Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney highlight Miami's Week 1 winners, but where was the run game?

We thought the Miami Hurricanes offense would be special this season and if Friday's 45-6 win over Stanford is any indication, records will be set this season.

But things should never be perfect in the season opener and they weren't. That gives Mario Cristobal and the coaching staff plenty to work on in a short week before the home opener against Florida A&M on Thursday.

As Miami heads over 2,500 miles back to Coral Gables, here are two winners and two losers from Week 1:

Winner: Darian Mensah to Malachi Toney

Miami took a little heat for the way the whole Mensah transfer thing happened and, you know what? It was worth all the grief, the ridiculous lawsuit from Duke and Pat Narduzzi putting everyone's business out in public. Mensah was AWESOME, and it was amazing to see what Shannon Dawson's offense can do with seemingly unlimited weapons on offense. Mensah threw for 400 yards and five touchdown passes, three to Malachi Toney, who hauled in 12 passes for  233 yards and three touchdowns, setting a new Miami single-game record. If this was the opener, I can't wait to see the encore.

"Week in and week out we just keep getting better. The sky's the limit...it's no limit actually," Toney said.

Winner: Depth on offense

The Hurricanes had ten different players record a reception. Miami's supporting cast in the wide receiver room made good use of their opportunities. Daylyn Upshaw had three catches for 30 yards and a touchdown. Joshua Moore had three catches for 36 yards and Somourian Wingo had two catches for 27 yards. Fun was had by all in the pass game as the Hurricanes finished with 428 yards through the air.

Loser: The running game

There were so many good things happening in the passing game, that it deflected attention from a running game that never got off the ground. Miami had under 100 yards rushing until its final possession of the game when Javian Mallory broke off a 19-yard run to get the Hurricanes over the century mark. Miami's offense is built around being physical at the point of attack and playing grown-man football. That did not happen on Friday night, and you know that Cristobal and offensive line coach Alex Mirabal are going to challenge Miami to be better up front.

"[Stanford] gave us some tough, muddy looks. A lot of people in the box. They went away from some of their nickel stuff. The crowding of the box...that's their choice and if they choose to do that we still have to get push and get some muddy yards," Cristobal said in the postgame press conference.

Loser: The pass rush

Miami’s defensive line began getting more pressure on Stanford quarterback Davis Warren in the second half, but they finished the game with just one sack (Armondo Blount) and two tackles for loss. After all the talk about what to expect on the pass rush with Marquise Lightfoot and Damon Wilson II, they just showed some sporadic flashes and didn't finish plays. Overall, the defense couldn't generate many negative plays and didn't force a single turnover. 

The ultimate goal was to go 1-0 and the Hurricanes accomplished that. But they can be better, and they will have to be if they want to win a championship. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow