By: Ethan Horner
(Photo/Sammy Corsa-The Mojo Network)
Last night, the Miami Hurricanes picked up right where they left off last season with a dominant 45-6 win on the road over the Stanford Cardinal. The Hurricanes came into this season with a retooled offense and a ton of hype surrounding transfer quarterback Darian Mensah. There was so much talk throughout the offseason about how electric this Miami offense could be, and after just one game, it is safe to say they lived up to — and maybe even exceeded — those expectations.
Mensah was nearly perfect in his Miami debut, going 27-of-30 for 401 yards and five passing touchdowns. He looked completely comfortable running this offense and wasted no time showing why there was so much hype surrounding him coming into the season.
But even Mensah's incredible performance wasn't the most impressive stat line we saw last night.
Returning phenom Malachi Toney absolutely took over, breaking Miami's single-game receiving record with 234 yards. Toney finished the night with 12 receptions and three touchdowns, putting together one of the best individual performances in Miami history. His 234 yards broke Eddie Brown's previous school record of 220 yards, which had stood since 1984.
The Hurricanes now have two of the top Heisman Trophy contenders in the country with Mensah and Toney. Mensah entered the season with odds around +1500, but after his incredible debut, he has skyrocketed to become the current favorite at +650.
I know it is only Week 1, and there is still a long way to go, but after what we saw in Palo Alto, there is a legitimate chance Miami could be sending two players to New York in December for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.
And if last night was any indication, this Miami offense is going to be a problem.