'It's Not a One-Man Show': Malachi Toney Has Been Elite, But the Others Remain As Important

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Malachi Toney continues to be the full package for No. 1 Miami as the superstar receiver that was promised so far this season.

Toney finished another electric game carrying the Canes on his back against Florida State with 11 catches for 191 all-purpose yards, two receiving touchdowns, and one completion for the two-point conversion that gave the Hurricanes the edge in the thrilling double-overtime victory.

Moreover, Toney was also named the Paul Hornung Award National Player of the Week. The Paul Hornung Award, presented by the Louisville Sports Commission, recognizes the most versatile player in major college football.

Toney has been all that and more this season, highlighted by the way everyone schemes around him and how they want to play him.

However, that hasn't changed how offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson has viewed the offense this season. Toney is going to get the ball, but it's not a one-man show like everyone else expects. He wants others involved as well as the superstar receiver.

"He would have been that game if we wouldn't have got that one play called back, if you want to go back to that one," Dawson said on Toney's streak of 100-yard games. "But that one still irritates me a little bit. It's like, it's our fault. I'm not blaming anything. We just got to execute and everybody's got to get set. And other people have to make plays. That's just the reality.

"And they look, if you look through the course of the game, Coop made some big plays, Daylyn made some big plays, Dre came in and made a huge play for us, Lofton's been making plays, stepping up. It's a team effort. It's surely not a one-man show.

"And so obviously the ball goes to him a good bit because he is a really good football player, and he typically gets open, and the quarterback trusts him. But other guys around him are doing a great job of stepping up too when time is needed. Do you trust him? 100%."

Moreover, his star quarterback, Darian Mensah. knows the talent is there. Mensah will, at any moment, throw the ball to Toney, knowing that he won't drop it and will catch anything thrown his way.

"Yeah, he played awesome," Mensah said on Toney's FSU performance. "He kept himself in it. Offensively, we had some drives that kind of sputtered, especially in the first half, and he did a good job on the sideline, staying positive. So credit to him for that."

Even if it looks like a one-man show, It's not. Miami's weapons are more than just Toney. Daylyn Upshaw had the best game of his career next to Toney, while in the game before, Cooper Barkate had his best Hurricanes game. Miami's talent is deep, and while the sophomore receiver gets all the rightful praise, it's more than just him pushing the No. 1 offense in the country along.

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