Did the Miami Hurricanes' Honeymoon Phase With Darian Mensah End?

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MIAMI, Fla. – In the first 10 quarters of the 2026 college football season, the Miami Hurricanes appeared unstoppable with quarterback Darian Mensah under center; however, was the second half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Friday a humbling experience?

Despite leaving Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with a 33-20 win, it was a tale of two halves.

From kickoff to halftime, Mensah was breaking records. He completed 20 consecutive passes, 24 to start the third quarter, when the streak ended. Afterwards, Mensah struggled to produce consistent offense. In the second half, he completed 10 of 14 passes (71.4 percent) and threw for 27 yards and a touchdown.

As the Hurricanes' offense grew stagnant, Wake Forest capitalized, scoring two unanswered touchdowns. Although it wasn’t enough to complete a comeback, it was a wake-up call. Before Friday’s game, Mensah hadn’t played a meaningful second half to start the season. He’d put Stanford and Florida A&M out of reach early, then got pulled out and finished both matchups from the sidelines.

Following next Saturday’s game against Central Michigan at Hard Rock Stadium, which could be another blowout win, Mensah will need to execute for a full four quarters. The Hurricanes will play seven of eight matchups against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents. In the midst of the schedule is a primetime showdown against Notre Dame at South Bend, Indiana. It’s circled as the Hurricanes’ biggest game of the season.

It will likely be the biggest stage of Mensah’s collegiate career. He has yet to face an opponent that is ranked in the same week. Mensah is still one of the most prolific quarterbacks in college football. He currently leads the Football Bowl Subdivision with an 89.9 completion percentage and 11 passing touchdowns.

Mensah is on pace to be a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. However, as the season progresses, the more meaning the game become. The Hurricanes have yet to win the ACC; meanwhile, Mensah knows what it takes to accomplish that. Although he will likely still produce explosive plays, another second half like the one against Wake Forest could be very costly.

In some cases, when a team is riding the highest of highs, coming back down to earth is needed.

The Hurricanes understand what it means to be tested and stay on the winning side. Although the execution needs improvement, that will be something to take back to the Coral Gables campus when studying film.

Anthony Aguirre covers the Miami Hurricanes and Miami Heat for Roundtable Sports. Contact info for tips/info: alexagmu@gmail.com & 305-987-3290 | Follow on Instagram/X: @AnthonyA_Sports

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