Record Setting Night for Darian Mensah as Miami Beats Wake Forest

A Record Night for Mensah

Miami quarterback Darian Mensah put on a passing clinic on Friday night. The signal caller completed his first 24 passes of the game to help fifth ranked Miami secure a 33-20 win against Wake Forest.

By hitting his first 24 targets, Mensah broke the ACC single game record of 18 consecutive completions. He also set a new conference record for consecutive completions across multiple games. Dating back to last week against Florida A&M, Mensah completed 35 straight passes. That broke the previous ACC record of 30 set by Mitch Trubisky in 2016.

Mensah finished the game 30 for 34 for 220 yards and three touchdowns. He threw touchdown passes to Joshua Moore, Elija Lofton, and Malachi Toney to put Miami ahead 31-7 in the third quarter.

Defense Saves the Day

After building a massive lead, the Miami offense stalled. The Hurricanes suffered four straight three and outs, allowing Wake Forest to climb back into the game.

Wake Forest quarterback Gio Lopez threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns. A 17 yard touchdown pass to Carlos Hernandez cut Miami's lead to 31-20 early in the fourth quarter.

That was when the Miami defense took control. The Hurricanes pressured Lopez in his own end zone to force a holding penalty, resulting in a safety. Later, Ethan O'Connor intercepted a Lopez pass in the red zone with just over two minutes remaining to seal the victory.

Miami coach Mario Cristobal praised his defensive unit after the game. "I think a ton of credit goes to the defense for just bowing up and executing at a high level," Cristobal said.

Injuries and Mistakes

While Miami improved to 3-0, the victory came with some physical costs. Several Hurricanes players were banged up during the game, including wide receiver Malachi Toney and running back Mark Fletcher Jr.

Running back CharMar Brown suffered a right knee injury in the second quarter after a 32 yard run. He had to be carted to the tunnel. Defensive lineman Ahmad Moten Sr. also left briefly with an arm injury but returned.

Wake Forest fell to 2-1 with the loss. The Demon Deacons struggled with discipline, committing 13 penalties for 137 yards. Coach Jake Dickert noted that his team had chances but failed to execute when it mattered most.