The Miami Hurricanes left Winston-Salem with a 33-20 win over Wake Forest on Friday night, and the box score tells the story of a game that swung hard in both directions.
For a while, Miami looked like the version of itself that has been flattening opponents. The Hurricanes raced to a 31-7 lead in the third quarter and seemed fully in control.
Then the night got messy. Wake Forest outscored Miami 13-9 the rest of the way, Miami had four straight three-and-outs, and then came a missed field goal.
The defense, while still generating steady pressure, had its shaky moments on the back end. With injuries already affecting that part of the unit, it wasn’t exactly shocking - but it was still hard to ignore.
Pro Football Focus had a pretty clear read on who stood out and who struggled, and the names mostly line up with what the eyes saw.
At the top of the list was Malachi Toney, who posted an 87.5 grade. That probably won’t surprise anyone who watched the first half.
Toney had already cleared 100 receiving yards by halftime and finished with 14 catches for 112 yards. His day was cut short after what appeared to be a late first-half injury while stretching for a pass from Darian Mensah, but before that he was, as usual, a blur.
Mensah himself landed fifth on the strong side with a 72.1. He completed 24 straight passes, stayed patient while Wake Forest took away the deep ball early, and kept finding open receivers. The second half wasn’t nearly as sharp for the offense as a whole, which held his grade down a bit.
Miami’s other top performers on PFF were Ethan O’Connor at 82.3, Bryce Fitzgerald at 78.8, and Matthew McCoy at 71.7. O’Connor got the start and tied for a team-high eight tackles with JJ Dunnigan.
He also held Wake to a 43.1 passer rating when targeted and sealed the game with a late interception. Fitzgerald came up with a huge pass breakup in the end zone in the fourth quarter and gave up just one catch for no yards on three targets.
McCoy, meanwhile, did his job in the quiet way offensive linemen are supposed to - a 70.0 pass-block grade and 69.7 in run blocking, steady work all night.
The bottom five was a little more complicated.
JJ Dunnigan came in at 42.4, and PFF tagged him with four catches allowed on five targets for 90 yards and a 118.8 opposing passer rating. That’s a harsher view than the eye test might suggest, though the grading also pointed to a 35.1 coverage mark.
Chase Smith was next at 48.5, while Mo Toure checked in at 53.7 after being credited with three pressures and two missed tackles. Cooper Barkate landed at 54.9 after a quiet night with four catches for 13 yards.
Damon Wilson II rounded out the list at 55.7.
Wilson’s spot near the bottom feels a little unforgiving given everything he did. He recorded nine quarterback pressures, picked up his first sack as a Hurricane, and forced the holding call that led to Miami’s safety.
But he also drew a roughing-the-passer penalty that wiped out a Miami fumble recovery, and Wake Forest turned that into points. In PFF’s world, the good and the bad get weighed together - and for Wilson, both sides showed up in a big way.
In Other News...
Miami's Wake Forest Win Came With A Brutal Price
Miamis win over Wake Forest did more than keep the Hurricanes moving forward in the schedule. It also left the depth chart thinner, with coach Mario Cristobal confirming that running back Marty Brown suffered a season-ending knee injury in the game. Wide receiver Josh Moore will also be out for the rest of the year after an upper-body injury, while linebacker Ezekiel Marcelin Jr. is expected to miss several weeks.
The timing makes the injuries especially painful for a Miami team trying to stay steady through the grind of the season. Cristobal did offer a few useful updates beyond the bad news, and Jordan Lyle is available to play again after serving consequences tied to a legal issue. For Miami, the challenge now is not just replacing production, but doing it without letting one tough afternoon reshape the bigger picture. [Read more 🡒]
Miami's Injury Problem Just Got Worse Before Central Michigan
Mario Cristobals postgame injury update after Miamis win over Wake Forest brought a sharper edge to what had already been a physical stretch for the Hurricanes. CharMar Brown and Josh Moore are done for the season, and Eezekiel Marcelin is expected to miss a few weeks with a lower-body injury, leaving Miami to sort through another round of personnel hits on both sides of the ball.
The timing is hardly ideal with Central Michigan next on the schedule, especially with Malachi Toney and Mark Fletcher Jr. also dealing with bumps but still projected to be available. Miami has managed to keep moving forward, but the injury list is starting to touch enough key spots that each practice rep matters a little more than it did a week ago. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Suddenly Has A Big Offensive Depth Question
Miamis offense took another hit this week when Mario Cristobal confirmed that running back CharMar Marty Brown and wide receiver Joshua Moore are both done for the rest of the 2026 season because of injuries. Browns setback came on a right knee hyperextension against Wake Forest, while Moore is dealing with an upper-body injury, leaving the Hurricanes to sort through another round of personnel changes at two spots where depth matters.
For a team trying to keep its offense on track, the timing is especially tough because these are the kinds of injuries that force younger players into bigger roles before they may be fully ready. Miami now has to lean on the next wave in the room, and the coming weeks will show how well the Hurricanes can absorb those losses without letting the depth chart become a bigger issue than the injuries themselves. [Read more 🡒]