WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Darian Mensah connected on his first 24 passes on the way to setting Atlantic Coast Conference records for consecutive completions, and fifth-ranked Miami's defense came up with four straight fourth-quarter stops to beat Wake Forest 33-20 on Friday night.
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.
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's defense pressured Lopez in the end zone to draw a holding penalty for a safety. Then, after Wake Forest drove all the way to the Miami 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.
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 in a relatively close game compared to a pair of blowouts to open the year.
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.
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: Hosts Central Michigan next Saturday.
Wake Forest: At No. 23 Louisville next Saturday.
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