Ethan O’Connor’s night in Winston-Salem gave Miami exactly what it needed.
With three starting-level defensive backs sidelined, the Hurricanes were thin in the secondary and looking for somebody to steady the group against Wake Forest. O’Connor answered that call, and he did it at the most important moment of the game. Miami had gone through its first two contests without a turnover, something Mario Cristobal flagged in his Monday press conference, but the Hurricanes finally got the takeaway they were chasing when O’Connor picked off Wake quarterback Gio Lopez in the red zone late in the fourth quarter.
The play came after a rough snap for O’Connor the sequence before, when he was beaten on a back shoulder throw. Instead of letting that linger, he bounced right back and finished the game for Miami, which beat Wake Forest 33-20.
Cristobal said after the win, "Yeah, well, I mean, ones he's a really talented guy," Head coach Mario Cristobal said after the Wake Forest 33-20 victory. "He's developing and becoming a really good football player, and you see flashes of what he could be.
Now, mind you, you know, game one, we lost two starters, right? Ethan has always been kind of a split starter as well, and there's a lot of experience.
And he was challenged at it.
"He was playing on the spot multiple times. He did a lot of really good things, and I think stuff like that continues to build his confidence to go in there, work harder than before, harder than ever, and keep him moving."
For O’Connor, the moment carried extra weight after an offseason that was difficult following the National Championship loss to Indiana. He had been targeted in that game, and he entered this season determined to answer back. Now, with Miami asking more from him because of the injuries in the secondary, he’s ready for a bigger workload.
"I want to be the best player I can be," O'Connor said. "I'm not here to compete with any player.
I just want to compete with myself. I just want to be that guy in the mirror and see if he can do it."
Miami is back home next, hosting Central Michigan in its first Saturday game of the season. With the injury pile still shaping the depth chart, more young players should get a chance to step into the spotlight.
In Other News...
Miami Is A Heavy Favorite But One Week 4 Concern Remains
FanDuel Sportsbook has already opened the Week 4 line for Miamis home date with Central Michigan, and the Hurricanes are still being priced like a team that should handle business. That is hardly a surprise given the matchup on paper, with Central Michigan described as a struggling FBS program and Miami set to play in familiar surroundings.
The wrinkle for Miami is the injury list, which has grown to include key names such as quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Malachi Toney. Even with the favorable odds, the bigger concern is less about the opponent and more about how healthy the Hurricanes can be when they get into conference play and the schedule starts demanding more from the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Miami May Need Cooper Barkate Sooner Than Fans Expected
Malachi Toneys upper-body injury has put Miami in a familiar early-season balancing act, one that is about more than simply waiting for a receiver to get healthy. Toney has been a key part of the Hurricanes passing game, but the staff may have to be careful with his workload after the recent game, especially if the team wants to avoid turning a nagging issue into something bigger.
Cooper Barkate, the Duke transfer, is the next man in line to absorb some of those snaps, and Miami may need him to do so sooner than many expected. The Hurricanes are also weighing how to adjust the offense to keep Toney available while still pushing the ball effectively, which could make Barkates role more important in the short term than the preseason depth chart suggested. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Faces A Ranking Problem Fans Already Saw Coming
Miamis move to No. 6 in the Week 3 AP Top 25 did not exactly shock anyone who has watched how the early rankings tend to settle. The Hurricanes are still sitting in a strong position, but the larger issue around them is harder to ignore: the ACC keeps looking light enough that simply winning may not be enough to separate Miami from the pack in the eyes of voters.
The problem is not just what Miami has done so far, but what it may have left on the schedule to prove it. The poll continues to reflect a clear conference tilt, with SEC programs getting the benefit of the doubt while some undefeated ACC teams remain unranked, and that leaves Miami in a tricky spot. Even a quality start can get buried when the league around it is treated like a lower tier, which is exactly the headache Hurricanes fans saw coming. [Read more 🡒]