Mensah, Toney Headline Standout Quarterbacks and Receivers in Week 1
Miami quarterback Darian Mensah threw for 401 yards and five touchdowns in his first start with the Hurricanes, a performance that vaulted him to the top of Heisman Trophy betting odds at +600 following the season's opening week. Mensah completed at least 90% of his passes while surpassing 400 yards and five touchdowns, a feat accomplished by only five other quarterbacks since 2000.
Mensah's teammate Malachi Toney matched the moment with 12 catches for 234 yards and three touchdowns against Stanford, setting Miami's single-game receiving yards record. Toney enters his sophomore season carrying momentum from a freshman year in which he led the FBS with 109 receptions and set Miami's single-season receiving yards mark with 1,211, breaking Charleston Rambo's 2021 record of 1,172. His Heisman odds moved from +4000 to +1250 after the win. sailing bet online
Elsewhere, Pittsburgh's Mason Heintschel threw seven touchdowns and 453 yards on 31-of-41 passing in a 59-14 rout of Miami (Ohio), becoming just the 26th FBS player since 2000 to reach 450 yards and seven touchdowns in a single game. USC's Jayden Maiava completed 23 of 25 passes for 349 yards and three scores in a 39-0 shutout of Fresno State, posting a 92% completion rate that stands as the highest in USC history among games with at least 25 attempts, trailing only Matt Barkley's 95% performance in 2012. On the ground, Iowa's Kamari Moulton set a school record with 16.64 yards per carry on 11 attempts against Northern Illinois, while Duke's Nate Sheppard led all FBS rushers in Week 1 with 227 yards on 35 carries against Tulane.
Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith continued building his case as the nation's top receiver, catching eight passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns against Ball State - all in the first half. The performance gave him 29 career receiving touchdowns, six more than any other active player, and his 12th career 100-yard game, moving him past Chris Olave for second on Ohio State's all-time list behind only Marvin Harrison Jr.'s 15. With Heisman odds at +1000, Smith joins Mensah, Maiava and Toney among the early front-runners as the season moves into Week 2.
