CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Hurricanes have been a force in their first two games.

They’ve outscored their opponents 122-13. They’ve broken multiple school records, both individually and as a team. The defense hasn’t allowed a touchdown, and they’ve already improved on their preseason ranking after wins over Stanford and Florida A&M.

But as the Hurricanes prepare to travel to North Carolina for an ACC showdown against Wake Forest, not a single person in Miami’s locker room is satisfied.

They all know the Hurricanes need to continue improving as they move into the heart of their schedule, and they know they'll face an upset-minded Demon Deacons team when they take the field Friday night in Winston-Salem.

“Great team, great players, great coaches. [They’re] playing at a really high level and have been since last season,” Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal said of Wake Forest. “And a very mature team, older team, experienced team. Seventeen of 22 starters are upperclassmen and the best way to describe them is they’re fast, they’re physical, they play with a high motor, and they play with an edge.

“Very, very physical. They chase and finish. Really impressive tape. Tremendous amount of respect for their head coach and their coordinators who we’ve had a chance to cross paths with in [offensive coordinator Rob] Ezell and [defensive coordinator Scottie] Hazelton. … They have great players all over the place.”

Among those great players that Miami (2-0, 1-0 ACC) will have to contend with is quarterback Gio Lopez, a redshirt junior who joined the Demon Deacons after playing at South Alabama and North Carolina, where last season he threw for 1,747 yards and 10 touchdowns as a starter.

Through Wake’s first two games of the season – wins over Akron and a double-overtime victory over Purdue – Lopez has accounted for six touchdowns, including two rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown against the Boilermakers. He also scored on the game-winning two-point conversion for the Demon Deacons (2-0, 0-0 ACC).

Lopez has thrown for 575 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for another 98 yards and two scores and the Hurricanes expect his experience and mobility will make him a challenge to defend.

“Watching him, he’s a very intense, explosive guy,” defensive lineman Armondo Blount said of Lopez. “We just have to be very detailed in our work, very detailed in our steps, things like that. He’s a shifty guy in the open field. He’ll take gaps. He can scramble from any window and throw from any window. That’s what I noticed about him.”

Said defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman, “The quarterback makes a lot happen. Going all the way back, we’ve been watching South Alabama stuff, we’re watching the North Carolina stuff and obviously, we’re watching the first two games this year. He extends plays. He makes guys miss. He makes a lot of things happen in the run game. He gets the ball up in the perimeter fast. … I think he’s a very dynamic player and I think he makes them very good on offense.”

Joining Lopez in making plays for the Demon Deacons offense is wide receiver Carlos Hernandez, who has totaled more than 700 receiving yards in his last five games dating back to last season, and running back Ty Clark III, who is averaging 7.4 yards per carry through Wake’s first two games.

Defensively, the Demon Deacons are allowing an average of 380.0 yards per game and have totaled 15 tackles for loss and five sacks in their wins over Akron and Purdue.

And Miami offensive lineman Ryan Rodriguez made it clear that protecting quarterback Darian Mensah against Wake Forest’s veteran defensive front will be a priority.

“Their front seven is very experienced,” Rodriguez said. “Their starting four d-linemen are all seniors. They’ve all played last year. They’re returning. Their linebackers are veterans. They’ve been there and they’re all experienced and they know what to do. They play hard, they play physical and it’s going to be a great challenge.”

Through Miami’s first two games, Rodriguez and the rest of Miami’s offensive line have done a solid job giving Mensah and the rest of the offense time and space to work.

Mensah enters Friday’s game as the national leader in completion percentage (91.1), having completed a dazzling 41 of 45 passes. He’s thrown for 653 yards and eight touchdowns. And with him under center, the Hurricanes are averaging an FBS-leading 702.5 yards per game.

Wide receiver Malachi Toney, who set a new Miami single-game record for receiving yards against Stanford in the opener, has caught 16 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns in the Hurricanes’ first two wins, while freshman Javian Mallory has helped spark a deep, experienced running backs corps with his team-leading 173 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

“Their d-line is really, really legit and so, coaches hit on this,” Mensah said. “We’ve got to be legit with our protections and their DBs are also very solid, too. It’s definitely going to be a test for us, and we’ve got to be mentally prepared.”

There’s no doubt that Miami’s start to the season has generated plenty of buzz, both in South Florida and beyond. And every expectation is that there will be a near-sellout crowd at Allegacy Field doing its part to fuel the home team.

So, for the Hurricanes, the goal on Friday is simple: find ways to go 1-0 again.

“They’re just a really tough, physical team that plays really, really hard and plays with an edge,” Cristobal said. “I can’t specify and emphasize that enough. I think that always jumps out on tape. You want to see how teams play the game and they’re playing at a high level.”