Canes Corner: Canes Remain Atop Polls After Crushing Pitt

The Miami Hurricanes (7-0, 5-0 ACC) continued their undefeated season with a 52-23 thrashing of the Pitt Panthers (5-3, 2-3) at Hard Rock Stadium last Saturday afternoon. Miami remains one of three FBS teams without a loss this season joining UCLA of the Big 10 and Utah of the Big 12.

It was the Mali and Mensah Show and the 65,991 fans who were there to watch got their money's worth. Sophomore wide receiver Malachi Toney received his second AP National Player of the Week Award after his performance against Pitt (1st was against Stanford in week 1). There are approximately 15,000 players competing at the highest level of college football (FBS) each week and Toney has topped them all twice in 7 games. His 16 receptions (a new UM single game record), 194-yard, 3-touchdown performance also earned him recognition as ACC Wide Receiver of the Week. He now has 66 receptions for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2026. Quarterback Darian Mensah was named the Manning Award Star of the Week, ACC Quarterback of the Week and Honorable Mention AP National Player of the Week after his 31 for 37, 387 yards and 4 touchdowns against Pitt. For the 2026 season, Mensah has completed 166 of 204 passes (81.4%) for 2151 yards and 22 touchdowns with only a single interception.

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal had this to say about Malachi Toney after the game, "He has the trust of the entire organization, certainly the quarterback. He does an unbelievable job of creating separation. Elite route running, gets in and out of stuff, really fast and can run right by you as well, so when you have a player that can beat you every way possible, it's really hard to cover. And we have playmakers around Malachi, where if you try to double one and create more attention on one, you can get hurt on the other side, which we did today as well. There is not a guy in the country that's more dependable than Malachi Toney."

Far more important than last week is the upcoming game at North Carolina (4-3, 2-2) on Halloween night in Chapel Hill at Kenan Stadium. ABC will be broadcasting nationally and the kickoff is scheduled for 7:30.

The public perception and the betting lines have Miami as a two touchdown favorite. Canes Corner is not in agreement. First, Carolina's head coach is NFL legend Bill Belichick, a guy with six Super Bowl rings. Second, offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino is as knowledgeable and experienced as any coordinator in college football. These guys will have the Tar Heels well prepared for the game. Carolina has enough offensive playmaking capability and enough destructive capability upfront on defense with some decent ball hawking in the secondary to compete evenly against the best of the best college teams. Both defensive tackles will play at the next level. QB Billy Edwards completes over 60% of his passes, they have two bruising runners in Jaylen McGill and Demon June, a dynamic WR in Jordan Shipp and a mismatch nightmare in TE Jelani Thurman. Coach Cristobal put it this way, "they feel like an NFL team - big and powerful up front. They can shoot gaps. They can also play four-down. They use multiple coverages on the back end. They have a big, physical offensive line and get downhill in the running game. The quarterback is really accurate. They're one of the least-penalized teams in the country. They're elite in the red zone. They have tons of guys who are returning starters. They're really smart. They win games by playing together as a team. They're really a play or two away in three games from being undefeated. They've done an excellent job. They a great football team. It's going to be a great environment. We have to be at our best." Canes Corner agrees with Cristobal's assessment. The Hurricanes will need to be at their absolute best to take down Carolina in Chapel Hill.

Basketball is back. Both the Men's and Women's teams have played an exhibition game and both open their seasons on November 2.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

This year's Hurricanes squad is very good. They will be in the mix of competitors for both the ACC and NCAA Championships. On Friday 10/23 Miami hosted highly regarded Vanderbilt in an exhibition that was played like a tournament game. Miami came out on top 109-96. Miami only has four returning players after six transfers out, one returning to Europe, and two to the NBA. Miami added two freshmen, eight transfers and center Egor Ryzhov from Russia. The Canes and Commodores are both similar teams that possess positional size, toughness, speed and great point guards. With Miami forward Malik Reneau out injured, freshman Caleb Gaskins started and put on a show. Gaskins, who I watched a few times when he played with the Boozer twins at Columbus HS played 24 minutes and scored 20 while shooting 6 of 8 from the field with 4 of 5 on 3-pointers with all 4 coming consecutively early in the second half. Sophomore forward Shelton Henderson added 17 points.

Point guard and Villanova transfer Acaden Lewis was the game's leading scorer with 23 and his 10 assists earned him a double-double. In the game Miami was 40-69 (58.0%) from the field and 12-25 (48.0%) from beyond the arc. Miami opens the season against the No. 1 ranked Florida Gators in Tampa at 6:00 (ESPN2) on Monday 11/2. The first home game will be on Friday 11/6 at 9:00 against Wagner.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

The LadyCanes hosted Lynn University in an exhibition at the Watsco Center on 10/18. It was a mismatch. Miami dominated in all four quarters on the way to a 93-41 win. Miami returns five players, three guards and two forwards. What they needed was quality size and with centers Jess-Mine Zodia (6'3") from France, Anna Liepina (6'3") from Latvia and forward Dayana Mendes (6'3") a transfer from USC and native of France, they got it.

Miami scored 60 points in the paint against Lynn and the new "bigs" were major contributors. Zodia was the game's high scorer with 23 and her 10 boards earned a double-double. Liepina shot 7-8 for 18 and sophomore forward Soma Okolo added 15. Okolo (6'1") has dunked a few times in practice and everyone around the Women's program is anxiously awaiting an opportunity for Soma to give it a go in a game. Miami opens their season at home on Monday 11/2 against FAU. On Thursday 11/5 Jacksonville visits, also with a 7:00 tip-off. This will be an exciting and much improved group in 26-27. They have a good opportunity to be the surprise team in ACC play and qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

FREE ADMISSIONS

Soccer hosts Florida State at 4:00 on Sunday 11/1. Volleyball is home against Stanford on Friday 11/6 at 7:00 and Cal on Sunday 11/8 at 1:00.

That's it for now. Be well all and Go Canes!