Jake Dickert believes his Wake Forest team was more physical than the Miami Hurricanes when they played in Week 3. Miami left Winston-Salem with a 33-20 win after storming out to a 31-7 lead, but the Demon Deacons showed up in the second half to make things interesting.
Normally, Dickert's comments are just a simple sound bite, but there are plenty of nuances to everything he said, and it came from a place of pride, but also respect for the Hurricanes.
Coach Jake Dickert Says His Team Was More Physical Than Miami@CoachDickert @WakeFB pic.twitter.com/Lzd82MXNx3
— David Pollack (@davidpollack47) October 1, 2026
"One thing I left the game saying was [that] we were the more physical team," he told David Pollack.
Dickert then proceeds to compliment Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney, saying that the wide receiver is the best player in the country (maybe the Heisman oddsmakers should take note). He also gave Pollack some hints as to why the Hurricanes will be tough to beat down the stretch and into the postseason.
"There are some things we took advantage of, but at the end of the day they're a really salty football team. They've been there. They know what it takes to win, and they've got high-caliber coaching and schematics, which will always matter when it becomes December.
The turning point for Miami could prove to be the Week 3 win at Wake Forest
Wake Forest is quickly proving to be a better team than people think. The Demon Deacons were 9-4 last year and they are 3-1 this season with a road win over previously-ranked Louisville on the resume. Dickert might be overstating things by saying Wake Forest was more physical, but anyone that watched the game can appreciate the fight that the Demon Deacons took to the Hurricanes when they could've easily folded up;
And that was a lesson that Miami learned and one that I'm sure Mario Cristobal secretly appreciated. The Hurricanes took their foot off the gas and gave an opponent life. Wake Forest was searching for respect from Miami and when the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Demon Deacons got it.
Everyone remaining on the ACC schedule is going to try to get that respect from Miami. The Hurricanes are the big dogs in the conference. They are ranked in the top five and have a roster full of Heisman contenders, All-ACC performances and future NFL draft picks. Everyone is gunning for them and some teams, like Wake Forest, will try to get up when knocked down.
Dickert is one of the best coaches in college football, so when he talks about what Miami possesses that will make them successful in December, it should be taken seriously. But his comments about having a more physical team are also something that Cristobal and the Hurricanes take seriously, because it's on the coaches and players to make sure it never happens again.
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