Darian Mensah completes record 24 consecutive passes, leads No. 5 Hurricanes past Wake Forest

Perfection isn’t supposed to look this easy.

But that’s how Miami Hurricanes quarterback Darian Mensah made it look on Friday night … until he didn’t.

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Mensah completed all 20 of his passes in the first half and 24 consecutive passes overall to begin the game — two shy of matching the Football Bowl Subdivision record for consecutive completions in a single game (set by East Carolina’s Dominique Davis in 2011) — and it was needed in the No. 5 Hurricanes’ eventual 33-20, too-close-for-comfort win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Allegacy Financial Stadium.

Add to that the 11 consecutive completions Mensah threw to end his outing last week against Florida A&M, and Mensah completed 35 consecutive passes spanning the past two games.

Mensah broke the following records in the process:

-Most consecutive completions in one game in Hurricanes history (previously 15 by Carson Beck last season)

-Most consecutive completions in a two-game span in Hurricanes history (previously 23 by Carson Beck last season)

-Most consecutive completions in one game in Atlantic Coast Conference history (previously 18, done three times most recently by Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence in 2019)

-Most consecutive completions in a two-game span in ACC history (previously 30 by North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky in 2016)

Mensah finished the game completing 30 of 34 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, but Miami’s offense went three and out on five consecutive drives to allow Wake Forest to attempt a comeback bid. His touchdowns went to Josh Moore in the first quarter, Elija Lofton in the second quarter and Malachi Toney in the third quarter.

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Toney caught 12 passes for 114 yards.

Mensah’s dominance early played a pivotal role in Miami (3-0, 2-0 ACC) taking a 24-7 lead on Wake Forest (2-1, 0-1 ACC) at halftime.

It started with a methodical 14-play, 92-yard drive that was capped by a 9-yard touchdown pass to Moore. That drive took 7:33 off the clock.

Wake Forest responded with a long touchdown drive of its own — 11 plays, 75 yards, ended by a Gio Lopez touchdown pass to tight end Kamrean Johnson — to tie the game before Miami began pulling away.

Miami scored touchdowns on each of its next two drives — first on a Mensah 21-yard touchdown pass to Lofton and then on a 1-yard rush by Mark Fletcher Jr. (who went 85 rushing yards on 16 carries and had a few massive runs to break through the Demon Deacons defense but went to the locker room late with an upper-body injury) — and capped the half with a 27-yard Jake Weinberg field goal. Wake Forest, meanwhile, went three and out on each of its final three first-half possessions following the initial touchdown.

A fourth consecutive three and out for the Demon Deacons and another touchdown drive for Miami — this time ending with a Mensah 2-yard touchdown pass to Toney — put the Hurricanes up 31-7 before Miami’s offense started to stall and Wake Forest began mounting a comeback.

Lopez threw touchdowns on consecutive drives — from 23 yards to Jack Foley with 4:06 left in the third quarter and then 17 yards to Carlos Hernandez with 14:56 left in the fourth — to get the Demon Deacons within 31-20. Lopez, facing a Miami secondary missing two starting cornerbacks (Xavier Lucas and OJ Frederique Jr.) and a third rotational player (Ja’Boree Antoine), completed 29 of 46 passes for 312 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

The defense then returned to form, forcing a safety (Miami’s first since 2021 and first in ACC play since 2012) to extend the Hurricanes’ lead to 33-20 with 13:11 left to play and then forcing a turnover on downs on each of Wake Forest’s next two possessions, including one when the Demon Deacons marched into the red zone, and an Ethan O’Connor interception with 2:24 left to play to seal the game.

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The Hurricanes next host Central Michigan on Sept. 26 (6:30 p.m., the CW).