Hurricanes hit with rash of injuries in win over Wake Forest

The No. 5 Miami Hurricanes came away with a sigh of relief on what looked like their first major injury of Friday night’s game at the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Read more Darian Mensah’s record accuracy carries No. 5 Miami past Wake Forest

The second? They might not be so lucky.

And there were more that came afterward that have the Hurricanes holding their breath following their 33-20 win over the Demon Deacons at Allegacy Financial Stadium.

Perhaps the most concerning of them all: Running back CharMar “Marty” Brown.

The redshirt junior went down following a 32-yard run midway through the second quarter with what appeared to be a right knee injury. A cart came down the length of the field for Brown, who was helped off the sideline and put no weight on his right leg. He eventually did get taken to the locker room on a cart.

The running back depth was hit even more when starter Mark Fletcher Jr., who had a team-leading 85 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, was taken to the locker room late in the game with what ESPN reported as an upper-body injury on its game broadcast.

Star receiver Malachi Toney, who caught a team-high 12 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown, was also banged up and limited in the second half.

Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal did not have an immediate update on any of the three postgame, that they will all be evaluated in Miami.

Fletcher and Brown are key members of Miami’s deep running back room, which also features Girard Pringle Jr., Javian Mallory and Jordan Lyle (the latter of whom has not yet played in a game this season).

Fletcher led the Hurricanes last season with 1,192 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. He has 230 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns this season.

Read more Hurricanes running back carted off, standout defender briefly leaves Wake Forest game

Brown, meanwhile, ran for 474 yards and seven touchdowns last season. He had 97 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries this season at the time of the injury Friday.

Toney leads UM with 28 catches, 444 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.

Before all the offensive injuries occurred, fifth-year senior defensive tackle Ahmad Moten Sr. went down with an apparent shoulder injury two plays into UM’s first defensive drive. Moten exited with trainers on either side of him as he went toward the locker room.

Fortunately for the Hurricanes, Moten missed minimal time. He made it back to the field one drive later and finished the game with three tackles while combining with Armondo Blount on a fourth-quarter sack.

The defensive tackle is one of Miami’s top players this season. He was a preseason All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection and is viewed as a potential late first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Keona Davis, a Nebraska transfer, took Moten’s spot at defensive tackle alongside Justin Scott while he was briefly out of the game.

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This story was originally published September 18, 2026 at 8:05 PM.