Miami loses Malachi Toney to ankle surgery ahead of Notre Dame trip, eyes playoff return

Unbeaten Miami goes to Notre Dame this weekend without its best offensive player. Sophomore wide receiver Malachi Toney hurt his ankle in Wednesday's practice. Within hours he went from questionable to needing surgery. On3's Brett McMurphy reported that Toney was scheduled for an operation Thursday and will be out indefinitely, and that at best he returns later this season.

Pete Thamel of ESPN identified the injury as a high ankle sprain. He reported that recovery from this kind of injury usually takes at least four weeks. The first round of the College Football Playoff is six weeks away, which leaves a realistic path back for the postseason but likely costs Toney the rest of the regular season. Roundtable Sports framed it the same way. The Associated Press reported that a firm timeline won't be known until after the surgery.

Toney means a great deal to Miami's offense. Roundtable Sports reported that his 1,027 receiving yards on 73 catches rank third in FBS, and he has 13 touchdowns. He leads the Hurricanes in targets, receptions, all-purpose yards and touchdowns, and he had not missed a game before this week. The same outlet noted that he limped into the medical tent during the Oct. 24 win over Pittsburgh before returning. That raises the possibility the ankle had been bothering him for a while. Toney and quarterback Darian Mensah have both been promoted by the school as Heisman Trophy candidates, and losing weeks of games puts Toney's case at risk.

Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson now has to spread those targets around. Cooper Barkate, Daylyn Upshaw, Vandrevius Jacobs, Somourian Wingo and Vance Spafford are the candidates. On3 named Upshaw and Jacobs as the likeliest to take on bigger roles.

What it means for Notre Dame

Miami is 8-0 and has scored 381 points, an average of 47.6 per game, the most in FBS. Toney has been central to that output. The Hurricanes have not needed to win close games often. Only one of their eight wins came by fewer than 10 points, and their average margin is about 30 points.

The defense is the bigger concern heading to South Bend. Miami allowed just 49 points combined in its first five games, then gave up 35 to Florida State, 23 to Pittsburgh and 35 to North Carolina. Last week's 38-35 escape in Chapel Hill was the closest it has come to losing. Without Toney, the offense may not be able to keep winning shootouts at that pace.

Miami is 4-0 on the road, with wins at Stanford, Wake Forest, Clemson and North Carolina. The 41-13 result at Clemson is the best evidence that it can handle a hostile setting. Saturday at No. 11 Notre Dame (NBC) is a bigger test, and it is the first time this season the Hurricanes will play without Toney. Roundtable Sports noted that Notre Dame's All-American cornerback Leonard Moore had been expected to spend much of the game matched up with Toney. The Irish can now use him elsewhere, and how they do that will shape Miami's passing game.

The Hurricanes can lose a game and still make the playoff. The bigger question is whether they can keep their offense productive enough over the next month to protect their seeding until Toney is back.