No. 5 Miami plays at Wake Forest on Friday night as the Hurricanes return to ACC play. Miami is 2-0 after victories over Stanford, 45-6, and Florida A&M, 77-7. Wake Forest is 2-0 after victories over Akron, 38-16, and Purdue, 38-36. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
The Hurricanes enter as 20.5-point road favorites behind quarterback Darian Mensah and receiver Malachi Toney. Here are three predictions for Friday night.
1. Miami wins 45-17 and covers 20.5-point spread
Wake Forest has shown they can put up points, scoring 38 points in each of their victories. Gio Lopez has 575 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, 97 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in two games.
But slowing down Miami for four quarters is a tall task. The Hurricanes are currently averaging 61 points, 702.5 yards per game, 10 yards per play and have outscored opponents 122-13. Wake Forest hasn't really put out tape that would make anybody think that tonight will be different. The Demon Deacons allowed 36 points at Purdue and rank 12th in the ACC in passing yards allowed and 12th in rushing yards allowed.
The Hurricanes pull away after halftime, and cover for a 45-17 win.
2. Gio Lopez throws his first interception at Wake Forest
Gio Lopez has not thrown an interception in two starts for the Demon Deacons this season. He completed 21 of 32 passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns against Akron, then completed 16 of 27 passes for 225 yards at Purdue and added two rushing touchdowns.
Miami’s defense is the reason that streak is in danger. The Hurricanes held Stanford to two field goals in the opener and are allowing 6.5 points per game. While the Hurricanes are playing without key defenders in the secondary, Lopez has not seen a pass rush like Miami's this season.
The expectation is that Miami forces him off schedule and that at least one throw in a tight window becomes his first interception in a Wake Forest uniform.
3. Darian Mensah throws four touchdown passes without an interception, and Malachi Toney reaches 120 yards and two scores
Mensah and Toney have been the best QB-WR duo in the country so far this season and until a defense proves that they can stop them, the expectation for both players will be high.
Mensah has completed 41 of 45 passes (91.1% completion rate) for 653 yards and eight touchdowns with no interceptions. He threw five touchdown passes in his Miami debut at Stanford and three more in one half against Florida A&M.
Toney caught 12 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns at Stanford, and the next week he added four catches for 96 yards and one touchdown against Florida A&M. Look for both players to pad their stats in a game where the offense once again shows that it is among the best in the country.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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