CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Damon Wilson II wasn’t quite sure what to expect when he arrived at Miami and joined the Hurricanes earlier this year.

He knew, of course, the Hurricanes were coming off a historic season and a run through the College Football Playoffs. He knew Miami’s defense had been a force throughout that run under then first-year defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman. And he knew former Miami defensive ends Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor had thrived – and became first-round NFL draft picks during their time as Hurricanes.

Now, three games into the new season, Wilson has grown more and more comfortable with Miami’s system, with Hetherman’s philosophy and understands fully what is expected of him as a Hurricane.

His performance against Wake Forest last week reflected that.

“ESV. Excitement, swarm, violence,” said Wilson, who notched the first sack of his Miami career during the Hurricanes’ 33-20 win over the Demon Deacons. “Those really are the basic principles of football. So, I feel like when you’re able to know the playbook, you’re able to do those more at a higher level. … And I feel like at the end of the day, [Hetherman] just wants us to play fast … Be fast and play violent. It fixes all the issues.”

Said Hetherman, “I think it’s always hard because you come from a different system, you come here and you hear it and we say it and we do it in practice, but then all of a sudden, the bright lights come on in the game and you have to do it. A lot of times, you resort back to what you know, you resort back to what you’ve done in the past and [Wilson's] obviously been very successful at different stops, and especially last year at Missouri … But this week, I thought he started to let it go a little bit more, started to have a better understanding, a better awareness of the different things we’re doing, pressures, different things we’re doing with movements and he’s playing more square and going through people and I think his confidence level is getting better and better every week. That will only go up because he’s so talented.”

Wilson and the rest of Miami’s defensive ends faced their biggest test of the young season last week in Winston-Salem when they lined up against Wake Forest quarterback Gio Lopez.

Lopez, a redshirt junior, entered the game having thrown for 575 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for another 98 yards and two scores.

His athleticism, versatility and mobility make him tough to defend, and his play was a big reason Wake Forest started the season out with a pair of wins.

And while Lopez did manage to make some plays Saturday against the Hurricanes, Miami’s defense – particularly its pass rush – kept him in check when it mattered most.

After Wake Forest pulled within 31-20 on the first play of the fourth quarter, Miami’s defense forced four straight Demon Deacon stops, including one that resulted in a safety.

On that play, defensive end Marquise Lightfoot pressured Lopez in the end zone, Wake Forest was called for holding and the Hurricanes got two points – and the ball.

Lightfoot went on to finish the game with two tackles, a sack, and a tackle for loss.

On another Wake Forest possession in the fourth, Armondo Blount and Ahmad Moten combined to sack Lopez, and on the Demon Deacons’ final drive of the night, Lopez was picked off by defensive back Ethan O’Connor.

Lopez was sacked three times on the night. According to Pro Football Focus, he was pressured 44 times and he completed just 10 of his 21 pass attempts in the final 15 minutes, effectively ending any thought of a potential Wake Forest comeback.

It was the kind of fourth-quarter performance the Hurricanes say they train for on a day-to-day basis.

“That’s just how we work it on Greentree,” Lightfoot said. “You see us all hold up our fours, so when it’s the fourth quarter, it just kind of turns up. The game’s not over until we hear that horn go off and [the clock] is 0:00.”

Now, with the Hurricanes set to host Central Michigan on Saturday before turning their focus to a stretch of four games against ACC opponents, Miami’s defensive ends are looking to build on their success against Lopez and Wake Forest.

Hetherman is confident they’ll do exactly that.

“I just think the way that Armondo Blount has played all season … he sets a tone. It’s a high standard. The way he plays the run, how physical he transitions to the pass and just the way he takes over a game, he’s a guy that does everything the right way and that’s been awesome to watch,” Hetherman said. “Lightfoot, I think, has continued to get better and better. Obviously, last year, he was a guy that was in on third down. He was a guy that could help close out games and close out series. And I think you can see the growth from week one to week three of him learning, to use his hands, to play the run, to be able to transition the pass rush, to be able to play both in those situations and help take over a game. I thought that’s what he did, especially late third and early fourth quarter. He completely took it over.

“And then Dame’s a guy that every week, you see him getting better and better. You see him collapsing a pocket, you see him using his hands, you see him changing his angles on the quarterback and then the physicality that he’s starting to play with is coming out. … His awareness and his understanding of the defense, he’s playing so much faster. All those guys right now are playing through the roof.”