Wake Forest Welcomes No. 5 Miami for Biggest Test of 2026
In this story:
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons have opened the 2026 season about as well as Jake Dickert could have hoped.
Wake Forest began the year by smoking Akron at home before following that performance with a considerably more dramatic overtime victory over Purdue on the road. The latter was particularly encouraging, considering the Demon Deacons entered West Lafayette facing their first real test of the campaign and found a way to come out on the other side with a victory.
Now the difficulty level is about to get turned up several notches.
The No. 5 Miami Hurricanes come to Winston-Salem on Friday night looking every bit like the national championship contender they were expected to be entering the season. Miami opened its potential run to glory by dismantling Stanford before following that performance with a 77-7 demolition of Florida A&M. The Hurricanes are 2-0 and have hardly been forced to sweat in the process.
To say Wake Forest enters this game as the underdog would be a massive understatement. There is a considerable talent gap between these programs, and Miami is coming off a national championship appearance with another roster capable of making a run deep into the College Football Playoff.
Miami Players to Watch
Demon Deacons fans should already be quite familiar with the quarterback leading Miami’s offense.
Darian Mensah spent last season at Duke before transferring to Miami during the offseason, giving the Hurricanes another highly regarded quarterback after Carson Beck departed for the NFL. Mensah entered the season as the ACC Preseason Player of the Year and has wasted little time demonstrating why, producing a tremendous performance in Miami’s season-opening destruction of Stanford.
His most dangerous weapon is certainly Malachi Toney, who has already established himself as one of the most electric receivers in the country. Toney caught 109 passes for a Miami-record 1,211 yards as a freshman last season and opened 2026 with three touchdowns against Stanford.
The Hurricanes also return running back Mark Fletcher, an All-ACC selection last season, while defensive tackle Ahmad Moten Sr. gives Wake Forest another problem on the opposite side of the ball.
Who Has the Edge?
Unlike last week’s trip to Purdue, there isn’t much mystery surrounding which team has the advantage on paper.
It’s Miami, and it isn’t particularly close.
The greatest thing Wake Forest has going for it is the location. Friday night’s game will be played in Winston-Salem, where what should be a raucous crowd can at least make Miami’s first real road test since Stanford somewhat uncomfortable. Wake Forest has also already proven it can survive a close game after escaping Purdue in overtime. Whether any of that will be enough is another question entirely.
Miami possesses the superior roster and has spent its first two games looking like a team with legitimate national championship aspirations. Wake Forest will need its best performance of the young season just to give itself a chance late in the fourth quarter.
Then again, stranger things have happened on Friday nights in college football — particularly to Miami. For Wake Forest, hope that something like that happens again might be its greatest advantage.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Seth Dowdle is a 2024 graduate of TCU, where he earned a degree in sports broadcasting with a minor in journalism. He currently hosts a TCU-focused show on the Bleav Network and has been active in sports media since 2019, beginning with high school sports coverage in the DFW area. Seth is also the owner and editor of SethStack, his personal hub for in-depth takes on everything from college football to hockey. His past experience includes working in the broadcast department for the Cleburne Railroaders and at 88.7 KTCU, TCU's radio station.
Follow sethdowdle