Notre Dame freshmen play Malachi Toney on scout team

You can't really copy the best receiver in the country in practice. Notre Dame is trying anyway, and it's handing the job to 2 freshmen.

Pete Sampson

@PeteSampson_

If you’re curious, Bubba Frazier and Brayden Robinson are playing Malachi Toney on the scout team.

Moore talked them up instead of brushing it off. He said Frazier and Robinson have "a lot of shift and a lot of shake" and that he's excited to see what they do at Notre Dame down the road. That's a nice thing to say about 2 kids whose whole week is getting chased around by a unanimous All-American.

Jack Soble

@jacksoble56

Leonard Moore said freshman wide receivers Bubba Frazier and Brayden Robinson are portraying Malachi Toney on scout team this week. Moore: "Those dudes got a lot of shift and a lot of shake. I'm excited to see what they do in the future here."

This is the matchup inside the matchup. Miami comes in No. 1 and 8-0, Notre Dame is No. 4 at 7-1, and the game is Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium with real College Football Playoff stakes. Toney is a Heisman candidate and the go-to guy for the nation's best offense, and his 182 catches since the start of last season are the most in college football. Moore was a unanimous All-American last year and has 7 career interceptions and 23 pass breakups. Marcus Freeman called Toney "one of one." Miami's side said Moore is "as good as there is out there."

Moore wouldn't say if he'll actually follow Toney around the field Saturday. Nobody gives that away on a Tuesday. But he clearly thinks it could happen, and he admitted Notre Dame had no idea how good Toney was before facing him last year.

Pete Sampson

@PeteSampson_

Leonard Moore (obviously) didn’t reveal whether or not he’d be matched up with Malachi Toney on Saturday night, but safe to say he’s preparing for it as a possibility. And was up front that Notre Dame didn’t know how good Toney was last year before his first game.

That's an honest admission, and it comes with history. Toney had reclassified to get to college a year early, and his college debut came against Notre Dame last season: 6 catches, 82 yards and a touchdown in Miami's 27-24 win. That result ended up deciding which of the 2 teams got the last at-large spot in the Playoff 3 months later. Notre Dame was the one left out.

So no, there's no scouting-report excuse this time. Notre Dame has a full year of tape on Toney, its best corner is getting ready to face him, and 2 freshmen are spending the week trying to be him. If Moore takes Toney out of the game Saturday, Frazier and Robinson deserve a piece of the credit. If he doesn't, Miami is probably getting another huge win in South Bend.