MIAMI GARDENS — Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney caught a screen pass near midfield, made three Pitt players miss, then ran by about three others on his way to the end zone.

As always, he made it look easy.

The superstar sophomore set a Miami school record with 16 catches — the most by any Football Bowl Subdivision player in a game this season — and finished with 194 yards and three touchdowns to help the top-ranked Hurricanes roll by Pitt 52-23 to remain unbeaten.

Toney started the day needing only 31 yards to reach the 2,000-yard mark for his career. He got there quickly, joining Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith as the only active FBS players to hit that milestone by the end of their sophomore season.

Toney got there in his 23rd career game; Smith reached the 2,000-yard mark in the 24th game of his career last season.

And the yards kept coming.

Toney caught the first 16 passes thrown his way on Saturday; the only one that fell incomplete was the last one where he was the intended receiver. Miami turned the game over to backups not long afterward, with the outcome in no doubt.

Toney — a Heisman Trophy candidate, alongside players like Smith and Hurricanes quarterback Darian Mensah — became the 11th player in Miami history to reach the 2,000-yard receiving mark and the 21st currently active player to reach that number at the FBS level.

He now has 175 career catches, the most of any FBS player since the start of last season. Toney is 25 away from matching the Miami school record for catches; Xavier Restrepo had 200 in his time with the Hurricanes.

Earlier in the week, Mensah raved about his go-to receiver, calling him “a young legend.”

“He’s one of the first people in the building every day and has a consistent routine that he never strays away from,” Mensah said. “And then the mentality — he understands he has to do his job no matter if he’s supposed to get the ball or if he is run-blocking. ... The dude just plays ball. I think that’s what’s special about him.”

2001 players cheer on No. 1 ’Canes

Mensah threw for 387 yards and four touchdowns in the Hurricanes’ first game as the nation’s top-ranked team in nearly 24 years.

Javian Mallory rushed for two scores and Mark Fletcher Jr. moved into the No. 2 spot on Miami’s all-time list with the 33rd rushing TD of his career.

The win should keep Miami (7-0, 5-0 ACC) atop the poll when The Associated Press Top 25 is updated Sunday — ending what has been a three-week run of the No. 1 team dropping in the poll after a loss. Texas was No. 1 before losing to Oklahoma, then Georgia was No. 1 before falling to Auburn.

Miami native Blue Hicks had five catches for 149 yards and a touchdown for Pitt (5-3, 2-3), which dropped its third straight game. Holden Geriner got the start at quarterback and completed 18 of 32 passes for 268 yards and a touchdown.

Miami improved to 43-6 as the No. 1 team in the country. Pitt fell to 0-14-1 when facing No. 1.

The Hurricanes put on a show with dozens of members of the 2001 national championship team watching; this weekend was the 25th anniversary celebration of that Miami title. Miami’s current team wore throwback jerseys featuring the same look and fonts as that team — and looked the part with their play, too.

Mensah completed 31 of 37 passes, Miami converted 10 of its first 12 third-down chances and the Hurricanes scored seven times in their first eight possessions — with six touchdowns and a field goal in that span.

The takeaway