No. 7 Miami’s lopsided 77-7 win over Florida A&M was the kind of performance that grabs attention, but the Hurricanes don’t get much time to enjoy it. Wake Forest is next, and this ACC matchup comes with its own reasons to pay attention.
The Demon Deacons enter at 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the ACC after a 9-4 season last year. Miami has plenty to prove in conference play, and this one offers another chance to keep building its standing. The Hurricanes have already lived through seasons where a couple of losses nearly shut the door on the College Football Playoff, and this year’s schedule does not include some of the heavy hitters that caused trouble before, such as Louisville, SMU, or Georgia Tech.
Still, Wake Forest is not just a warm-up. The Demon Deacons bring one of the conference’s best young coaches and a quarterback with a chip on his shoulder. They also come in after one of the strongest seasons in program history since the 11-3 campaign in 2021, and a win over Purdue with their quarterback playing at a high level could make this a more dangerous test than it first appears.
Miami, though, has been looking like one of the most dangerous teams in the country, even while dealing with injury issues. One of the biggest reasons is the depth that has already shown up early in the season.
"It is invaluable," Head coach Mario Cristobal said. " I can't emphasize that enough.
It is about playing football and not worrying about the scoreboard. I adamantly support playing players deep in to games to be developed.
The guys that played tonight worked as hard as everybody else and they were itching for time.
"Unless you put them in the game, you aren't going to find out what they can do when the lights come on. We had that opportunity tonight and we took advantage of it as best we could."
That depth matters even more now because Miami will be without three of its star secondary pieces. The Hurricanes have still put together a roster strong enough to absorb those absences, and that balance has helped them look deeper and more complete this early in the year.
Offensively, Miami has been as explosive as anyone, keeping pace with Heisman hopefuls Malachi Toney and Darian Mensah. That attack gives the Hurricanes a cushion, and it’s a big reason they keep showing up in the conversation among the nation’s best teams.
Friday’s game is the final off-schedule matchup of the season for Miami, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. For the Hurricanes, it’s another chance to prove they belong right where they’ve been positioned.
In Other News...
Miami's Next ACC Test Comes With A Wake Forest Threat
Miamis first real ACC road test of the season lands in Winston-Salem on Saturday night, where the Hurricanes will face a Wake Forest team that has made an early habit of turning games into track meets. Miami enters at 2-0 after handling Florida A&M, while Wake Forest is also unbeaten after outlasting Purdue in double overtime, setting up a matchup that should tell a lot more about both teams than the first two weeks have.
The Demon Deacons have already shown they can stress a defense in more than one way, and that makes this one worth watching for Miami beyond the usual conference backdrop. Wake Forest has a quarterback who can move the ball through the air and on the ground, plus a receiver who has been piling up production early, so the Hurricanes will have to be sharp from the start with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN. [Read more 🡒]
Miamis Surging Defense Is Suddenly Facing A Secondary Problem
Miamis defense has been one of the early bright spots of the season, with the Hurricanes stringing together a touchdown-free stretch that has helped steady the team while the offense finds its rhythm. But Mario Cristobal revealed this week that junior cornerback Xavier Lucas will be sidelined for about a month, another hit to a secondary that has already been dealing with injuries and has had to stay afloat through a mix of versatile transfers and true freshmen.
The timing makes the setback harder to ignore, with Wake Forest up next and the Hurricanes still trying to protect the integrity of a back end that has held up well enough to keep the streak alive. Miami is expected to update its injury report before that game, and for a defense that has built momentum by avoiding breakdowns, the next few weeks will be as much about depth and adaptation as they are about maintaining the standard. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Just Gave Texas Fans A Bigger Reason To Dream
Arch Mannings rise in the Heisman conversation picked up another notch after Texas comeback win over Ohio State in Week 2, when his odds improved to third at +850. The early Heisman board is already starting to take shape, and for Miami fans watching from a distance, the name at the top is a familiar one: quarterback Darian Mensah, whose scorching start has kept him in front of the pack.
Mensah remains the favorite at +550 after completing more than 90 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns and no interceptions, a rsum that has forced the rest of the country to chase. Wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Malachi Toney are also sitting near the top of the odds list, while Sam Leavitt saw his stock dip after a rough Week 2, a reminder that the Heisman race can shift quickly before the season really settles in. [Read more 🡒]