Darian Mensah spent a lone season at Duke posting some of the nation's top passing numbers while leading the Blue Devils to a rare Atlantic Coast Conference championship.
Things didn't go nearly so smoothly at nearby North Carolina for Gio Lopez, who said he had “never failed in such a public eye" before.
A year later, they're squaring off Friday night as standout transfers who stayed within the Atlantic Coast Conference, Mensah to fifth-ranked Miami
and Lopez to Wake Forest. And while Mensah is rolling as expected at the helm of an offense posting numbers at a cartoonish pace, Lopez has found a familiar groove in reuniting with coordinator Rob Ezell and giving the home-standing Demon Deacons more offensive punch.
“We've got an absolutely big-time quarterback. Facts,” Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert said after Lopez ran in a tying touchdown followed by the winning 2-point conversion in last weekend's double-overtime win at Purdue.
“In the toughest moments, in the biggest spots, taking hits, running — whatever it takes, this guy's willing to do.”
They rank back-to-back inside the top 10 nationally in total offense, with Mensah at eighth (339.5 yards per game) based primarily on his prolific passing numbers. Lopez is ninth (336.0) after running for 97 yards and two scores in the first two games as a run-pass threat.
Mensah has joined receiver Malachi Toney in being a standout for the Hurricanes (2-0, 1-0 ACC), picked as the preseason ACC favorite. Mensah has thrown eight touchdown passes with zero interceptions and four incompletions in two games, with his 91.1% completion percentage (41 of 45) leading the Bowl Subdivision ranks.
His connection with Toney (330 yards receiving, four TDs) stands out as Miami leads the country in total offense (702.5) and is second in scoring (61.0).
“Obviously we've got elite receivers, we've got really talented dudes outside,” Mensah said last week. “So leaving them one-on-one, I think it's great for me to be honest because it makes my job easy. I know where I'm going with the football before I catch the ball.”
Lopez's arrival at Wake Forest (2-0, 0-0) offered optimism considering the comfort he had with Ezell's offense from their time together at South Alabama in 2024, when he threw for 18 touchdowns and ran for seven more. Lopez was part of UNC's teamwide struggles in Year 1 under NFL coaching great Bill Belichick last year, ending when he suffered a left-leg fracture in the season finale at N.C. State and needed surgery.
Lopez threw for nearly all of his 350 yards and three TDs by halftime in Week 1 against Akron. He battled through a banged-up hip to run for two scores and throw for another in the Purdue win.
“It's more than just coach Ezell,” Lopez said afterward, “But it's definitely a comfort factor with him.”
There are five FBS teams that have yet to play on Saturday this season. Of those, four — Kansas, Louisville, Missouri and Rutgers — have Saturday games this weekend.
The other is Miami.
The Hurricanes opened with a Friday night win at Stanford on Sept. 5, beat Florida A&M last Thursday and now have another Friday nighter against the Demon Deacons.
Miami coach Mario Cristobal was asked this week how Miami has spent Saturdays with no games.
“Well, we’ve been working,” Cristobal said. “You know, you get to watch bits and pieces (of other games). We get those games cut up and summarized for us so you can just zip through them.”
Miami gets back to Saturday play next week, hosting Central Michigan on Sept. 26.
Wake Forest is 1-68 against teams in the top 10 of The Associated Press college football poll, with the only win coming against No. 4 Tennessee in 1946.
Yes, this is an ACC game. And yes, it would be a stretch to call these schools ACC rivals.
Friday’s game is just the second between Miami and Wake Forest since 2013. And Miami hasn’t been to Wake Forest since 2009, when it escaped with a 28-27 win.
The Demon Deacons have lost their last four ACC openers. The last win came against Florida State in 2021, a year in which Wake Forest reached the ACC championship game.
Toney turned 19 on Thursday, a day before the star sophomore receiver was to play his 19th college game.
He already has 125 catches, leaving him just five shy of matching Jacolby George for No. 10 on Miami's career reception list.
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AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.
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