The Miami Hurricanes' College Football Playoff hopes may have been saved by teammates simply being there for one another; in this case, it was Malachi Toney.
The Miami Hurricanes are reaching new heights after achieving victory in the College Football Playoffs against the Texas A&M Aggies, with a final score of 10-3. It was a battle that was decided by both offensive and defensive lines, as well as the defense as a whole. The pressure broke the max capacity at Kyle Field, but the visitors faced it and took care of business. However, there were moments of vulnerability, especially for Malachi Toney.
The freshman wide receiver had a spectacular regular season, making 84 catches for 970 yards, which set a new program record for a freshman, rushing 17 times for 89 yards, completing four of six passes for 82 yards, returning 13 punts for 187 yards, and making one solo tackle, also recording a total of 10 touchdowns.
He was the best college rookie in the nation, but things didn't go smoothly for him against the Aggies. In the Hurricanes' first drive in the fourth quarter, Toney fumbled the ball while coming down. Afterwards, on national television, the cameras caught him crying on the sidelines, but with junior running back Mark Fletcher Jr. consulting him.
Shortly after returning to the field, the 18-year-old made the game-winning touchdown. This was the first time Toney was contained by any defense, for the most part. The frustrations were visible, but the ending results were a bigger relief.
Mario Cristobal praised everyone who helped uplift the confidence of the young star when it was needed most.
"You saw the entire team go right to him after the fumble," he said. "Everybody trusts him. A lot of the reason why we're here is because of his playmaking ability and he brings so much energy to the team. They trust him, love him, and knew that there was going to be some more football to be played and he was going to be a big part of the reason why we're going to have a chance to pull up the game."
For everyone to pick up Toney during the lowest point in his very young college football career could be seen as the moment that saved the Hurricanes' chances of winning a National Championship. However, only time will tell how the story ends. They are set to face the reigning champion Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl quarterfinals on New Year's Eve, Dec. 31st, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN.
More Miami Hurricanes News: