CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Shockwaves are rippling around the country with No. 1 Miami’s Malachi Toney getting injured and now being out for the rest of the regular season.
Without Toney, the Hurricanes offense will adjust, starting with its star quarterback, Darian Mensah.
As a quarterback, getting the ball into his best players’ hands is what makes him a special player. Toney has seen the majority of targets through the first eight games of the year, but against Notre Dame, Mensah will turn his attention to his other weapons and start to use weapons that haven’t been seen.
One weapon is his legs.
“I’m really just trying to go out there and win games for my football team,” Mensah said about using his legs. “If you know, coach wants me to do that, then I’m willing to do it. You know, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to go on and win.”
Mensah has used his legs sparingly this season but has shown that when he needs to, he can get on his horse and use his wheels to get a first down and more. He rushed for a 34-yard touchdown against Clemson and continued drives against North Carolina with them.
Moreover, that addition to his arsenal adds a wrinkle to Miami’s offense that offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson loves. It gets others more involved and uses other weapons on the field. Spreading the wealth more than having Toney catch 10 balls a game.
This is the key to Mensah winning this game, and stamping his case for the Heisman trophy.
The Case for Darian Mensah’s Heisman
Last year’s quarterback duel between Carson Beck and CJ Carr left much to be desired. This season, this game might decide who the Heisman Trophy winner is.
Malachi Toney was on pace to break all of Miami’s receiver records as a sophomore, likely winning him the Heisman and the Biletnikoff Award in year two. He would have had to split Heisman votes with Mensah because they were on the same team, but this unfortunate injury changes the trajectory of who can and will win.
Mensah leads the country in QBR, with 25 passing touchdowns, 26 total, throwing for 2425 yards in eight games with one interception. Many of those games he didn’t have to play in the second half.
With these stats, and no Toney, if he delivers against a team fighting for their College Football Playoff lives without arguably the best player in the country, the Heisman race stops there, and Mensah is walking away with it regardless of how the rest of the season plays out.
He would have outdueled Carr, had another signature win for the Hurricanes without his star receiver, and knocked a team out of the playoff race. He solidifies himself as the best quarterback in the country, and likely the No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL Draft.
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