The No. 5 Miami Hurricanes left Winston-Salem with a 33-20 win, but it took a fourth-quarter stop and a little survival mode to get there.
Wake Forest pushed Miami hard in the second half, and the Hurricanes’ defense spent much of the night trying to hold together a battered secondary. Ethan O’Connor, Bryce Fitzgerald and Omar Thornton started in the defensive backfield, with Damari Brown also stepping in as a reserve. Even with that group in place, Miami gave up eight passing plays of 15 yards or more, and two of them ended in touchdowns.
The injury situation only made the challenge bigger. Frederique Jr. and Antoine are expected to miss most of the season, while Lucas is on track to return next month. That shorthanded reality showed up most clearly during Wake Forest’s third-quarter push.
Miami did get one huge defensive moment when O’Connor intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter on third-and-10. It was the Hurricanes’ first interception of the season, and it ended up sealing the game.
Offensively, Miami never found much rhythm after halftime. The Hurricanes managed only 75 total yards in the second half and also had to deal with more injury issues. CharMar “Marty” Brown was carted off with a right leg injury, while Mark Fletcher Jr. and Malachi Toney were both limited by upper-body injuries.
Wake Forest quarterback Darian Mensah put together a night that will be remembered for the records, even if the result didn’t go his way. He set a program and Atlantic Coast Conference mark with 35 straight completions, including 24 in a row against Miami.
Mensah finished with 220 passing yards and three touchdowns, but he couldn’t keep the offense rolling in the second half. Miami also strung together three straight three-and-outs in the fourth quarter, keeping the game much tighter than it should have been.
Carlos Hernandez was Wake Forest’s most dangerous weapon down the stretch. He caught 10 passes for 69 yards and added a 17-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, plus three big plays that kept the Demon Deacons alive. In the end, though, Miami had just enough to close it out.
It wasn’t a pretty win, and it wasn’t on the same level as Miami’s first two. Still, this was the Hurricanes’ first real four-quarter test of the season, and they came out of it 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the ACC. They’ll head back to Coral Gables with plenty to sort through, especially Brown’s status.
Next up is Central Michigan next Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium. After that, Miami’s schedule turns into all ACC opponents, with a primetime trip to face No. 3 Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, also on the horizon.
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 🡒]