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Miami vs Stanford highlights: Malachi Toney career day fuels Hurricanes rout
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- Miami vs Stanford highlights: Malachi Toney career day fuels Hurricanes rout
Miami football has had two Heisman Trophy winners in its program history. The Hurricanes put two on the shortlist in their dominating 45-6 win at Stanford on Friday, Sept. 4, to kick off their 2026 season.
Darian Mensah was incredible in his Miami debut, throwing more touchdowns (five) than incompletions (three) to follow up his banner season last year at Duke. But the star of the night was Malachi Toney , who showed his electric freshman season was no fluke by breaking Eddie Brown's 42-year-old program record with 234 receiving yards.
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The sophomore had 12 catches, three for touchdowns, all of which were punctuated by the famous Heisman pose, something opponents might expect to see a lot this year with the supercharged offense Mario Cristobal assembled over the offseason to improve on last year's College Football Playoff run. Toney had 10 catches and set a career high with 182 yards in the first half alone. Stanford (1-1, 0-1 in ACC) had 194 yards as a team at the half, when they were trailing 28-6.
Mensah passed his first test with flying colors, going 27 of 30 for 401 yards and giving Miami fans flashbacks to 2024, when Cam Ward lit up opposing defenses on his way to a fourth-place Heisman finish and the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft. He hit the ground running with a 48-yard strike to Toney on the first play of the game and would hit Daylyn Upshaw and fellow former Blue Devil Cooper Barkate on touchdowns throughout the nearly three quarters the first team played.
It wasn't all fireworks and roses for Miami (1-0, 1-0). The run game struggled to pull off the same impressive plays the passing game did, with Mark Fletcher Jr. picking up just 40 yards on 13 carries and CharMar Brown adding only 37 yards on eight. The offensive line showed it needs more time to fit together after four starters from last year's team graduated.
And while the defense didn't allow many points, the Cardinal did put up nearly 200 yards while the game was still competitive in the first half, especially worrisome considering the amount of players on the offensive line ruled out before the game. Former Michigan quarterback Davis Warren found wide-open receivers as long as he could avoid Marquise Lightfoot, Armondo Blount and a still potent pass rush.
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Untimely drops and a few timely breakups by the likes of Xavier Lucas kept Stanford out of the end zone. And starting cornerback O.J. Frederique was taken to the locker room after his shoulder hit the knee of tight end Benji Blackburn on the Cardinals' second play from scrimmage, his left arm hanging limp as he ran off the field.
Still, the opener gave Miami fans plenty of support in their belief that a sixth national championship could be theirs. They'll get to see the Canes at home for the first time Thursday night, Sept. 10, when they host Florida A&M at Hard Rock Stadium.
Miami vs Stanford score
9 p.m. | ESPN
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Miami vs Stanford highlights, analysis
The Palm Beach Post brought you live updates, scores and highlights from the game. Keep scrolling to see our recap and expert analysis of the turning points, biggest plays and highlights from the game.
Miami vs Stanford stats
12:30 AM ET, September 5 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
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Yards: Miami 544, Stanford 299
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Yards per play: Miami 8.2, Stanford 4.6
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Time of possession: Miami 34:21, Stanford 25:39
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Pass yards: Miami 423, Stanford 221
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Rush yards: Miami 121, Stanford 78
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Turnovers: Miami 2, Stanford 0
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Penalties: Miami 5 for 50 yards, Stanford 9 for 70
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Third downs: Miami 8 of 11, Stanford 5 of 15
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Fourth downs: Miami 0 of 0, Stanford 0 of 1
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Sacks: Miami 1, Stanford 0
Tiger Woods supporting Stanford
11:45 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
STANFORD, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 04: Professional golfer and Stanford Cardinal alumni Tiger Woods stands on the sidelines during the first half of the Stanford Cardinal game against the Miami (FL) Hurricanes at Stanford Stadium on September 04, 2026 in Stanford, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Florida resident and 15-time major golf champion Tiger Woods was spotted on the sideline of his alma mater at Friday night's Miami vs. Stanford game. Woods was last seen pleading no contest to willful, wanton reckless driving in relation to a car crash near his home in March and was adjudicated guilty Tuesday, Sept. 2, in Martin County Court on Florida's Treasure Coast.
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Luke Nickel in at quarterback for Miami
11:39 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
After Darian Mensah threw one last screen to Malachi Toney for 4 yards, the two hit the sidelines, content to call it a night. Redshirt freshman Luke Nickel took over at quarterback, nearly hitting a deep ball to Vance Spafford but overshooting his man. Mensah ends the night with three incompletions and five touchdowns in his Hurricanes debut. Toney finishes with 12 receptions for 233 yards and three Heisman poses.
Another Heisman moment from Malachi Toney
11:29 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
Seems there's nothing wrong with Malachi Toney after taking a nasty hit on a muffed punt. The speedster found himself matched with linebacker Sam Mattingly, a mismatch if there ever was one. Darian Mensah easily threw over the top for a 47-yard touchdown, giving Toney a Miami single-game record 229 yards and three touchdowns on the night.
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Mensah is up to 26-of-29 passing for 396 and five TDs.
Score:Miami 42, Stanford 6, 5:24 3Q
Malachi Toney hit hard on fumbled punt
11:20 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
Miami forced a punt, but as Malachi Toney tried to warn Damari Brown about the punt landing nearby, the ball bounced off his helmet with Stanford recovering the fumble. Toney was bent backward a little on the recovery attempt and awkwardly ran to the sideline after the play. The officials ruled the ball was first touched by Stanford's Zach Johnson, however, meaning the Hurricanes kept the ball. Toney was back on the field at the start of the Canes' possession after a timeout.
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OJ Frederique injury update
11:14 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
ESPN's Mike Monaco said Miami has been without starting cornerback O.J. Frederique since the second play of the game. He was taken to the locker room after hitting Benji Blackburn in the knee with his shoulder. Damari Brown has been playing in his place. He broke up seven passes and made 19 tackles over nine games in 2025.
Cooper Barkate scores first touchdown with Miami
11:07 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
On the opening possession of the second half, Darian Mensah burned a timeout because of confusion before the snap. He bounced back with a gorgeous dime on a flat route to Elija Lofton to pick up a first down. After that, it was back to the same old efficiency, ending with the first Mensah to Cooper Barkate score with the Hurricanes. Mensah dropped in a perfect pass up the seem for a 34-yard TD from two former Duke Blue Devils. He's now 22 of 25 for 314 yards and four TDs. By comparison, Cam Ward was 26 of 35 for 385 yards with three TDs and a pick in the 2024 opener against Florida.
Score:Miami 35, Stanford 6, 11:51 3Q
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Miami receiving record
10:58 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
Malachi Toney has 10 catches for a career-high 182 yards in just the first half. The program record is 220, put up by Eddie Brown in 1984 against Boston College.
Miami vs Stanford stats
10:45 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
Here's how the first half broke down in numbers:
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Yards: Miami 307, Stanford 194
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Yards per play: Miami 8.3, Stanford 5.7
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Time of possession: Miami 16:47, Stanford 13:13
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Pass yards: Miami 253, Stanford 159
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Rush yards: Miami 54, Stanford 35
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Penalties: Miami 1 for 15 yards, Stanford 7 for 60
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Third downs: Miami 6 of 7, Stanford 2 of 8
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Sacks: Miami 1, Stanford 0
Damon Wilson ends Stanford touchdown hopes
10:37 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
Stanford's defense can't keep Miami from the end zone, but the offense has been finding openings throughout the game, and that continued heading into halftime. It's possible the Hurricanes are focusing on preventing big plays, but Davis Warren has found wide-open receivers on intermediate routes as the Cardinal move the ball downfield. They got to the 6 before Damon Wilson II swatted a third-down pass that brought out the field-goal unit. The front four, especially Marquise Lightfoot and Armondo Blount, have been buzzing around Warren all game.
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Score:Miami 28, Stanford 6, 0:29 2Q
Daylyn Upshaw touchdown
10:29 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
Fresh out of the 2-minute timeout, Darian Mensah tossed a perfect back-shoulder fade to Daylyn Upshaw for his third touchdown of the game (and the first that wasn't to Malachi Toney). The QB is 18 of 21 for 253 yards early on and has looked every bit of the $6.5 million NIL deal he reportedly signed. It was sophomore Upshaw's first college TD.
Score:Miami 28, Stanford 3, 1:55 2Q
Malachi Toney sets career high
10:21 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
Darian Mensah nearly had his first mistake of the night when Tevarua Tafiti got a hand on his arm mid-throw, but the ball fluttered harmlessly to the ground about 15 yards downfield. He followed that up with a 5-yard screen to Toney, and then found him open running loose on the left side for another 28. That gave Toney a career-high 174 yards on nine catches (again, it's not even halftime).
CharMar Brown touchdown
10:07 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
It doesn't always have to be Malachi Toney! (Though he did add another two catches for 52 yards on this possession.) Darian Mensah spreading the ball to Toney, Cooper Barkate and Daylyn Upshaw led to gaping-wide run lanes in the red zone for CharMar Brown, who easily ran in a 5-yard touchdown to start piling it on for the Hurricanes. Mensah is 12 of 13 for 199 yards, by the way, while Toney has seven catches for 141 yards and two scores. Toney's career high is 146 yards, just so you know.
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Score:Miami 21, Stanford 3, 7:52 2Q
Did Xavier Lucas get away with pass interference?
09:58 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
Stanford's been moving the ball fairly well all things considered, with its first drive of the second quarter starting with two passes to Caden High that totaled 38 yards to get past midfield. The drive stalled on two holding penalties though, including one that negated a 15-yard pass to Benji Blackburn that would've picked up a first down. Davis Warren's deep ball on third-and-long to Atticus Joseph was broken up by Xavier Lucas, who made contact early but was not whistled for a flag.
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Malachi Toney hits Heisman pose on 2nd touchdown
09:44 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
He just can't be stopped! Miami's second drive was a little more methodical, with Cooper Barkate taking a couple short passes for yards after the catch and CharMar Brown and Mark Fletcher churning out solid yards on the ground. But the drive ended the same way the first did, with Malachi Toney dancing past defenders to find paydirt, this time deking the defensive back on a 2-yard slant for his second TD of the day.
Mensah started 8 of 8 for 129 yards, while Toney has five catches for 89 and two TDs.
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Score:Miami 14, Stanford 3, end 1Q
Stanford answers, but drops touchdown
09:25 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
The Cardinal marched right down the field after letting in the score, with a 22-yard stick route to Zion Robinson and a 22-yard gushing run up the gut by Sedrick Irvin setting the tone. Armondo Blount pulled Davis Warren down by the jersey for a clutch sack in the red zone, and a brutal drop by Benji Blackburn forced a short field goal. Xavier Lucas made a nice play breaking up what would have been a touchdown pass to JonAnthony Hall.
Score:Miami 7, Stanford 3, 7:57 1Q
Malachi Toney touchdown on exciting drive
09:13 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
It didn't take long for the excitement to bubble over on the Hurricanes' new pass attack. Darian Mensah hit Malachi Toney on a deep out that the speedy sophomore turned into a 48-yard gain. Three plays later, Mensah hung in and absorbed a hit to the head to float one to a wide-open Toney for a 23-yard touchdown. Toney already has three catches for 75 yards.
Score:Miami 7, Stanford 0, 12:07 1Q
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OJ Frederique banged up
09:09 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
On the second play of the game, cornerback O.J. Frederique made a nice open-field tackle on Benji Blackburn, but he ran off the field with his left arm hanging limp at his side. Stanford goes three-and-out, Miami takes over at the 23.
Miami on defense to begin
09:07 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
Jake Weinberg boots the opening kickoff, and Stanford starts on the 20-yard line. The 2026 season has arrived!
Who is Davis Warren?
09:02 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
Stanford's quarterback this season is someone who was on the roster for Michigan's 2023 national championship season. Davis Warren took over for J.J. McCarthy in 2024, throwing for 1,199 yards and seven touchdowns against nine interceptions, but a torn ACL in the ReliaQuest Bowl caused him to miss the entire 2025 season. He transferred to Stanford this year and opened with 310 yards and a TD in the season-opening win over Hawaii.
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What happened at Miami vs Stanford 2025?
08:51 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
Apart from the debut of some truly hideous camo uniforms? Miami failed to convert on early chances and went into halftime at Hard Rock Stadium tied 7-7, but three touchdown runs by Mark Fletcher Jr. and interceptions on back-to-back drives by Wesley Bissainthe and Xavier Lucas helped the Hurricanes distance themselves in the second half en route to a 42-7 win .
Rueben Bain, Akheem Mesidor on hand
08:36 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
The two pillars of Miami's top-five defense in 2025, edge rushers Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, were among the alumni spotted on the field ahead of the Hurricanes' 2026 opener at Stanford. Bain, now on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, had quite a ways to go to arrive in Northern California, while Los Angeles Charger Mesidor just had to drive a few hours upstate. Keionte Scott also was spotted during warmups.
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Jordan Lyle out vs Stanford
08:30 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
Running back Jordan Lyle was added to the injury report Friday as one of four Hurricanes out tonight against Stanford. Lyle was arrested on reckless driving charges Aug. 13 in Broward County. It remains unclear whether Lyle is suspended or injured. The 20-year-old Fort Lauderdale native played in 12 games his freshman season, rushing for 400 yards and four touchdowns. Injuries limited him to just six games in 2025, when he ran for 108 yards with a touchdown against Stanford in October.
Miami uniforms vs Stanford
08:15 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
The Hurricanes are breaking out the all whites that they wore throughout the College Football Playoff as underdogs.
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Why did Duke sue Darian Mensah?
08:00 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
Miami fans are eager to see just how Darian Mensah fits in with Malachi Toney, Elija Lofton and the Miami offense. The new quarterback makes his Hurricanes debut tonight after a tumultuous end to his one year at Duke, which ended in controversy after he entered the transfer portal in the middle of a two-year NIL deal that led to his school filing a lawsuit for breach of contract. In case you forgot, here's the rundown of what led Mensah to Miami .
Malachi Toney in new number
07:46 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
Malachi Toney broke Hurricanes receiving records with 109 catches for 1,211 yards as a freshman wearing No. 10. The 18-year-old switched to No. 1 for his sophomore season, with new quarterback Darian Mensah now sporting his old number.
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Miami vs Stanford predictions
07:40 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
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Dan Rorabaugh, USA TODAY Network: Miami 45-13
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Bill Bender, Sporting News: Miami 38-14
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Pete Fiutak, College Football News: Miami 37-13
Mark Fletcher's mom drives to Stanford
07:29 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
Linda Fletcher, mother of Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. , was seen in her custom RV ahead of Friday's game at Stanford. Afraid of flying, "Momma Fletcher" has driven across the country to see every Hurricanes game the past three seasons. This year, UM legend Michael Irvin gifted her an RV through his production company and is documenting her season through the online series "Fetching Fletchers."
Stanford down 20 players with injury
07:20 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
The final injury report is out, and doesn't look good for the Cardinal. Twenty players are listed as out, including starting center Aidan Kilstrom (one of five offensive linemen) and six defensive backs.
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Miami vs Stanford betting odds
07:15 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
Odds via BetMGM .
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Spread: Miami (-24)
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Total O/U: 47½
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Moneyline: Miami (-3000) | Stanford (+1550)
Miami football schedule 2026
07:00 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
All times Eastern.
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Sept. 4:Miami at Stanford* | 9 p.m. | ESPN
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Sept. 10: Miami vs. Florida A&M | 8 p.m. | ACC Network
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Sept. 18: Miami at Wake Forest* | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
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Sept. 26: Miami vs. Central Michigan | 6:30 p.m. | The CW
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Oct. 3: Miami at Clemson* | TBD
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Oct. 10:Open
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Oct. 17: Miami vs. Florida State* | TBD
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Oct. 24: Miami vs. Pittsburgh* | TBD
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Oct. 31: Miami at North Carolina* | TBD
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Nov. 7: Miami at Notre Dame | 7:30 p.m. | NBC
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Nov. 14:Miami vs. Duke* | TBD
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Nov. 21:Miami vs. Virginia Tech* | TBD
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Nov. 28: Miami vs. Boston College* | TBD
*- ACC game
Miami vs Stanford injury updates
06:45 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
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Miami:OUT: RB Jordan Lyle , DB Ja'Boree Antoine, DB Dylan Day, TE Luka Gilbert (out for season)
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Stanford:OUT: OLB Dylan Stephenson, WR Carter Shaw, CB Jason Hill Jr., K London Bironas, DB Zaidon McDonald, WR Daylen Sharper, CB Chris Garland, CB Breylan Thompson, CB Jack Duckworth, CB Aaron Morris, DL Jacobi Murray, OL Aidan Kilstrom, OL Nathan Mejia, DL Brendan Delaney, OL Nick Fattig, TE Reiman Zebert; DOUBTFUL: WR Nico Brown, OLB Gabe Kaminski, OL Niki Prongos; QUESTIONABLE: WR Caden High, OL Simeone Pale; PROBABLE: ILB Jahsiah Galvin
What TV channel is Miami vs Stanford on today?
06:30 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
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TV: ESPN | ACC Network
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Streaming: Fubo (free trial) | ESPN Unlimited
What time does Miami vs Stanford start?
06:15 PM ET, September 4 2026, Dan Rorabaugh
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Date: Friday, Sept. 4
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Time: 9 p.m. ET
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Where: Stanford Stadium (Stanford, California)
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami vs Stanford highlights: Malachi Toney career day fuels Hurricanes rout
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