Jack Dickert Believes Wake Forest Outmatched UM’s Physicality, Despite the Results

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MIAMI, Fla. – Although the focus is currently on Clemson, the No. 4 Miami Hurricanes have been tested once this season, in the second half against Wake Forest; however, Demon Deacons head coach Jake Dickert left Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium in a 33-20 loss with one major takeaway.

“We were the more physical team,” he said on the See Ball Get Ball podcast with David Pollack. “Their team speed is hard to deal with. You got to be able to match up with that. We were never able to quite get over the hump.”

The Hurricanes led 31-7 early in the third, before the script had flipped. Wake Forest responded with a touchdown, but failed on a two-point conversion attempt, then found the end zone again and made a field goal. They found momentum until Hurricanes senior edge rusher Damon Wilson II forced a safety, then redshirt junior cornerback Ethan O’Connor grabbed the game-sealing interception.

As electrifying as the offense has been this season, it struggled for most of the second half.

Quarterback Darian Mensah completed just 10 of 14 passes and threw for 27 yards. The Hurricanes were forced into five consecutive three-and-outs after scoring a third-quarter touchdown. While missing senior star running back Mark Fletcher Jr. (upper-body injury) for a majority of the fourth quarter, the loaded backfield depth produced only six rushing yards.

Although offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson grants quarterbacks freedom to change plays in real time, when asking Mensah about exercising that right in that Wake Forest second half, he deemed it unnecessary.

“I’d say the execution and our physicality was the only thing that really changed,” the 21-year-old said. “If anything, I think that would just be doing too much.”

Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal mentioned on The Joe Rose Show that the guard play on the offensive line needed to be better. Both starters and sophomores, Seuseu “SJ” Alofaituli (left guard; 14.8) and Max Buchanan (right guard; 22.8), had underwhelming Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grades. They remained in the starting lineup last Saturday in a 52-3 win over Central Michigan at Hard Rock Stadium, but freshman Ben Congdon and redshirt junior Jamal Meriweather were mixed in the rotation for both guard spots.

The second half against Wake Forest was the first time starters played a full competitive four-quarter game this season. After blowing out Stanford and Florida A&M by halftime, the Demon Deacons provided an awakening. The Hurricanes still have yet to be tested from kickoff to crunch time.

After a dominant start to the season, the extensive Atlantic Coast Conference portion of the schedule will officially begin on Saturday. The Hurricanes have traveled to South Carolina and will soon enter Memorial Stadium, otherwise known as Death Valley, for an intense matchup in a hostile environment. Kickoff is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. E.T. and will be televised on ABC.

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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