Miami at Notre Dame Preview: No. 1 Canes Face Their Biggest Test Without Malachi Toney

A few days ago, I was looking forward to writing this preview with one question on my mind: could Miami’s secondary bounce back from that frustrating performance against North Carolina?

Now I’ve got another question.

How on earth do you replace Malachi Toney against the best defence in college football?

Saturday was already shaping up to be Miami’s biggest test of the season. The No. 1 Hurricanes travelling to South Bend to face No. 4 Notre Dame, a repeat of the rankings from that famous 1988 meeting, with national championship ambitions on the line.

Throw in the history between these two programmes, Miami’s unbeaten record and the College Football Playoff implications, and we had more than enough to talk about.

Then Wednesday happened.

Just as I was getting ready to record a podcast appearance, reports started coming through about Toney suffering an ankle injury in practice. Initially, the news was conflicting. Some reports suggested he might still be available, while others were considerably more concerning.

By Thursday morning, the picture had become much clearer, and it wasn’t the news any Hurricanes supporter wanted to wake up to.

Multiple reports indicate that Malachi Toney underwent surgery on Thursday after suffering a high ankle sprain during Wednesday’s practice. He’s expected to miss four to six weeks, ruling him out of Saturday’s game against Notre Dame, although Miami have not confirmed a specific return date.

Losing one of the best receivers in college football just days before facing the nation’s top-ranked defence is hardly ideal preparation.

But here’s the thing.

Miami are still 8-0. They still have one of the most productive offences in the country, an outstanding quarterback in Darian Mensah and enough talent across the roster to compete with anybody.

The No. 1 Team in College Football

Miami have reached November unbeaten, and that’s an achievement worth appreciating.

The Hurricanes have won all eight games, climbed to the top of the AP poll and were rewarded with the No. 1 position in the first College Football Playoff rankings released on Tuesday.

They’re also one of only three unbeaten teams remaining in the FBS.

The season has produced some outstanding performances, including the opening victory at Stanford, a convincing 41-13 win at Clemson and that brilliant offensive display against Pittsburgh.

But the last few weeks have also given us a few reminders that this team isn’t perfect.

Florida State pushed Miami into double overtime before the Hurricanes eventually escaped with a 43-35 victory. Against North Carolina last Saturday, Miami needed a crucial Marquise Lightfoot strip-sack to help secure a 38-35 win in Chapel Hill.

The UNC game was particularly frustrating.

Miami’s offence continued to move the football efficiently, with Mensah throwing three touchdowns and Mark Fletcher Jr. scoring three of his own. Unfortunately, the defence spent much of the evening struggling to stop Billy Edwards Jr. and North Carolina’s passing attack.

The Tar Heels converted eight of their eleven third downs, while Edwards finished with 341 passing yards and four touchdowns.

Watching from home, it felt like Miami couldn’t get a stop whenever they needed one.

Thankfully, Lightfoot eventually delivered the play that changed the game, and the Hurricanes managed to preserve their unbeaten record.

Mario Cristobal’s message has been consistent throughout the season: go 1-0 every week.

So far, they’ve managed it.

But Notre Dame represents a very different challenge, and the defensive issues from last weekend have made this fixture feel considerably more uncomfortable.

Notre Dame: Better Than Their Playoff Ranking Suggests?

One of the more interesting talking points this week has been the difference between Notre Dame’s position in the AP Top 25 and the new College Football Playoff rankings.

The Fighting Irish sit at No. 4 in the AP poll, making Saturday an official top-five matchup by those rankings.

However, the selection committee placed Notre Dame at No. 11 in its first CFP rankings on Tuesday.

That’s quite a difference.

At 7-1, Notre Dame have produced some impressive performances, but the committee clearly has questions about the strength of their victories.

Marcus Freeman’s team opened the season by beating Wisconsin 41-13 at Lambeau Field, before recording comfortable victories against Rice, Michigan State, Purdue, North Carolina and Stanford.

The only defeat came on 17 October, when the Irish travelled to BYU and lost 28-24.

They bounced back last weekend with a 35-13 victory over Navy, keeping their playoff ambitions very much alive.

That BYU defeat is significant because Saturday represents Notre Dame’s final opportunity to record a victory over a currently ranked opponent during the regular season.

Lose to Miami and the Fighting Irish could find themselves in a difficult position when the committee begins finalising its playoff field.

Win, and they’ll have one of the biggest results of the college football season.

That makes Saturday an enormous game for Freeman’s programme.

But despite their one defeat and the committee’s reservations, I wouldn’t underestimate Notre Dame for a second.

They have an outstanding defence, an efficient quarterback and a running game capable of controlling possession.

And, unlike North Carolina last weekend, they’ll have the advantage of playing in front of their own supporters at Notre Dame Stadium.

The Malachi Toney Blow Changes Everything

There’s no point pretending otherwise. Losing Malachi Toney is an enormous blow.

The sophomore receiver has been one of the outstanding players in college football this season, developing a brilliant connection with Darian Mensah and producing numbers that have put him firmly into the Heisman Trophy conversation.

Through eight games, Toney has recorded:

• 73 receptions
• 1,027 receiving yards
• 13 receiving touchdowns
• 14.1 yards per reception

Those are extraordinary numbers, particularly given the level of competition Miami have faced.

Against Pittsburgh, Toney broke the programme’s single-game receptions record with 16 catches, finishing with 194 yards and three touchdowns.

A week later, he added another seven receptions for 75 yards and two touchdowns against North Carolina.

What makes the timing of his injury even more frustrating is the connection to Notre Dame.

It was against the Fighting Irish in August 2025 that Toney scored his first college touchdown, announcing himself to Hurricanes supporters with a 28-yard reception from Carson Beck.

I remember watching that game live and thinking what an introduction it was for a player making his college debut.

Now, just over a year later, he’s become one of Miami’s most important players, and we were all looking forward to seeing him line up against Notre Dame again.

Instead, he’s facing surgery and a period on the sidelines.

The immediate priority has to be his recovery. There’s no sense taking risks with a player who has such an important future ahead of him, and I hope we see him back healthy before the season is finished.

But Miami still have to play Notre Dame on Saturday.

And Shannon Dawson now has the difficult task of replacing the production of a player who accounts for almost 39 per cent of the team’s receiving yards and nearly half its receiving touchdowns.

That’s a significant amount of offence to redistribute.

Who Steps Up Without Toney?

The good news is that Miami aren’t short of receiving talent.

Cooper Barkate has been an excellent addition to the Hurricanes, and his previous connection with Mensah at Duke gives Miami an obvious starting point.

Barkate enters Saturday with 28 receptions for 372 yards and four touchdowns, providing another reliable option in the passing game.

Daylyn Upshaw has added 22 catches for 263 yards and two scores, while tight end Elija Lofton has contributed 20 receptions for 236 yards and two touchdowns.

Lofton, in particular, could become extremely important.

His athleticism was on full display against North Carolina when he hurdled a defender to help extend a crucial fourth-quarter drive. He gives Miami a different dimension in the passing game and should offer Mensah a dependable target in the middle of the field.

There’s also Vandrevius Jacobs and Somourian Wingo, both of whom have shown glimpses of their ability when given opportunities.

My expectation is that Miami will need to spread the football around rather than ask one player to replace everything Toney provides.

Barkate could become the primary target, but Dawson should also find ways to involve Upshaw, Lofton and the running backs.

And that might be where the coaching staff’s creativity becomes particularly important.

Before this week, I’d been hoping Dawson had kept a few tricks in the bag for Notre Dame.

After Toney’s injury, I’m hoping that even more.

Darian Mensah vs Notre Dame’s Elite Defence

If Miami are going to win in South Bend without Toney, Darian Mensah will have to deliver another outstanding performance.

Fortunately, he’s spent most of the season doing exactly that.

The Duke transfer has been exceptional since arriving in Coral Gables, combining outstanding accuracy with composure and an ability to keep drives alive when plays begin to break down.

Through eight games, Mensah has completed 188 of 233 passes for 2,425 yards, 25 touchdowns and just one interception.

That’s an 80.7 per cent completion rate.

And while his passing numbers attract most of the attention, his ability to use his legs has become increasingly important.

Against North Carolina, Mensah repeatedly escaped pressure and picked up crucial rushing yards, including two third-down conversions on Miami’s opening touchdown drive.

He’ll need that same awareness on Saturday.

Notre Dame have one of the most talented secondaries in college football, led by cornerback Leonard Moore, who has established himself as one of the country’s standout defensive backs.

Before Toney’s injury, the anticipated matchup between those two players was one of the biggest talking points surrounding the game.

That individual battle has disappeared, but Moore will still play a major role in determining how comfortably Miami can throw the football.

The Fighting Irish allow just 150.8 passing yards per game and have recorded eight interceptions this season.

They’re disciplined, talented and particularly effective at limiting explosive plays.

For Mensah, patience is going to be crucial.

He can’t approach Saturday expecting the same opportunities he found against Pittsburgh, where Miami’s receivers repeatedly created separation and the offence seemed capable of moving the ball at will.

Notre Dame will make him work for everything.

But Mensah has already shown he can adjust when defences take away his preferred options. The challenge now is doing that without the player who has been his most reliable target.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a more measured Miami offence, with additional use of the running game, short passes and designed opportunities for Mensah to move outside the pocket.

It might not produce the spectacular statistics we’ve become used to.

But if it gets the Hurricanes another win, I won’t be complaining.

CJ Carr Is a Serious Threat

For all the attention surrounding Miami’s offence, Notre Dame have a very good quarterback of their own.

CJ Carr has developed considerably since last season’s meeting in Miami, and his performances have been a major reason why the Fighting Irish are still firmly in the playoff conversation.

Through eight games, Carr has completed 148 of 222 passes for 1,849 yards, 18 touchdowns and just one interception.

He’s also added three rushing touchdowns.

Carr is an intelligent quarterback who makes good decisions, protects the football and has benefited from outstanding pass protection.

In fact, Notre Dame’s offensive line has allowed just two sacks all season.

Two sacks in eight games.

That’s quite a statistic, particularly when you consider some of the opponents Notre Dame have already faced.

It also means Miami’s defensive front faces an enormous challenge.

The Hurricanes have players capable of creating pressure, including Marquise Lightfoot, Damon Wilson II and Armondo Blount, but getting to Carr won’t be easy.

And that brings us back to Miami’s secondary.

If the front four can’t generate pressure, Carr has shown that he can calmly work through his progressions and identify receivers in space.

Against North Carolina, that was precisely the situation that caused Miami so many problems.

Billy Edwards Jr. was allowed to get comfortable, his receivers found openings and the Tar Heels repeatedly extended drives.

Hetherman’s defence cannot afford another performance like that.

Not against a quarterback who has thrown just one interception all season.

Notre Dame’s Other Players to Watch

Carr is the obvious starting point, but Notre Dame have several other players who deserve attention.

Nolan James Jr. and the Running Game

Notre Dame’s rushing attack has developed into an important part of the offence.

Nolan James Jr. leads the Fighting Irish with 519 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 5.8 yards per carry.

He was particularly impressive against Navy, rushing for 107 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries.

Alongside him, Jonaz Walton has contributed 477 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 6.9 yards per carry.

Aneyas Williams provides further depth, giving Freeman multiple options to rotate through the backfield.

Notre Dame average 186 rushing yards per game, so they’ll arrive with every intention of establishing the run and controlling possession.

However, that’s an area where Miami should feel confident.

The Hurricanes have the country’s best rushing defence, allowing just 60.8 yards per game.

If Hetherman’s front can maintain that standard, it would force Notre Dame to rely much more heavily on Carr and the passing game.

The problem, of course, is what happens when Carr gets opportunities to attack Miami’s secondary.

Jordan Faison

Jordan Faison has emerged as Notre Dame’s leading receiver this season, with 497 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

He’s one of Carr’s most important targets and will be somebody Miami’s defensive backs need to account for throughout the evening.

Notre Dame are not as reliant on one receiver as Miami have been on Toney, but Faison gives them a player who can move the chains and create problems when defenders lose track of him.

After watching North Carolina’s receivers repeatedly find space last weekend, I’ll be keeping a particularly close eye on how Miami handle him.

Leonard Moore and the Notre Dame Defence

I’ve already mentioned Moore, but he deserves another look because of how important Notre Dame’s secondary could be to this game.

The Fighting Irish are allowing only 150.8 passing yards per game, and Moore has established himself as one of the best cornerbacks in college football.

He’s supported by a talented defensive unit that includes safety Luke Talich, linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and defensive lineman Bryce Young.

For Miami, the biggest question is how Dawson creates favourable matchups without Toney attracting additional defensive attention.

Notre Dame won’t necessarily need to commit extra defenders towards one particular receiver, meaning they’ll have greater flexibility in how they approach the Hurricanes’ passing attack.

That’s something Miami need to be prepared for.

Latest Injury and Availability Update: 6 November

The injury picture is important on both sides, particularly with Miami missing its leading receiver and Notre Dame dealing with absences in the middle and back of its defence. The names below distinguish reported absences for this game from Miami’s previous game report. Final statuses can change before kick-off.

Miami Hurricanes

• Malachi Toney (WR): Out. Friday’s reporting indicates he underwent tightrope surgery on Thursday for a high ankle sprain and is expected to miss four to six weeks. Miami have not confirmed an exact return date. Initial Reuters injury report.
• Joshua Moore (WR) and CharMar Brown (RB): Out for the season, according to the existing injury reporting.
• Other previous absences: Max Buchanan (OL), Ja’Boree Antoine (DB), OJ Frederique Jr. (DB) and Luka Gilbert (TE) were listed as out for Miami’s North Carolina game on 31 October. Their availability for Notre Dame should not be assumed from that older report.

The ACC’s mandatory game-week player availability reporting requirements do not apply to this non-conference fixture against Notre Dame. A complete, updated Miami availability list for this game has not been independently verified, so the previous week’s absences are included as context only and should not be treated as confirmed Notre Dame rulings.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

• Out: Drayk Bowen (LB, ankle), Brauntae Johnson (S, foot), DJ McKinney (CB, ankle), Christopher Burgess Jr. (DL, leg), Tiki Hola (DL, knee), Charles Jagusah (OL, arm) and Chris Terek (OL, knee).
• Long-term or season-ending absences: Quincy Porter (WR, knee) and Chaz Smith (DB, knee).
• Questionable: Francis Brewu (DL, knee) and Jason Onye (DL, knee).
• Expected to be available: Leonard Moore (CB) and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (LB) were not listed as out in Notre Dame’s latest available update, after recently dealing with injuries.

Bowen’s absence is especially notable because he leads the Irish in tackles, while the uncertainty around Brewu and Onye could influence their defensive-line rotation. Moore and Viliamu-Asa returning would provide an important boost. Sources: WNDU’s report of Notre Dame’s availability list and Associated Press reporting via NBC Sports.

Availability information checked Friday 6 November 2026. This is a pre-match snapshot, not a final game-day injury report. Check official team updates closer to kick-off.

Three Key Battles That Could Decide the Game

1. Miami’s Secondary vs CJ Carr

This is the matchup that concerns me most.

Notre Dame have an efficient quarterback, talented receivers and one of the best offensive lines in college football.

Miami, meanwhile, have just allowed Billy Edwards Jr. to throw four touchdowns and lead North Carolina to 35 points.

The Hurricanes have been outstanding at stopping the run, but opposing quarterbacks have found ways to exploit the passing defence.

The contrast is clear in the statistics. Miami are giving up 60.8 rushing yards per game but 251.9 through the air.

That is a significant imbalance.

I’m hoping Hetherman has used this week to address some of the coverage issues that appeared against North Carolina, particularly on third down and when opponents begin sustaining long drives.

Against UNC, Miami allowed eight third-down conversions on eleven attempts.

You simply can’t keep giving an offence extra opportunities, especially against a team of Notre Dame’s quality.

The Hurricanes need to tackle better, communicate more effectively and avoid leaving receivers in space.

And while I would love to see Lightfoot and the defensive line generating constant pressure, the secondary cannot rely on the pass rush to solve every problem.

This is their opportunity to respond to last weekend.

I really hope they take it.

2. Miami’s Running Backs vs Notre Dame’s Defensive Front

With Toney unavailable, Miami’s running game becomes even more important.

The Hurricanes average 202.5 rushing yards per game, with Mark Fletcher Jr. and Javian Mallory providing an excellent combination of physicality and explosiveness.

Mallory leads the team with 495 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, averaging seven yards per carry.

Fletcher has rushed for 457 yards and nine touchdowns, while continuing to show why Cristobal trusts him in crucial situations.

His performance against North Carolina was outstanding.

Three touchdowns, including two on the ground, took him to 38 career touchdowns and secured his place in Miami’s record books.

I’ve seen sections of the fanbase questioning Fletcher this season and calling for changes to the running back rotation, but he continues to deliver when Miami need him.

Against Notre Dame, I expect both backs to play important roles.

The Irish are giving up just 85.4 rushing yards per game, so this won’t be straightforward. But Miami have an offensive line capable of competing with anybody, and establishing the run could help take pressure off Mensah.

The Hurricanes don’t need to rush for 250 yards.

They need to create enough success on the ground to keep Notre Dame honest, avoid constantly facing third-and-long and give Mensah opportunities to attack a defence that can’t simply sit back and defend the pass.

If Fletcher and Mallory can make Notre Dame respect the run, Miami’s offence becomes considerably more difficult to defend.

3. Miami’s Defensive Front vs Notre Dame’s Offensive Line

This is where things could get particularly interesting.

Notre Dame have allowed only two sacks all season, with Carr benefiting from an experienced offensive line that has consistently kept him protected.

Miami have one of the most talented defensive fronts in the country.

Something has to give.

Lightfoot was the player who eventually changed the North Carolina game, recording the strip-sack that allowed Miami to establish a ten-point advantage late in the fourth quarter.

The Hurricanes will need more of that disruption against Notre Dame.

But I don’t think this is simply about recording sacks.

Miami need to make Carr uncomfortable.

Force him to move away from his preferred spot, disrupt his timing and make him work through his reads more quickly than he wants to.

If Notre Dame can protect Carr for four quarters while also establishing a running game, Miami’s secondary could be in for a difficult evening.

But if the Hurricanes win enough battles at the line of scrimmage and create third-and-long situations, they’ll have opportunities to get off the field.

Freeman has spoken this week about how similar Miami’s defensive front looks to the group that caused Notre Dame problems last season.

I’d quite like to see that resemblance become obvious on Saturday.

The Playoff Implications

There’s an enormous amount riding on Saturday beyond the rivalry itself.

Miami enter the weekend at No. 1 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, with a perfect record and a strong position in the ACC.

A victory in South Bend would strengthen their case as the best team in the country and give them another significant result ahead of the final weeks of the regular season.

Notre Dame’s position is more complicated.

The Fighting Irish sit at No. 11 in the CFP rankings, significantly lower than their No. 4 AP ranking.

The selection committee has clearly taken a different view of their résumé, and the defeat against BYU has left them needing another important result.

Last season, Miami’s 27-24 victory over Notre Dame eventually helped the Hurricanes secure the final at-large playoff place ahead of the Irish.

A year later, these teams are once again preparing for a game that could have a major influence on the postseason.

For Miami, there’s also the matter of maintaining control of their own season.

The Hurricanes still have Duke, Virginia Tech and Boston College remaining on the regular-season schedule, with an ACC Championship Game appearance potentially waiting beyond that.

There’s a long way to go.

But heading into those final conference games unbeaten at 9-0 would be an outstanding achievement.

Especially if the ninth victory comes in South Bend.