Mario Cristobal didn’t pretend the Miami Hurricanes’ 33-20 win at Wake Forest was spotless. He went straight to the point after the team got back to South Florida from Winston-Salem, making sure the locker room heard the message loud and clear:
“It’s better to learn from a win than a loss.”
That line fits where No. 5 Miami stands right now.
The Hurricanes are 3-0, but Friday’s Atlantic Coast Conference game showed plenty that still needs tightening before the schedule turns sharper. The mistakes were spread across the roster, from missed tackles on defense to shaky pass protection up front.
Wake Forest’s offense kept extending drives by making Miami miss. The Demon Deacons forced 15 total missed tackles from the Hurricanes, with freshman safety/nickelback JJ Dunnigan leading the team with four.
The issue is familiar territory for Miami, which dealt with tackling problems last season too. The hits are landing, but too often the ball carrier is staying up and keeping the play alive.
The secondary had its own issues while dealing with injuries, especially with Romanas “OJ” Frederique Jr. and Xavier Lucas unavailable. Bryce Fitzgerald, Ethan O’Connor, and Omar Thornton started at cornerback against Wake Forest, but the group gave up eight explosive plays through the air, each one going for at least 15 yards.
Fitzgerald and O’Connor were the only defensive backs to post a coverage grade of 78 or better from Pro Football Focus. Thornton had a rough night when he wasn’t being used as a rusher against Wake Forest quarterback Gio Lopez. He allowed four catches on five targets, and two of those completions went for touchdowns.
With Frederique Jr. and Ja’Boree Antoine not expected back anytime soon, and Lucas working toward a return next month, Miami has to find a way to steady the back end and cut down the easy gains.
There was also a question mark on the offensive line, where left guard Seuseu “SJ” Alofaituli had trouble handling Wake Forest’s front. His Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade came in at 22.8, and he gave up a pressure and a quarterback hurry over 70 snaps.
Freshmen Ben Congdon and Jackson Cantwell did not play against Wake Forest, though both have mostly been lined up at guard. Compared with Alofaituli, who is 6-2 and 298 pounds, the two freshmen bring major size that could matter in both pass protection and the run game.
That leaves Miami with a decision to consider as it moves forward: whether to keep Alofaituli in place or explore how the freshmen might fit into the rotation. For now, the work goes back to Greentree Practice Fields and the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility, where the Hurricanes will prepare for Central Michigan at Hard Rock Stadium next Saturday.
After that, the schedule stiffens. ACC games are coming, along with a primetime matchup against No.
3 Notre Dame. Miami has started fast, but the sloppier parts of Friday’s win made it clear there is still cleanup to do.
In Other News...
Miami Looks Smarter After Former QB Targets Brutal Collapse
The transfer quarterback market can look a lot different once the games start, and former Miami target CJ Bailey is a reminder of that. The NC State quarterback, a Miami native who was once rumored to be on the Hurricanes radar, stayed put after the recruiting cycle and has now been at the center of a rough moment that turned a defensive stop attempt into a Vanderbilt touchdown and an NC State loss.
For Miami, it only adds to the sense that the program may be wiser to keep building a different way. The Hurricanes have leaned on transfer quarterbacks in recent years, but the staff is also focusing on recruiting top high school quarterbacks for the future, a route that can bring more long-term stability than chasing another available name from the portal. [Read more 🡒]
Miami May Have Found The Defensive Anchor It Desperately Needed
Through the first three games of the 2026 season, Miamis defensive front has looked a lot steadier than anyone had reason to expect after losing two first-round draft picks. A junior defensive lineman has been a constant presence in that reset, working both inside and on the edge while stacking up sacks, tackles and pressure on the quarterback. For a group trying to reestablish its identity, that kind of versatility has mattered as much as any single splash play.
The coaching staff has praised the defenses execution, and this has been one of the clearest signs that the front is settling into a workable rhythm. What stands out is not just the production, but the way the junior has handled a larger and less defined role, showing growth every time Miami asks him to shift spots or responsibilities. The early returns suggest the Hurricanes may have found a stabilizing force up front, even if the bigger test of just how far he can carry that unit is still to come. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forest Fans Have Every Reason To Hate This Viral Miami Hit
Miami linebacker Mo Toure turned heads during the game against Wake Forest with a tackle on running back Ty Clark that quickly became one of the more talked-about moments from the matchup. Toure, an eighth-year senior, has been around long enough to feel like a throwback in todays game, and his path through college football has been shaped by medical redshirts and the extra eligibility window created by the COVID year.
For Wake Forest fans, the play was a reminder of just how strange the modern roster landscape can be when an older, seasoned defender is crashing into a younger back from the 2024 recruiting class. The hit itself was legal and part of the action, but the reaction around it showed how much the age and experience gap has become part of the conversation whenever Miami is involved in a physical game. [Read more 🡒]