tied Reggie Wayne, Coley and Andre Johnson for fifth. He was playing his 23rd college game. Clinton Portis likes how Toney goes about it. “He does it the right way, you know, and that's full speed. That's competing,” Portis said Friday. “I just wish everybody around him would compete that same way.” Toney's 2026 season totals: 66 catches, 952 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns in seven games. González said Toney's personality matches the production. “What an amazing, amazing kid,” he said. “Just hungry to want to be great, and you can't help but root for him.” Toney's speed and quick-twitch suddenness are high-level traits, but I might be even more impressed by his spatial awareness with and without the ball. He looks like Zay Flowers at the top of routes because of his ability to create separation, and he has a knack for quickly processing angles on screens to maximize blocks. It must be said: the Pitt defense made Toney look like peak Tyreek Hill on Saturday with poor coverage and tackling. But there is no questioning Toney's playmaking talent. There is a spot reserved for him in the NFL Draft's top 10 come April 2028. — Dane Brugler, NFL Draft analyst