No. 11 Notre Dame Remains Prepared to Face No. 1 Miami Hurricanes' Injured Superstar

Despite reports that the No. 1 Miami Hurricanes are without college football rising star and wide receiver Malachi Toney for the foreseeable future, including Saturday's prime-time matchup, No. 11 Notre Dame aren't taking any chances.

In Thursday's media availability on Zoom, Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman is still preparing as if the 19-year-old is going to play.

"I heard about [Toney's injury] after practice," he said. "The thing that comes to mind is we have to continously have a plan for if he's playing and make sure our guys are ready. [At the same time], we need to have a plan for if he's not playing."

The Hurricanes stated that the Liberty City (Fla.) native suffered a high ankle sprain injury in Wednesday's practice, following Tuesday's full media session. Toney reportedly underwent a tightrope surgery on Thursday, which requires approximately four to six weeks of recovery. There is the possibility he returns for the College Football Playoffs, but Saturday's matchup is highly unlikely.

As it's a non-conference game, there will be no official injury report by the ACC and Notre Dame football is an independent program.

Toney is without a doubt a threat to any opposing defense in college football. He has 1,157 all-purpose yards this season, including 73 catches on 85 targets, while scoring 13 touchdowns. Toney is the Hurricanes' go-to offensive playmaker. He's an excellent route runner, can stop on a dime, and is famous for creating separation between himself and defenders.

It's a significant loss for the Hurricanes, head coach Mario Cristobal, and offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson.

Freeman's strategy would be more understandable if Toney hadn't reportedly undergone surgery. The initial news on the injury was that he would push through in an attempt to play. Toney went through further testing and the results reportedly didn't come as clean as hoped.

If Notre Dame is preparing as if the injured star will be ready to go, as Freeman stated to the media, then there is reason to believe that All-American cornerback Leonard Moore is preparing for the unlikely one-on-one matchup against Toney. The 21-year-old has missed two of the last four games (Stanford and Navy), following a concussion injury against UNC on Oct. 3.

Moore is set to return against the Hurricanes this Saturday. He is not listed on Notre Dame's injury report. Moore is likely to take on redshirt senior Cooper Barkate, whose role is expected to expand with Toney very likely sidelined. Plus, Daylyn Upshaw, Vandrevius Jacobs, Somourian Wingo, and Vance Spafford, are looking to step up.

The Hurricanes' offensive game plan will need to adjust without Toney at least for the final four games of the regular season, plus the College Football Playoffs are at stake.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. E.T. and will be televised on NBC and Peacock.

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