Three Stars: Miami vs Wake Forest

The Canes overcome a slow first half to secure a comfortable win on Senior Day.

Phew. The Miami Hurricanes beat the Wake Forest Demon Deacons today at Hard Rock Stadium on Senior Day, 42-14. The Canes exploded in the fourth quarter after a back-and-forth first half and scoreless third quarter. Miami is one step closer to securing a spot in Charlotte for the 2024 ACC Championship game.

Let’s get to the three stars of the game.

1. Cam Ward

Today wasn’t Cam’s best performance of the season. He had another bad first half interception trying to extend a play. After that, he settled down nicely and stopped forcing throws. His stat line: 27-38, 280 yards, 3 total TDs (1 rushing), 1 INT. While the scoring plays were great, it was his composure and willing to take what the defense was giving him in the third quarter that impressed me most. Neither team could get any offensive momentum coming out of halftime. Instead of forcing a deep shot or some terrible pass over the middle, he checked the ball down and threw the ball away multiple times when nothing was there. That was huge. It helped that Miami’s defense was on fire in the second half. Still, the discipline was nice to see.

2. Second half defense

Lance Guidry’s unit stepped it up big time after a first half that looked all too familiar to Canes fans this season. To be fair, Meesh Powell did have a nice pick-six in the second quarter after the Demon Deacons made their way into the red zone. Still, the second half defense was on another level. Guidry started to bring pressure, and his guys got home for sacks multiple times. Plus, they forced a fumble on a kickoff that immediately led to a Canes touchdown. Wake didn’t complete A SINGLE PASS after halftime. That is domination. That is what we’ve been expecting to see more often than not in 2024. Miami’s final defensive numbers: 193 total yards allowed, 2 turnovers forced, 5 sacks, 4/14 third down conversions allowed.

3. Running backs

Damien Martinez ran hard for 63 yards on 16 carries, running over several Wake defenders throughout the game. Mark Fletcher Jr. only had 6 carries, but put up 55 yards and kept Miami ahead of the chains when he was in the game. Freshman Jordan Lyle had a few rushes early, then finished the game strong as the lead back. He had 115 yards and a touchdown on only 7 attempts. Lyle channeled his inner-Damien Martinez when he ran over a Wake defender during his 61-yard run in the fourth quarter. I think Lyle may have earned himself some more playing time against Syracuse next week.

Honorable mention:

Elijah Arroyo – The athletic tight end had 6 catches for 79 yards today, doing most of his damage in the first half. It’s so great to see him healthy and performing. Arroyo is going to help an NFL team next season.

Jacolby George – #3 led the way in receiving today with 7 receptions for 91 yards. He caught both of Cam’s touchdown passes.

Who were your three stars of the game? Let us know in the comments below.

GO CANES!