Wake Forest gets a huge measuring-stick night on Friday when No. 5 Miami rolls into Winston-Salem, and the setup is about as lopsided as it gets on paper.
The Demon Deacons have handled the first two games of the 2026 season nicely enough for Jake Dickert. They opened by blasting Akron at home, then followed with a much more nerve-racking overtime win at Purdue. That result mattered because it was Wake Forest’s first real test of the year, and the Deacons found a way to survive it.
Miami, though, is a different level of problem.
The Hurricanes have looked every bit like a team built for a national title push. They started by overwhelming Stanford, then turned around and buried Florida A&M 77-7. Through two games, Miami has barely been asked to break a sweat.
A big reason for that is Darian Mensah, who should feel familiar to Demon Deacons fans. Mensah spent last season at Duke before transferring to Miami in the offseason, and he arrived with serious expectations after being named the ACC Preseason Player of the Year. He wasted no time living up to that billing in the opener against Stanford.
Miami also has a weapon Wake Forest will need to track on every snap in Malachi Toney. The sophomore has already become one of the most explosive receivers in the sport. Last season, he caught 109 passes for a Miami-record 1,211 yards as a freshman, and he opened 2026 by scoring three touchdowns against Stanford.
The Hurricanes are dangerous beyond the passing game, too. Running back Mark Fletcher is back after earning All-ACC honors last season, and defensive tackle Ahmad Moten Sr. gives Miami another impact presence that Wake Forest has to account for.
That’s why this one is such a tough assignment for the Demon Deacons. Unlike the Purdue game, there’s not much guesswork here. Miami has the more talented roster, the deeper roster, and the resume that says it belongs in the national championship conversation.
Wake Forest does have one clear edge: the game is in Winston-Salem. A loud home crowd can at least make Miami’s first real road test since Stanford a little more uncomfortable. And the Deacons already showed last week that they can handle a tight finish after escaping Purdue in overtime.
Whether that is enough against a team like this is another matter.
Wake Forest will need its best performance of the season just to stay in striking distance deep into the fourth quarter. Still, Friday night college football has a way of getting weird, and Miami has been on the wrong end of that before. For the Demon Deacons, that may be the sliver of hope they’re hanging onto.
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Wake Forest Just Got An Opening Against Miami That Could Matter
Miami comes into its matchup with Wake Forest short on the back end, with defensive backs OJ Frederique Jr., Xavier Lucas and Ja'Boree Antoine all listed out on the ACC availability report. The Hurricanes are also without tight end Luka Gilbert, which trims another option from the offense as they prepare for a game that could ask a little more of the depth chart than usual.
Mario Cristobal has stressed Miamis approach to playing freshmen and leaning on the players who earn their snaps, and that philosophy is about to be tested in a real way. For Wake Forest, the opening is obvious: any game plan built around pressuring a reshuffled secondary or forcing younger replacements into bigger roles suddenly looks a lot more interesting. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forest Finally Gets Its First Real Test Against No. 5 Miami
Wake Forest has spent the opening stretch building confidence, but Saturdays visit from No. 5 Miami is the kind of measuring-stick game that tells a program where it really stands. The Demon Deacons are 2-0 after their double-overtime win at Purdue, and theyll get this one at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium against a Hurricanes team that has looked sharp enough to open as a 20.5-point favorite.
Miami brings a strong start and a quarterback in Darian Mensah who has settled things quickly, even with injuries in the secondary creating some questions on defense. For Wake Forest, the night is about whether Gio Lopez can keep the offense steady against a far faster test than anything the Deacons have seen so far, and whether their early momentum can survive long enough to make this a game deep into the second half. [Read more 🡒]