The fifth ranked Miami Hurricanes managed to escape Winston Salem with a 33-20 victory over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Friday night, though the win felt more like a survival act than a dominant performance. For the first thirty minutes, Miami looked every bit the favorite, racing out to a commanding 24-7 halftime lead. Quarterback Darian Mensah was nearly flawless during this stretch, completing his first twenty four passes in a row to tie a school record and eventually finishing the night 30 of 34 for 220 yards and three scores. He found plenty of success with Malachi Toney, who hauled in twelve catches for 114 yards, while Mark Fletcher provided a steady ground game with eighty five yards and a touchdown.
Despite the offensive fireworks, the evening was marred by a frightening injury to Marty Brown. Just as Brown seemed poised to score after ripping off a massive thirty two yard run down to the one yard line, he suffered what broadcasters described as a gruesome knee injury. The sight of Brown being carted from the sideline to the locker room cast a somber shadow over Miami’s early dominance, which peaked at 31-7 midway through the third quarter. At that point, it seemed like the Hurricanes were cruising toward an easy blowout.
However, the momentum shifted violently in the second half as Miami suddenly regressed into something resembling their old selves. After dominating total yardage early on, the Hurricanes went into a shell on both sides of the ball, allowing Wake Forest to claw back with a thirteen nine run. A series of mistakes and poor execution in the secondary left the door open for the Demon Deacons, who nearly mounted a full comeback until a pivotal holding penalty nullified a punt return near midfield late in the game. Miami finally put things away when they drew another holding call in the end zone against Damon Wilson II for a safety, providing those final insurance points.
While Miami can celebrate another notch in the win column and praise their defensive front for recording three sacks, there are lingering concerns about how they collapsed under pressure in the closing frames. The disparity between their clinical first half and their erratic finish suggests that these tendencies could prove fatal against higher caliber opponents later in the season. If they want to maintain their standing or make any serious noise heading toward Charlotte, cleaning up these second half disappearances will be mandatory.
