Malachi Toney rewrites single-game Miami receptions record, mounts 3 TDs in walloping of Pitt

By halftime, Toney had 159 receiving yards. For reference, Pitt (5-3, 2-3 ACC) had 159 yards of total offense at that point.

In its first game atop the AP Top 25 since the 2002 season, No. 1 Miami (7-0, 5-0) dominated. Mario Cristobal’s team was up 31-7 at the break and poured on plenty of more points in the second half.

Pitt, meanwhile, has lost three straight games in the absence of quarterback Mason Heintschel, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear in an Oct. 2 victory at Virginia Tech.

Wearing throwback uniforms that paid homage to the ’01 Hurricanes, including a spectating Andre Johnson, Toney delivered a worthy performance.

Toney reeled in touchdown passes of 19 yards, 53 yards and 11 yards. That said, the elusive 5-foot-11, 193-pound wideout accounted for a slew of those yards after the catch.

His first score came on a screen. So did his second:

Toney’s third and final touchdown looked different. From the slot, he eventually broke out toward the pylon. He then plucked the ball out of the air and turned, scoring and putting the exclamation point on the Hurricanes’ runaway win in the infancy of the fourth quarter.

Darian Mensah put that pass right where it needed to be. Mensah clocked out 31 of 37 with 387 yards and four touchdowns through the air. He entered as the nation’s leader in completion percentage and lived up to his reputation as a precise passer.

Mensah’s been a serious Heisman Trophy candidate for a while now. Toney inserted himself into the conversation for the award early this season. He thrust himself back into that discussion on Saturday.