Can the 2026 Hurricanes Go 3-0 After Their Week Three Matchup with Wake Forest?
The 2026 Miami Hurricanes are coming off a monstrous Week Two performance, when they absolutely decimated the Florida A&M Rattlers 77-7. Miami now holds a 2-0 record and has scored 122 points in their first two outings, which is just insane. Now, the Hurricanes will travel to North Carolina for a Week Three matchup against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, who also sit at 2-0 after defeating AKR & Purdue. Ranked fifth overall in the nation, Miami will continue to look to succeed and climb the national rankings.
In Week One, the Hurricanes offense showcased how dangerous their quarterback-wide receiver combination is in Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney. Then in Week Two, the entire offense showed up as nine different targets scored a touchdown. Javian Mallory and Mark Fletcher Jr. both ran for over 100 yards, and even backup quarterback Luke Nickel went a perfect eight for eight with 144 passing yards and three touchdowns. Mensah has completed 41 out of 45 passes for 653 passing yards and seven touchdowns through those two games and looks like a true Heisman Trophy winner.
Wake Forest’s quarterback Gio Lopez has had a solid first two games of the 2026 season. In a 38-16 win over the Akron Zips in Week One, Lopez threw for 350 passing yards and had three touchdowns in addition to gaining 39 yards on the ground. The following week, in a 38-36 overtime win over Purdue, the 24-year-old recorded 225 passing yards and a touchdown while running the ball 13 times for 59 yards and two touchdowns. Lopez should continue to look for receiver Carlos Hernandez, who had five receptions for 165 receiving yards and a touchdown in Week One, then put up 88 receiving yards in Week Two. However, the 24-year-old quarterback should look to get more targets involved, especially against a dominant threat like the Hurricanes.
The Demon Deacons will need to get on the board first and continue to make the Hurricanes play catch-up all game long. Yet, Miami just needs to play how they have been, getting quick and easy scores, and riding the momentum. If Wake Forest makes this an interesting game by halftime, Miami must stomp out all hopes and continue their undefeated run. The connection of Mensah and Toney will continue to play a big role for the Hurricanes offense, while Lopez and Hernandez will need to turn up the heat and play the best football of their young careers against a team like Miami.
This should be another win in the books for the Hurricanes. While Wake Forest is 2-0, they have not faced a powerhouse like Miami yet, and they may be in for a rude awakening if they’re not ready, just like Florida A&M wasn’t in Week Two. I’m expecting another 50+ point game for Miami and perhaps a 25-30 point blowout win. The confidence should be sky-high for the Hurricanes heading into Week Four against Central Michigan.
