Mario Cristobal And This Miami Hurricanes Team Trusts Freshman Malachi Toney To Be Great
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A team can be defined by how they handle adversity and loss.
Malachi Toney's fumble late in the fourth quarter could've easily demoralized the Hurricanes. All the hard work Miami had done up to that point had been squandered by one mistake. Instead of letting the fumble decrease morale and motivation to continue fighting, the team rallied around the freshman wide receiver.
The Miami Hurricanes football program is making the most of their time in the College Football Playoffs. After dramatically being included over Notre Dame, many football fans and members of the national media expected very little out of the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes, especially against a No. 7 Texas A&M team with just one loss. Now, they have a meeting with the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes on New Years Eve.
Hurricanes mindset following the fumble
The Hurricanes offense wouldn't function as quickly and as consistently without Toney. Not only does head coach Mario Cristobal understand this, but the rest of the players on his team understand Toney's impact as well. Cristobal spoke to the media following Saturday afternoon's victory over the Aggies.
"You saw the entire team just go right to him after the fumble. Everybody trusts him. A lot of the reason why we're here today is because of his play making ability. He brings so much energy to the team. They trust him. They love him."Mario Cristobal
Toney has racked up 89 receptions, 992 receiving yards, and eight receiving touchdowns. The receiver has not been limited to receiving duties. Toney also has 269 return yards and two passing touchdowns this season.
Toney's teammates being at his side after a mistake that could've proved to be catastrophic is some of why the Hurricanes have done so well this season. The team's ability to bounce back from seemingly brutal mistakes as admirable. Miami's ability to stay united through adversity in the most crucial moments is not something all teams are able to do. The Hurricanes two losses seemed to have counted them out completely from the dance, but weeks later and Miami is playing a primetime on New Years Eve.
What Toney means to the Hurricanes offense
Appearing in the College Football Playoffs would have been exponentially more difficult without Malachi Toney. The hometown freshman wide receiver added unpredictability, explosiveness, and versatility that the offense really needed.
After quarterback Cam Ward's senior season in Coral Gables, fans wondered what Miami was going to do to stay afloat on the offensive end. Signing Carson Beck out of the transfer portal from Georgia was the flashy and very necessary move. Few people thought much of the three-star commitment out of the hometown Toney.
Even less people expected Toney to thrive at three different positions this season.
Miami legends were on the sideline
Mario Cristobal seems to agree with a theory explaining why certain players came up so big in the biggest moments of the entire season. He suggested the young players seeing legends on the sideline provided motivation.
"Well, they probably saw Andre Johnson and Edgerrin James and Michael Irvin on the sideline and said, hey, man, those were great days but now it's our turn."Mario Cristobal
Watch the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes take on Heisman finalist Julian Sayin and the rest of the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl Classic December 31 at 7:30pm Eastern on ESPN.
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