‘He had absolutely zero interest’ — Mario Cristobal hit Malachi Toney with a huge compliment for what he didn’t do in Miami’s win over FAMU
The Hurricanes’ star sophomore showed his selfless side in Miami’s blowout win.
The Miami Hurricanes completely demolished the Florida A&M Rattlers 77-7 on Thursday night at Hard Rock Stadium. And that lopsided score was generous for how things went for both teams.
It was 77-0 with 3:31 left in the third quarter. Miami rolled up a program record 856 yards of offense and an ACC-record 41 first downs. FAMU scored only by ripping the ball away from Miami reserve wide receiver Brennan Burton and running it back for a touchdown.
In other words, it was total dominance by Miami and the perfect opportunity for WR Malachi Toney and QB Darian Mensah to feast and pad Heisman Trophy stats.
But that’s not what happened. Toney had just (ha…”just”) 4 catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. To be clear, he still had a pair of incredible moments that dropped jaws. He “Mossed” a defender for a 52-yard gain. He also cut and left his defender in the dust as he caught an easy 19-yard touchdown.
But perhaps the most amazing part of the night for Toney was his selflessness. Mario Cristobal was asked after the game if he had given thought to Toney getting to 100 receiving yards before his night was done. Cristobal said Toney wanted his teammates instead to get an opportunity.
Mario Cristobal praised Malachi Toney’s desire to pass up going for 100 yards in favor of his teammates playing vs. Florida A&M
The best part, and it kind of represents our culture we’re trying to work to all the time, was that, I think, Malachi, someone said, ‘Malachi needs a couple more yards to have a hundred yard game.’ That means a lot as it relates to postseason accolades, awards, and whatnot.
“He was like, ‘coach, I want to see my teammates play. I want to see them get better.’ So, he had absolutely zero interest in any type of personal gain.”
Toney’s performance on the field looks like a seasoned veteran and has since his first game last year against Notre Dame. It’s uncanny to see a player as polished as he is at the age of 18.
But his attitude and maturity is also beyond his years as well, as evidenced by his joy and celebration of his teammates’ accomplishments. And with nine different Hurricanes scoring touchdowns on Thursday night, there was plenty for Toney and the rest of the team to enjoy.
