Miami are 3-0.
That is the important bit.
But a day removed from Friday night’s 33-20 win at Wake Forest, the film tells a slightly more complicated story.
At their best, the Hurricanes looked every inch the No. 5 team in the country.
Then, after building a 31-7 lead, the offence almost completely disappeared.
That contrast is probably the most useful thing Miami can take from Winston-Salem.
Miami were brilliant early, then completely lost their rhythm
For the opening two-and-a-half quarters, Miami looked in control.
Darian Mensah spread the ball around, completed his first 24 passes and helped build a 24-point lead.
Then came the drop-off.
Miami’s final six possessions produced just one first down.
Across that closing stretch, the Hurricanes managed only 26 yards from 22 plays.
That is difficult to ignore.
Injuries clearly played a part, especially with CharMar Brown and Malachi Toney leaving the game, but Miami also became noticeably more conservative once they had established the lead.
Against Wake Forest, they got away with it.
The defence made sure of that.
Against Clemson, Florida State, Notre Dame or another playoff-calibre opponent later in the season, handing back that much momentum could become far more expensive.
That does not turn Friday into a bad win.
It simply gives Mario Cristobal and Shannon Dawson something very obvious to fix.
Miami got the Gio Lopez plan right
One question came up repeatedly during Wake Forest week.
Could Miami contain Gio Lopez?
The answer was yes.
Wake’s mobile quarterback finished with minus-eight rushing yards, a huge turnaround from the damage he had done with his legs against Purdue.
Miami finished with three sacks and five tackles for loss while consistently making Lopez uncomfortable.
The secondary still had some difficult moments and there were missed tackles Miami will want cleaned up, but when Wake threatened to turn the fourth quarter into a genuine comeback, the defence responded.
That might be the most encouraging part of the entire night.
Miami’s first two games never really asked them to deal with adversity.
Wake Forest did.
The offence stalled.
The lead shrank.
The defence shut the door.
That is useful evidence for a team with much bigger ambitions than simply starting 3-0.
Getting healthy now becomes the priority
The biggest concern coming out of Winston-Salem is no longer the final score.
It is the injury list.
Brown’s right knee injury was the most worrying moment, while Toney also left the game and several other Hurricanes required attention during the night.
There is still no confirmed diagnosis on Brown, so there is nothing useful to be gained from guessing.
What Miami do have is a well-timed home game against Central Michigan next Saturday.
This should be a week for recovery, corrections and using the depth chart sensibly.
Miami do not need to prove anything by rushing players back.
The Hurricanes are 3-0.
Mensah has 11 touchdown passes without an interception.
They are already 2-0 in ACC play with two conference road wins in the bank.
Now the aim is to get healthier and make sure the problems exposed by Wake Forest do not follow them into the tougher part of the schedule.
The Last Word from Across the Pond
Friday night might have been exactly the sort of game Miami needed.
Not the injuries, obviously.
But the adversity.
Stanford and FAMU showed us how destructive this team can be when everything works. Wake Forest showed what happens when the momentum disappears.
Miami still found a way to win.
The defence deserves enormous credit for that.
Sunday’s film also gives Cristobal plenty to correct.
The next job is straightforward.
Get healthy.
Fix the second-half offensive issues.
Take care of Central Michigan.
Miami are 3-0.
There is no crisis here.
But there are lessons, and the best teams learn them before somebody makes them pay.
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