Darian Mensah threw three touchdown passes and looked like the quarterback Miami hoped it was getting from Duke. But, by the end of the day, there was a lot more to take from the spring game than just Mensah's stat line.
1. Judd Anderson gave Miami's backup quarterback battle some life
Mensah clearly owns the job, but the most interesting backup quarterback nugget from Saturday belonged to Judd Anderson. He was the reserve quarterback who flashed the most and he led a late touchdown drive. He also threw a TD pass to freshman slot receiver Vance Spafford.
2. QB Luke Nickel is still the top backup overall
Even with Anderson's late touchdown drive, Luke Nickel has established himself as Miami's top backup over the course of the spring. Despite Anderson making some headlines on Saturday, the body of work is what coaches value during this point in the year.
3. RB Javian Mallory made the most of extra work
With Mark Fletcher limited during the live portion of the day, Miami got a longer look at Javian Mallory, and the freshman took advantage. Cristobal singled him out as one of the younger players who helped himself this spring, and Mallory nearly broke a long outside run for a touchdown before JJ Dunnigan tracked him down.
4. RB Jordan Lyle will be a factor in the backfield
Mallory was not the only young back who made good use of his reps. RB Jordan Lyle also had some strong runs. Meaningful work behind Fletcher will be important for Miami as the season carries on, and it could come from both Lyle and Mallory.
5. WR Milan Parris is gaining trust from the staff
Parris may not have been the most talked-about receiver coming into spring, but that changed over the last month and again on Saturday. He was very active with multiple first downs, and he made a handful of catches, most in the 10- to 15-yard range.
Cristobal also mentioned that Parris has filled back out after arriving on campus sick and losing weight, and he said the freshman is now pushing close to 220 pounds. For a 6-foot-5 receiver, that is a positive sign and could allow him to earn more playing time in his first year.
6. WR Vance Spafford answered after an early mistake
Spafford had a tough early drop with JJ Dunnigan closing in, but then bounced back with several big catches on Anderson's touchdown drive. He caught a touchdown pass Saturday and showed the staff some resilience that could carry over into fall camp.
7. Cooper Barkate and Daylyn Upshaw fill out WR room nicely
The biggest receiver-room takeaway beyond Malachi Toney was how natural Cooper Barkate and Daylyn Upshaw looked with Mensah.
Barkate, Cam Vaughn and Upshaw all caught touchdown passes from Mensah. Barkate's elite chemistry with his former Duke quarterback stood out and Upshaw looks healthy again. It is starting to look like Miami has dependable answers next to Toney.
8. S JJ Dunnigan was everywhere
If there was one defender outside of the household names who really jumped off the page, it was Dunnigan. He had multiple pass breakups, a physical tackle for loss and a run-down stop on Mallory. He has been receiving praise all spring and Saturday showed the public exactly why that was the case.
9. The walk-ons made some plays too
Walk-on running back Terrell Walden II scored on a 5-yard run, and walk-on cornerback Tyler Rowe had a pick-six during the third-team portion of the day.
10. WR Joshua Moore's status
Joshua Moore got banged up in one-on-one drills. But, while the details of the injury aren't extensive, the good news is that people around Miami do not seem to be concerned long-term.
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