Notre Dame is preparing for multiple scenarios against Miami's offense in Saturday's game following the ankle injury to Hurricanes star wide receiver Malachi Toney. Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman said the 11th-ranked Irish must be ready whether Toney plays or not. Sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel that Toney is having surgery for a high ankle sprain that will sideline him for the Notre Dame game and likely several more weeks, with a potential return in the postseason. Miami acknowledged the injury in a statement Wednesday but did not provide further specifics.
"We started prepping on Sunday, and you've got to have a plan for a dynamic player like that," Freeman said Thursday. "If he doesn't play, how we'll adjust, they've got great players. I'm not saying one person's going to replace Malachi Toney, but they have a lot of great players on their team and they're going to find ways to get the best players on the field."
Toney leads the top-ranked Hurricanes with 73 receptions, 1,027 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns. Cooper Barkate, a transfer from Duke who arrived alongside quarterback Darian Mensah, is second on the team with 28 receptions for 372 yards and four touchdowns. Toney had six receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown last year against the Irish in Miami's 27-24 home win.
Freeman noted that replacing Toney will not come from a single player. "They've got a long list of guys that they can put on the field to be the 11th player," he said. "There's great running backs, there's good tight ends, there's good young wide receivers who can step up."
Notre Dame will be without linebacker Drayk Bowen (ankle), while safety Brauntae Johnson (foot) and cornerback DJ Mc Kinney (ankle) remain sidelined. Defensive linemen Francis Brewu (knee) and Jason Onye (knee) are both questionable for the Miami game.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing