WR Malachi Toney, in only 23 games, goes over 2,000-yard career mark for No. 1 Miami

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney has reached the 2,000-yard mark for his career, joining Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith as the only active Football Bowl Subdivision players to reach that milestone by the end of their sophomore season.

Toney got there in his 23rd career game, coming Saturday when the top-ranked Hurricanes played Pitt.

Smith reached the 2,000-yard mark in the 24th game of his career last season.

Toney — a Heisman Trophy candidate, alongside players like Smith and Hurricanes quarterback Darian Mensah — is the 11th player in Miami history to reach the 2,000-yard receiving mark and became the 21st currently active player to reach that number at the FBS level.

He entered this weekend with 159 career catches, the most of any FBS player since the start of last season.

The milestone catch came on a 20-yard pass from Mensah late in the first quarter. Toney wound up catching a touchdown pass later in that drive for the Hurricanes.

Earlier in the week, Mensah raved about his go-to receiver, calling him “a young legend.”

“He’s one of the first people in the building every day and has a consistent routine that he never strays away from,” Mensah said. “And then the mentality — he understands he has to do his job no matter if he’s supposed to get the ball or if he is run-blocking. ... The dude just plays ball. I think that’s what’s special about him.”

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