Miami’s 33-20 win over Wake Forest in Winston-Salem had a little bit of everything: a sharp opening half, a messy stretch after halftime, and a few injury concerns mixed in with a much-needed road victory.
For the first 30 minutes, the Hurricanes looked like they were rolling on both sides of the ball. After that, the offense stalled out following its first touchdown drive of the third quarter, and the back half of the game turned into a grind. Coach Cristobal’s team got the result, but it was not clean.
The biggest bright spot was Darian Mensah, who continued to look every bit like Miami’s new quarterback. He finished 30-for-34 for 220 yards and three touchdowns, and he did it without turning the ball over.
Mensah handled pressure well at times, found Malachi Toney in space repeatedly, and showed the kind of command that has made him look comfortable in Shannon Dawson’s offense. Most of the damage came before halftime, though, and the second half was a different story.
Toney was the other star of the night, even if his workload was cut short by discomfort after a stretch on a catch late in the second quarter. Before that, he was a problem for Wake Forest in the open field and finished with 12 catches for 114 yards and a touchdown. He still managed another 100-yard receiving performance, and he was seen running along the sideline after the game, which at least pointed to some reason for optimism.
On the defensive side, Damon Wilson II put together his best outing as a Hurricane. He finished with a sack, helped force a third-quarter safety on a holding call in Wake’s end zone, and drew a couple more holding penalties along the way.
The energy was there from start to finish, along with the bend and hand use Miami has been waiting to see. If that version of Wilson shows up in conference play, the defense gets a lot more dangerous.
There were also several other performances worth noting. True freshman defensive back JJ Dunnigan tied for the team lead with eight tackles and added multiple QB pressures.
Omar Thornton was constantly around the action as well, even if his stat line only showed two total tackles and 0.5 TFL. Ethan O’Connor delivered Miami’s first turnover of the season with a fourth-quarter interception that sealed the game, and he also tied Dunnigan for the team lead with eight tackles.
Charmar “Marty” Brown deserves a mention too. He went down on a 32-yard run that set up a Canes touchdown, and the play was one of the better offensive moments of the night.
Thoughts and prayers for one of my favorite players on the team. I love how this dude plays offense.
Let’s hope he gets back on the field as soon as possible.
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Wake Forest Fans Have Every Reason To Hate This Viral Miami Hit
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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 🡒]