MIAMI GARDENS, FL—The Miami Hurricanes stressed this week that they must start and finish strong against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
For the most part, it rang true. Senior quarterback Cam Ward completed 27 of 38 passes for 280 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception as he led the eighth-ranked Miami (10-1 overall; 6-1 in ACC) to a 42-14 win today (November 23) over Wake Forest (4-7 overall; 2-5 in ACC).
Ward’s 1-yard touchdown run with 7:58 left - followed by his two-point conversion pass to redshirt junior Elijah Arroyo - would effectively seal the deal for the Canes. Ward’s rushing score and successful two-point conversion broke the game open for the Canes, who were up by only six points at 20-14.
This sequence would extend the lead to 28-14. Miami’s special teams came through right after the score, as freshman linebacker Cam Pruitt recovered a special teams fumble with 7:51 left.
Three plays later, running back Jordan Lyle (seven carries, 115 yards, one touchdown) added insurance for the Canes with his 18-yard touchdown run with 6:25 left. To close the scoring, Ward engineered a four-play, 85-yard drive culminating with his 15-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Jacolby George, who had 1:53 left.
The Canes finished this game with 508 total yards and 28 first downs on offense, allowing just 193 yards and 12 first downs on defense. They went 7-for-12 on third downs for a success rate of 58.3 percent. The Canes finished this season with a 6-0 home record at Hard Rock Stadium. It is the first time they went undefeated at home since 2017, when they finished at 7-0.
Also, The Canes are one win away from reaching their first ACC title game since 2017. From the game’s very first snap, the Canes displayed a sense of urgency. Led by Ward, the offense crisply marched down the field for a drive that took 13 plays and 84 yards for the game’s first score.
Ward completed his first six passes, three of which went to George, who caught a wide-open 13-yard touchdown pass that helped Miami get a 7-0 lead over Wake Forest at the 8:32 mark. The Cane's defense allowed Wake Forest to tie the game at 7-7 by way of a 36-yard touchdown pass from redshirt senior quarterback Hank Bachmeier to redshirt freshman wide receiver Micah Mays Jr., But Ward made sure to get his team right back on track. He fired off a perfect 34-yard pass down the middle of the field to George at the Wake Forest 10-yard line.
A few plays later, senior kicker Andres Borregales connected on a 40-yard field to give Miami a 10-7 lead over Wake Forest at 1:52. After the scoring drive, the Canes' defense would be on the field for 17 plays. The last of those plays was a perfectly read interception caught at the Miami 24-yard line by senior safety Mishael "Meesh" Powell, who raced to the end zone untouched for 76 yards en route to a touchdown. This would extend Miami’s lead to 17-7 over Wake Forest with 7:50 left in the second quarter. Almost immediately after Miami scored, Wake Forest junior running back Demond Claiborne hit some open angles and went nearly untouched as he got a 100-yard kickoff for a score. In just 15 seconds, Wake Forest would cut Miami’s lead to 17-14. Wake Forest’s quick special teams score preceded a defensive interception caught by redshirt junior linebacker Quincy Bryant at the 26-yard line with 3:04 left in the first half. But after Ward’s interception gave Wake Forest a chance to take the lead, Miami’s defense would shut down that opportunity by forcing a three-and-out.
On the next Canes drive, Ward would pass Canes legend Bernie Kosar (3,642 passing yards) as the program’s all-time single-season passing leader. This happened on a 13-yard pass completion to junior running back Damien Martinez. This play was part of an 11-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a 25-yard field goal from Borregales, who gave the Canes a 20-14 lead over the Demon Deacons with five seconds left. The Canes offense ended the first half with 281 total yards and 17 first downs. They went 4-for- 6 on third downs with a 66 percent conversion rate.
The defense allowed just 143 total yards while recording one interception, one sack, two tackles for loss, and two pass breakups. Not much action occurred in the third quarter, as both teams failed to score.
Miami punted twice and lost a fumble to Wake Forest, which punted three times. The fourth quarter was a different story for Miami. Running back Mark Fletcher Jr. stiff-armed a Wake Forest defender for a 30-yard run that got Miami down to its opponent’s 13-yard line. This was followed by a 10-yard run from Martinez, who got Miami to the Wake Forest 3-yard line.
A 2-yard run by Martinez was next as Miami reached the Wake Forest 1-yard line. A couple of plays later, Ward’s game-sealing score took place. From there, two more insurance touchdowns occurred to secure the Canes' 28-point victory over the Demon Deacons.
Important note: Ward has a single-season passing record of 3,774 yards in 11 games. Miami’s next and final regular season game will be on the road against Syracuse (8-3 overall; 4- 3 in ACC) on Saturday, November 30.
The kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. At stake is a step closer to the ACC title and the program’s first College Football Playoff berth.
Talk with Miami fans on Canes Talk, Inside Canes Hoops, and Canes on the Diamond
• Subscribe to the Storm Tracker Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, and Spotify
• Subscribe to the Canes County YouTube Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @Canes_County, @BenjaminRivals, @AnthonyYero1, @MichaelYero, and @Najitobias
• Follow us on Instagram: @Canes.County
Follow us on Facebook
