Darian Mensah threw for 227 yards in Miami's 41-13 win over Clemson, but some fans were quick to mention a stat that has been a point of criticism this season.
Of those 227 passing yards for Mensah, 180 were yards after the catch, which means almost 4/5 of his passing production came after the ball reached his receivers. Miami's first offensive snap helped inflate the number when Cooper Barkate turned a screen into a 61-yard touchdown, but it still doesn't fully explain the situation.
At first glance, it raises an uncomfortable question: Is Mensah simply living on checkdowns?
The larger sample for Mensah
Mensah's stat profile is one of the most unique in the country, for better and for worse. He has completed 112 of 133 passes for 1,438 yards, 15 touchdowns and no interceptions through five games. His 84.2% completion rate leads the ACC, and he is averaging 10.8 yards per attempt despite rarely pushing his average target deep downfield.
On the season, 31 passes were behind the line of scrimmage, 50 traveled 0-9 yards, 31 went 10-19 yards and 15 traveled at least 20 yards downfield.
Mensah's average depth of target is 7.6 yards, 229th among 272 quarterbacks, while his average time to throw is 2.47 seconds. PFF also gives him the highest passing grade among those 272 quarterbacks at 92.6.
Looking at Shannon Dawson's offense
Carson Beck operated the Shannon Dawson offense last season with a 7.6-yard average depth of target and a 2.35-second average time to throw. Miami ranked among the best teams last season in yards after the catch, and the Hurricanes were also among the nation's top five in missed tackles forced after receptions.
Malachi Toney was a big reason for that as he finished his freshman season with 841 yards after the catch, the most in the FBS, while forcing a national-best 33 missed tackles after receptions. Toney also produced 446 receiving yards on screens, the second-highest single-season total for any receiver since PFF began charting college football in 2014.
Miami's system is about getting the ball in space, and Mensah has done that job well. He has also taken care of the ball and is operating with truly elite efficiency.
Mensah's career shows he can push the ball downfield
At Duke last season, Mensah threw for a school-record 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns. He completed 58 passes of at least 20 yards and 11 of at least 40, including a 77-yard completion to Barkate at Clemson.
Before Duke, Mensah averaged 9.49 yards per attempt at Tulane, the best mark among AAC starting quarterbacks. There is little evidence that he suddenly became incapable of attacking downfield when he arrived at Miami. Dawson, so far this season, has asked him to play a different game.
For that reason, calling Mensah a checkdown merchant misses what Miami is doing on offense this year. Someone may eventually force the Canes into changing up the offensive scheme, but Mensah has been amazing this season, no matter how far he throws the ball.
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