The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Central Michigan Chippewas 2026 Edition

# Game snapshot Miami beat Central Michigan 52-3 at Hard Rock Stadium. The Hurricanes produced 572 yards of offense (371 passing, 201 rushing), forced turnovers and played deep into the roster, allowing many backups to gain game experience.

# The good Darian Mensah delivered one of the cleaner performances of the season: 23-for-27, 338 yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 0 interceptions, plus a rushing TD. His season accuracy climbed to 88.7% (94/106), with 1,211 yards and 14 total passing TDs.

Malachi Toney was the top receiving threat with 6 catches for 120 yards and a touchdown, raising his season totals to 34 catches for 564 yards and 6 TDs.

Running backs: Javian Mallory started and scored on 5 carries for 30 yards. Jordan Lyle returned to play, and Chris Wheatley-Humphrey delivered a career game (11 carries, career-high 104 yards, first collegiate TD). Getting multiple backs involved helped balance the attack.

Defensively, Miami limited CMU to 158 yards (137 passing, 21 rushing), allowed just 51 snaps for the opponent, recorded 8 tackles for loss and 4 sacks, and created a +3 turnover margin (two fumbles recovered, one interception by freshman CB Brody Jennings).

# The bad Several key players were rested for this game (RB Mark Fletcher and DT Ahmad Moten Sr.), which was a strategic choice ahead of Clemson but removed depth and continuity in spots.

Miami allowed 11 first downs and converted third downs at a higher rate than expected: CMU converted 6 of 13 third-down attempts. Time of possession skewed heavily to the Chips at 28:50. For a game against a lesser opponent, allowing nearly 29 minutes of possession is concerning if Miami faces stronger competition.

# The ugly

# Who stood out

• Darian Mensah: efficient and productive, continued his hot start to the season.
• Malachi Toney: clear top target with big-play ability.
• Marquise Lightfoot: 4 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble.
• Ben Congdon: immediate positive impact at left guard.

# Numbers that matter

• 572 total yards for Miami (371 pass, 201 rush)
• 29 first downs
• 0 offensive turnovers
• +3 turnover margin
• 8.6 yards per play and 13.7 yards per completion
• Defense allowed 6.5 yards per completion and 0.8 yards per rush

# What to watch next

# Bottom line This was the expected blowout but contained items that merit attention: penalties, third-down defense, and time of possession. The offense and several young players gained valuable reps, while Mensah continued to assert himself as the centerpiece of Miami's attack.