WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) It was well into the third quarter, and Darian Mensah was a perfect passer off to a record-setting night while having fifth-ranked Miami’s offense humming yet again.
In the fourth quarter, the Hurricanes’ defense had to take the lead.
Mensah connected on his first 24 passes on the way to setting Atlantic Coast Conference records for consecutive completions, while Miami’s defense came up with four straight fourth-quarter stops to beat Wake Forest Demon Deacons 33-20 on Friday night.
“I think a ton of credit goes to the defense for just bowing up and executing at a high level,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said.
The defense carried the Hurricanes home on a night that started with the offense rolling along with a vibe of near inevitability, starting with Mensah putting pass after pass on the numbers and hitting receivers in perfect stride to make big plays downfield.
Mensah completed 30 of 34 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns, including a 9-yarder to Joshua Moore on the game’s first possession and a perfect-execution throw back to the left side on Elija Lofton’s 21-yard score.
Menah added a short TD throw to star sophomore receiver Malachi Toney as Miami (3-0, 2-0) took a 31-7 lead midway through the third quarter, only to see its prolific offense grind to an abrupt halt with four straight three-and-outs while seeing multiple players get banged up.
That ultimately gave the Hurricanes’ defense its chance to step up as Wake Forest tried to rally.
“I have a lot of faith in our defense, they give us some trouble in practice,” Mensah said. “So for them to go out there, it’s no surprise. Them dudes over there are all ballers.”
Gio Lopez threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns for the Demon Deacons (2-1, 0-1), including a perfect throw to the back right corner of the end zone for Carlos Hernandez on a 17-yard strike that pulled Wake Forest to 31-20 with 14:56 left.
But from there, Miami pressured Lopez in the end zone to draw a holding penalty for a safety. Then, after Wake Forest drove all the way to the 13, the Hurricanes again pressured Lopez into an inaccurate throw on fourth down in the end zone.
Miami freshman JJ Dunnigan followed by rushing around the end to harass Lopez into another hurried and off-target throw on fourth down with 5:24 left. Then Ethan O’Connor picked off Lopez’s pass at the 2:24 mark in the red zone, effectively ending this one.
“We had some opportunities to really get back in that game in the foruth quarter, just could never quite get over the hump,” Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert said.
Miami: The Hurricanes had been nothing short of dominant while leading the country in total offense (702.5) and ranking second in the Bowl Subdivision ranks in scoring (61.0), which had been part of their jump. The defense’s play late offered a positive on a night when Miami was tested with a relatively close game compared to a pair of blowouts to open the year.
“It’s a good feeling, but we’re all one team,” said defensive lineman Marquise Lightfoot, who had a third-quarter sack of Lopez. “So they’ve got our back when we need them, and we’ve got their back when they need us.”
Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons were chasing a rare win against the nation’s elite. They entered Friday with a 1-68 mark against teams in the top 10 of The Associated Press college football poll, with the only win coming against No. 4 Tennessee in 1946. One culprit in this setback: 13 penalties for 137 yards, including two that negated big fourth-quarter punt returns.
“We need to learn from this and get better,” Dickert said. “Our execution wasn’t at a high enough level.”
Mensah ultimately completed 35 straight passes going back to last week against Florida A&M, breaking the ACC mark of 30 consecutive completions over multiple games set by North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky in September 2016. His 24-for-24 start broke the ACC single-game record of 18, held by three players.
Miami had multiple players banged up, including Toney and top running back Mark Fletcher Jr. The Hurricanes also saw defensive lineman Ahmad Moten Sr. briefly exit the game in the first quarter with his left arm hanging by his side, though he returned ot the game.
The list also included running back CharMar Brown, who went down in the second quarter on the heels of a 32-yard run to just shy of the goal line. He stayed down in the end zone with team medical staff examining his right knee, then was helped to the sideline and later carted to the tunnel.
Miami: Hosts Central Michigan next Saturday.
Wake Forest: At No. 23 Louisville next Saturday.
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