While it’s not rare for Miami and Clemson to clash in a meaningful Atlantic Coast Conference matchup, it is different to see the visiting team as a 16.5-point favorite in Death Valley.
The No. 4 Hurricanes (4-0, 2-0 ACC) enter their matchup against the Tigers (3-1, 2-0) on Saturday night at Clemson as such a favorite after a strong start following their national runner-up finish last year.
Miami and Clemson are 7-7 all-time against each other, and the Hurricanes won the most recent encounter at home in 2023. Miami is seeking its first win on the Tigers’ home field since 2010.
Clemson, which is 5-2 against the Hurricanes with Dabo Swinney as head coach, opened its season with a 51-10 loss at LSU, then strung together three consecutive wins over Georgia Southern, North Carolina and Cal.
“Certainly they didn’t get off to the start they wanted in game one but since then have been playing really high-level football in a lot of different ways,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said on Monday.
The teams are sitting in the top two spots in the ACC heading into the game, although the Hurricanes present a major challenge to a Clemson squad trying to prove it has turned its season around.
“At the end of the day, you’re both undefeated in the league, and all you can ask for is opportunity. So, it’ll be a huge opportunity,” Swinney said. “We’ll have to play, by far, our best game to have a chance to beat those guys. But we’ve got to have a great week and great preparation and spot the ball and see if we can do just that.”
Clemson had to overcome early deficits in each of its conference wins.
The Tigers lost running back David Eziomume, who was carted off the field in the first quarter of Clemson’s 24-10 win over Cal after sustaining a lower-leg injury while blocking on a kickoff return. He is expected to miss the rest of the season, per Swinney. Sophomore Gideon Davidson is leading the way in the backfield overall with 346 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
“Just tremendous contact balance,” Cristobal said about Davidson. “He can accelerate. He runs behind his pads, runs through tackles, rarely gets tackled by the first guy. Explosive.”
Swinney praised the way Clemson’s offense has continued to progress with freshman Tait Reynolds at quarterback over the past three games.
“Offensively, we played tough and physical but didn’t always play smart,” Swinney said. “Just some small things that we have to do in order to make us more complete. To be able to run the ball especially when they knew we had to run it, I’m really pleased with that.”
Miami quarterback Darian Mensah leads the nation in passing efficiency (228.23) and completion percentage (88.7%), is tied for first in passing touchdowns (14) and ranks seventh in passing yardage (1,211). His top target, Malachi Toney, is third in receptions per game (8.5) and receiving yards per game (141) and is tied for fourth with six receiving TDs.
The two have anchored a deep Hurricanes offense, which is averaging 51.8 points per game this season — ranked third best behind only Georgia and Florida.
The Hurricanes got some good news on the injury front as lead running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who sat out the team’s 52-3 win over Central Michigan last week due to an upper-body injury, is expected to return against Clemson.
The Miami defense, which has been ravaged by injuries early in the season, should get tackle Ahmad Moten and cornerback Damari Brown back on Saturday after both didn’t face the Chippewas. Defensive lineman Armondo Blount, who got hurt vs. Central Michigan, “was a little banged up, but he’s good to go,” according to Cristobal.
