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Miami opened against Stanford and Florida A&M with Darian Mensah completing 41 of 45 passes for 653 yards and eight touchdowns; Malachi Toney supplied 330 receiving yards and four scores. The early passing efficiency is strong, but Mensah identifies Wake Forest's defensive line and secondary as a tougher protection and execution test.
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Miami has outscored its first two opponents 122-13 without allowing a defensive touchdown. Freshman Javian Mallory leads the rushing group with 173 yards and two scores. Those results establish early production, not proof the same margins will carry over against Wake Forest.
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Wake Forest quarterback Gio Lopez has 575 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, 98 rushing yards and two rushing scores through two games. Miami coordinator Corey Hetherman highlights his scrambling, designed-run impact and quick perimeter distribution; containing broken plays is a central defensive concern for Miami.
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Wake Forest's supporting weapons include Carlos Hernandez, with more than 700 receiving yards across his last five games dating to last season, and Ty Clark III, averaging 7.4 yards per carry in the first two games of 2026. Hernandez's yardage spans two seasons; Clark's rushing figure is a small current-season sample.
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Wake Forest's defense has 15 tackles for loss and five sacks but allows 380 yards per game after facing Akron and Purdue. Miami's Ryan Rodriguez describes four returning senior defensive-line starters and veteran linebackers, making protection a priority. The experienced front has created disruption without yet establishing dominant yardage prevention.