Undefeated Miami Hurricanes face biggest season test at Notre Dame without Malachi Toney

Miami’s undefeated start

Miami has won all eight of its games, with Darian Mensah leading the offense. He has thrown for 2,425 yards and 25 touchdowns, with one interception. The Hurricanes have beaten Stanford, Florida A&M, Wake Forest, Central Michigan, Clemson, Florida State, Pittsburgh and North Carolina. The account says Notre Dame is the only ranked team on Miami’s schedule and will be its first ranked opponent.

Toney’s absence reshapes offense

Malachi Toney is out with an ankle injury and is also set to undergo surgery. He has accounted for 13 of Mensah’s 25 touchdown passes. Miami will need another receiver to take on a larger role. The game presents a major challenge for an offense that has relied heavily on Toney’s scoring production.

Notre Dame enters at 7-1

Notre Dame’s only loss came against BYU two games before this matchup. The account describes that result as controversial but notes the loss remains on the team’s record.

The Fighting Irish have beaten Wisconsin, Rice, Michigan State, Purdue, North Carolina, Stanford and Navy by at least two scores. Quarterback CJ Carr has thrown 18 touchdown passes, with the ball distributed among multiple targets.

A test of both schedules

The account questions the strength of both teams’ schedules. It notes that Miami had a close, controversial double-overtime win over Florida State and says Wake Forest later proved to be a strong opponent.

Notre Dame’s record and wins will also face scrutiny because its listed opponents were described as weaker competition. The Miami game offers a direct measure of the teams against each other.