Gio Lopez didn't fold. He threw for 312 yards and 3 touchdowns, connecting with Jack Foley for 118 yards and a score, and kept Wake Forest's night from turning into a laugher through the air. What he didn't have was his legs — 7 carries for -8 yards, a far cry from the quarterback who ran in the winning score against Purdue, and the one interception he threw came at a point Wake Forest couldn't afford it.
The weather cooperated with neither team needing an excuse — 73 degrees, mostly cloudy, barely a breeze at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winston-Salem, with just a 5% chance of rain. Nothing about the conditions slowed either offense down; the game was decided on the field, not by the forecast.
Miami's defense supplied the plays that turned a competitive game into a comfortable one. Ethan O'Connor's interception and a front that racked up 3 sacks and 5 tackles for loss kept Lopez from ever building sustained rhythm, even as his receivers made plays down the field. Wake Forest's own defense, flagged coming in for blowing a fourth-quarter lead against Purdue, again couldn't get enough stops when it mattered, surrendering 33 points to a Miami offense that didn't even need to lean on its backups.
Wake Forest's only points of the second half came on a safety and a late touchdown, too little too late against a Hurricanes team that had already built its cushion by halftime. Miami leaves Winston-Salem 3-0 and with its case for the top of the ACC intact; Wake Forest falls to its first loss having at least proven, again, that it won't go quietly.