The Miami Hurricanes are getting ready to take on their first "test" of the season with Wake Forest, a team that won nine games last year and is 2-0 this year.
FAMU felt like an extended scrimmage, more about us, our young players, our positions, our injuries. Now we're getting ready for a real opponent, a veteran team, and it should be an exciting game.
Not a powerhouse by any means, but a solid, well-coached team playing at home with a lot of interesting wrinkles here.
DMoney: "FAMU, we didn't even do a preview of them. So I'm just going to jump into some key players for Wake. Stats are hard to pin down right now — been a couple games for them, beating Akron, then the overtime win against Purdue. But let's look at some key players here."
Quarterback Gio Lopez - "That name should be familiar, he played for North Carolina last year, kind of a different scheme, not really a great fit. Now, he's back with his old offensive coordinator from South Alabama, where he had a lot of success."
"A dual-threat guy, more of a passer to me than a runner, but someone who can run — 575 yards, four touchdowns through the air, 98 yards rushing and two touchdowns on the ground. He's a lefty with a good arm and good accuracy."
Running back - "Duece Lawrence is a freshman from Tallahassee, probably the most dynamic guy I saw watching Wake Forest, just as far as acceleration. Ty Clark is the veteran back, 323 yards and three touchdowns last year, 19 carries for a 141 yards and a touchdown through two games this year, 12 carries against Purdue."
WR Carlos Hernandez - "This is the name I think most people are keyed in on. No. 8, your classic Wake Forest slot receiver, 6-foot-1, 190-pounds. 11 catches, 253 yards and a touchdown already this year."
"Not a speed guy, he's a hands catcher, strong body, productive, returns punts too."
DL Langston Hardy - "His dad, Kevin Hardy, was the number two pick in the draft, played with Simeon Rice back in the day. Langston is 6-foot-4, 245-pounds, 17 tackles for loss and seven sacks last year, already two and a half tackles for loss and a sack this year."
LB Vincent Firenze - "You see him blitz a lot. Former safety, just did his first year at linebacker last season, was a defensive back at Dayton with three interceptions. An intriguing skill set on a major transfer up."
DB Davaughn Patterson - "Nickel spot, bigger guy, 6-foot-1, 215-pounds, around 1700 snaps in his career for Wake Forest. More of an extra linebacker than a cover guy when he plays that spot. Some stiffness there, not the most athletic, but he's around the ball a lot."
Ahmmon: "First impressions watching their win against Purdue: they're going to want to get the ball out quick."
"The quarterback and OC clearly have chemistry built. In the red zone, they're scoring on nine of ten trips, and part of that is the quarterback's ability to run it in himself. Expect a lot of motioning down there, QB power, QB counter. A plethora of ways to attack you in the red zone, hence the ninety percent."
"I'll challenge our defense here directly: our edge rushers and our defensive tackles have to make an imprint on this game. When you have a mobile quarterback, you have to make him uncomfortable. If he feels no pass rush, he's going to be comfortable in the pocket, extend plays, find receivers open down the field — and with a secondary that's had injuries, you don't want them out there chasing receivers for four quarters."
"[Wake Forest's] defense, from the brief overview, they're very base. They don't do anything spectacular. They also don't have a bunch of Jimmy's and Joes out there like Stanford didn't either — they have quality players who play hard, but I don't think they have the talent in the secondary to really make Mensah uncomfortable."
"Their best chance, and I said this with Stanford too, is to create pressure and confuse our offensive line with stunts and an extra man on the blitz. But even with that, Mensah gets the ball out quick, he's quick in his reads, and he stands in the face of pressure — you saw it with those completions to Malachi Toney where he got obliterated by an unblocked defender and still delivered."
DMoney: "Two players I'll be watching very closely on defense . . . you've got Damari Brown right there . . . how does he hold up on some of those shorter, quicker routes? And then you look at a guy like Bryce Fitzgerald, last week was really his first game at corner at the college level."
"I'll say it right now: the matchup to watch this week is Wake Forest's receiver working the slot against our nickel."
"Omar Thornton, we rotate Fitzgerald in there sometimes too, maybe JJ Dunnigan — that nickel spot is going to be challenged this week."
Watch D$ and Ahmmon's full first impressions down below:
FAMU felt like an extended scrimmage, more about us, our young players, our positions, our injuries. Now we're getting ready for a real opponent, a veteran team, and it should be an exciting game.
Not a powerhouse by any means, but a solid, well-coached team playing at home with a lot of interesting wrinkles here.
DMoney: "FAMU, we didn't even do a preview of them. So I'm just going to jump into some key players for Wake. Stats are hard to pin down right now — been a couple games for them, beating Akron, then the overtime win against Purdue. But let's look at some key players here."
Quarterback Gio Lopez - "That name should be familiar, he played for North Carolina last year, kind of a different scheme, not really a great fit. Now, he's back with his old offensive coordinator from South Alabama, where he had a lot of success."
"A dual-threat guy, more of a passer to me than a runner, but someone who can run — 575 yards, four touchdowns through the air, 98 yards rushing and two touchdowns on the ground. He's a lefty with a good arm and good accuracy."
Running back - "Duece Lawrence is a freshman from Tallahassee, probably the most dynamic guy I saw watching Wake Forest, just as far as acceleration. Ty Clark is the veteran back, 323 yards and three touchdowns last year, 19 carries for a 141 yards and a touchdown through two games this year, 12 carries against Purdue."
WR Carlos Hernandez - "This is the name I think most people are keyed in on. No. 8, your classic Wake Forest slot receiver, 6-foot-1, 190-pounds. 11 catches, 253 yards and a touchdown already this year."
"Not a speed guy, he's a hands catcher, strong body, productive, returns punts too."
DL Langston Hardy - "His dad, Kevin Hardy, was the number two pick in the draft, played with Simeon Rice back in the day. Langston is 6-foot-4, 245-pounds, 17 tackles for loss and seven sacks last year, already two and a half tackles for loss and a sack this year."
LB Vincent Firenze - "You see him blitz a lot. Former safety, just did his first year at linebacker last season, was a defensive back at Dayton with three interceptions. An intriguing skill set on a major transfer up."
DB Davaughn Patterson - "Nickel spot, bigger guy, 6-foot-1, 215-pounds, around 1700 snaps in his career for Wake Forest. More of an extra linebacker than a cover guy when he plays that spot. Some stiffness there, not the most athletic, but he's around the ball a lot."
Ahmmon: "First impressions watching their win against Purdue: they're going to want to get the ball out quick."
"The quarterback and OC clearly have chemistry built. In the red zone, they're scoring on nine of ten trips, and part of that is the quarterback's ability to run it in himself. Expect a lot of motioning down there, QB power, QB counter. A plethora of ways to attack you in the red zone, hence the ninety percent."
"I'll challenge our defense here directly: our edge rushers and our defensive tackles have to make an imprint on this game. When you have a mobile quarterback, you have to make him uncomfortable. If he feels no pass rush, he's going to be comfortable in the pocket, extend plays, find receivers open down the field — and with a secondary that's had injuries, you don't want them out there chasing receivers for four quarters."
"[Wake Forest's] defense, from the brief overview, they're very base. They don't do anything spectacular. They also don't have a bunch of Jimmy's and Joes out there like Stanford didn't either — they have quality players who play hard, but I don't think they have the talent in the secondary to really make Mensah uncomfortable."
"Their best chance, and I said this with Stanford too, is to create pressure and confuse our offensive line with stunts and an extra man on the blitz. But even with that, Mensah gets the ball out quick, he's quick in his reads, and he stands in the face of pressure — you saw it with those completions to Malachi Toney where he got obliterated by an unblocked defender and still delivered."
DMoney: "Two players I'll be watching very closely on defense . . . you've got Damari Brown right there . . . how does he hold up on some of those shorter, quicker routes? And then you look at a guy like Bryce Fitzgerald, last week was really his first game at corner at the college level."
"I'll say it right now: the matchup to watch this week is Wake Forest's receiver working the slot against our nickel."
"Omar Thornton, we rotate Fitzgerald in there sometimes too, maybe JJ Dunnigan — that nickel spot is going to be challenged this week."
Watch D$ and Ahmmon's full first impressions down below:
