Mensah, Toney rewrite Miami record book in 45-6 rout of Stanford

Quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Malachi Toney set or tied Miami single-game school records Friday night, powering the No. 7 Hurricanes to a dominant 45-6 season-opening victory over Stanford at Stanford Stadium.Mensah threw for a career-high 400 yards and five touchdowns — the most ever by a Miami quarterback in his first start — while Toney set the Hurricanes’ single-game receiving record with 234 yards and three touchdown catches, as the two connected for one of the most prolific performances in program history.It took Miami less than three minutes to score its first touchdown of the season.Mensah quickly found his favorite target from the opening drive, connecting with Toney three times for 75 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown pass to give the Hurricanes an early lead.Stanford found some success on the ground against a Miami defensive front replacing NFL draft picks Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, but the Hurricanes held the Cardinal to a field goal. Armondo Blount recorded Miami’s first sack of the game, helping force the stop.Miami’s offense continued to move the ball on its next possession. Mensah connected with former Duke teammate Cooper Barkate on a screen pass that went for 19 yards, while Mark Fletcher Jr. and Marty Brown helped establish the ground game.The drive ended with Mensah overcoming a bobbled snap before finding Toney for another touchdown, giving the receiver his second score of the first quarter.Marquise Lightfoot also made his presence felt defensively, blowing up multiple Stanford runs and helping force another Cardinal punt.Miami continued to pull away on its next possession as Mensah connected with receiver Daylin Upshaw and Toney on downfield completions before Brown powered into the end zone to give the Hurricanes a 21-3 lead after a made extra point. Blount continued to pressure Stanford quarterback Davis Warren, helping force another punt.The Mensah-to-Toney connection remained nearly unstoppable throughout the first half. Toney entered halftime with 10 catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns, setting a career high in receptions and putting Miami’s single-game receiving record within reach.Mensah added his third touchdown pass before halftime, dropping a back-shoulder throw to Upshaw. He completed 18 of 21 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns as Miami built a 28-3 lead.Stanford added another field goal by Emmet Kenney to cut the deficit to 28-6.While Miami managed just 52 rushing yards in the first half, the Hurricanes piled up 306 yards of total offense as Mensah consistently found success through the air.Miami opened the second half by finding more success on the ground, but Mensah continued to make plays when needed. On third-and-6, he connected with tight end Elijah Lofton along the sideline to extend a drive.A few plays later, Mensah threw his fourth touchdown pass of the night, finding Barkate for a 34-yard score. Barkate finished his Miami debut with four catches for 67 yards and a touchdown.Stanford’s front seven provided one of the few challenges for the Hurricanes, playing physically against Miami’s running game. The Hurricanes ultimately leaned heavily on their passing attack to pull away.Starting cornerback OJ Frederick left the game with an apparent left arm injury.Mensah and Toney added one more record-breaking connection later in the game. Mensah found Toney for a 47-yard touchdown, giving the receiver 12 catches for 234 yards and three touchdowns.Toney’s 234 receiving yards broke Miami’s previous single-game record of 220 yards, set by Eddie Brown.Mensah finished 27 of 30 for 400 yards and five touchdowns, completing all but three of his passes in his Hurricanes debut.Luke Nickel replaced Mensah in the fourth quarter and was intercepted by Charlie Eckhardt after attempting a deep pass.The Hurricanes opened the season with a convincing performance behind their new quarterback, with Mensah and Toney wasting little time establishing one of college football’s most productive connections.Up next:Miami (1-0) will host Florida A&M (1-0) at 8 p.m. Thursday at Hard Rock Stadium.Stanford (1-1) will travel to Duke on Sept. 19.