The Miami Hurricanes lost their primetime showdown with the #1 Clemson Tigers Saturday night, 42-17. After a rewatch of the game, here were my takeaways and grades.
**The Hurricanes got a little bit of a reality check this weekend. Regardless of recent past circumstances, there is going to be a lot of hype when you’re a prominent program in the top 10 playing the #1 team in the country in primetime. Up to Saturday, UM had a strong 2020 season to their name and they were able to answer a lot of the questions that plagued the program after last year’s disastrous campaign. If Miami had beaten Clemson this weekend, at that point you’d be realistic in thinking about the College Football Playoff and maybe more, which is crazy when you think about where this program was at the end of 2019.
Ultimately, the team just wasn’t ready for that level of competition; that is hard to stomach at some level for a program that has been in a vicious cycle of “one step forward, two steps back” for years now and some may feel that Miami is simply right back where they were after the 2017 ACC Championship. The reality is that this was a 6-7 team last year still searching for an identity heading into the offseason. Miami still has their warts, and those issues only get magnified when you go up against an elite opponent. The rot that existed in Hecht was always going to take more than one year to fix to have UM consistently competing at a championship level, and, if the first three games are any indication, much progress has been made in the area of beating the teams Miami is supposed to beat and maintaining the proper intensity and focus in preparation every week. If UM continues to build on those foundational principles, it won’t be long until they are competing with the Clemson’s of the college football world.
**The Canes needed a lot to go right for them to win this game. Going into a road matchup against a team that is more talented than you, it’s imperative that you bring your ‘A’ game, limit mistakes, and hope for a little luck. However, even with the fortune of a blocked FG for a TD, you’re not going to win many contests against a squad like Clemson in Death Valley by committing 15 penalties and losing the turnover battle (3 to 1). What’s worse is that UM’s miscues came in a lot of key moments when they squandered slivers of opportunities to get back in the game.
For example, in a sequence to open the second half down 11, the Canes failed to capitalize on the momentum shift provided by DJ Ivey’s FG block returned for a touchdown when, on the very first play of the half, Jarrid Williams was flagged for a false start penalty to put UM behind the sticks before the drive even started. After going three and out, Clemson gave Miami another chance to close the gap with Trevor Lawrence’s fumble in Tiger territory. Instead of making Clemson pay for that error, Miami goes out and throws a pick in the endzone. It’s little moments like these that added up and usually ends up making all the difference in big games against top tier opponents.
**Miami never really capitalized on Clemson’s relative weaknesses. The Tigers came into the weekend with their typical highly talented and deep team, but there were a few areas of the game that they weren’t as great in as they were last year, chiefly on the offensive line and in the secondary. Each unit was mostly made up of new starters, especially on the O-Line, where the Tigers were breaking in 4 new starters, and as a result were rushing for about 80 ypg less than they had the previous year and giving up more pressures than usual.
To pull off the upset on the road, Miami really needed to exploit Clemson in these areas of the game and hammer those weaknesses, but UM didn’t come very close to doing that. The Canes’ lack of WR development was never more apparent, as they combined for just 5 catches in the game, something that is a major issue that is really holding back the rest of the offense right now. Instead of completely shutting down the Clemson run game and taking advantage of an inexperienced OL, the Canes front 7 allowed Clemson to rush for a season-high 258 yards, obtained only 1 sack, and let the Clemson OL set the tone of the game in the trenches and control the pace of play. Looking at those aspects alone, this game was disappointing on those fronts.
**Miami’s OL took a step back after a strong start to 2020. Clemson’s gameplan on defense was apparent from the get-go and remained consistent throughout the night: Sell-out sending the house with blitzes to pressure D’Eriq King, make him uncomfortable, and really test Miami’s communication up front. Unfortunately, UM’s offensive line that had handled everything thrown at them up until that point folded against one of the best front 7’s they’ll see all season, giving up 5 sacks and 11 TFL to Clemson after previously allowing only 3 sacks all year.
This also worked in part because Clemson was not scared at all by UM’s receivers and did not concern themselves too much with getting beat by a big play over the top. They were content to take away the middle of the field for the TE's and force the receivers to beat them on the outside while selling out to stop the run and pressure King. The UM run game was what the Canes had relied on so far this season with 232.3 ypg coming into the contest, but the Miami offensive line was also getting zero push up front and giving the backs little room to operate. The OL's poor performance led to Canes’ RB’s combining for a pathetic 11 yards on 10 carries.
**King played poorly, but ultimately was hard to judge too harshly with the terrible supporting performances around him. King of course had his worst game of the year, throwing his first two interceptions of 2020 while going only 12-28 (42.9%) for 121 yards through the air. Again, though, with the cascading effects of poor blocking up front, no receivers getting open, and zero traditional run game, King was set up to fail from the opening whistle. This was partially exemplified on King’s first INT, where he threw a 50/50 jump ball for Dee Wiggins, who promptly fell to the ground while getting out-muscled and bodied by Clemson DB Sherion Jones for the ball.
At one point, with it becoming more and more clear that Miami wasn’t going to get anything from their other players on the attack unit, King put the offense on his back and the only way they were moving the ball was via King scrambles (14 carries for 84 yards, rushing TD). So, while there’s no doubt this was a setback considering the promise he showed through the first three games, I’m willing to give King a mulligan for this performance and I particularly liked the way he competed the whole way despite taking a ton of tough hits all night.
**Even despite the aforementioned disadvantages, I didn’t like the game the Miami coordinators called. These type of games are the ones where coaches really earn their paychecks and you really see what your coordinators are made of when they’re facing a superior opponent. I hoped to see an aggressive and varied gameplan from both Rhett Lashlee and Blake Baker, but instead it was only the Clemson coaches that came out with that approach even with the talent advantage in their favor. The Tigers ran a ton of motion and misdirection plays with great execution on offense to keep the UM defense off balance, while dialing up exotic blitzes at the perfect times on defense to pressure the UM offense. On the other hand, despite a few trick play attempts, I thought the Canes were too content to sit back and just let their athletes “go make plays”, while also being slow to make effective adjustments to what Clemson was throwing at them. Most of the offense came simply from King scrambling on broken plays, and Lashlee did not add much to the equation to make the situation easier on his unit. On defense, the opportunity was there for Baker to exploit a suspect Clemson OL coming in, but he did not take advantage of their inexperience in any meaningful way. Again, yes it’s Clemson, but I still hoped to see more from these two this weekend.
**Overall, I’ve liked how S Bubba Bolden and Gilbert Frierson have developed this season. Even though he was a part of giving up two of Clemson’s TD’s, Bolden made multiple impact plays in the game. Bolden again led Miami with 10 tackles vs. the Tigers (team-leading 27 this year), blocked two kicks on special teams, and forced the fumble on Lawrence that gave UM the ball in Clemson territory early in the second half in an 11 point game. He’s been strong in run support all season and has also made strides as a pass defender recently as well. In a game where Miami was lacking in the big plays department, Bolden came through to help keep UM in the game and won ACC DB of the week for his troubles. Great to see him finally reaching his potential after essentially a lost season last year due to eligibility issues and injury.
Striker Gilbert Frierson also deserves some mention after a strong 3 TFL performance; he now actually leads the team in TFL this year with 6 and is third with 18 total tackles. After starting the season locked in a position battle, Frierson has really begun to put some distance between himself and Keontra Smith, and has become a versatile chess piece for the Miami defense, even lining up out wide at corner at one point vs. Clemson.
Grades
Offense: F
It’s a little more difficult giving out grades this week considering the opponent, but it’s hard to gloss over the fact that the offense only managed 210 yards and 10 points. Didn’t like the gameplan, poor execution, and could not sustain drives to help out the defense (7 three and outs, 4 of 15 -26.7%- on third downs). Most of Miami’s offense came from broken play scrambles by King. 3.9 yards per play. 3 turnovers. 5 sacks and 11 TFL allowed. A terrible performance in pretty much every aspect.
Defense: F
550 total yards and 42 points allowed. Could not exploit a suspect Clemson OL coming in and instead got steamrolled for 258 rushing yards and only 1 sack. Allowed 6.3 ypp. 8 for 17 (47.1%) on third downs. 9 TFL was a highlight. Nowhere close to being enough to win.
Special Teams: A+
If there was a bright spot in this game, it was the performance of the UM special teams. Miami blocked three FG attempts and also got points when they brought one back for a TD. Lou Hedley averaged 46.4 ypp, while Jose Borregales made his only FG attempt, a 42-yarder, and both XP’s. The coverage units did not allow any big returns. This could have been an area that was an X-Factor and pushed Miami over the top in a closer contest.
Coaching: F
Even though Clemson did have the upper hand regarding talent, Miami was pretty clearly also outcoached in this game. As mentioned, I didn’t like what I saw in terms of a lack of aggressive playcalling from both coordinators. Miami was slow to make effective in-game adjustments to what Clemson was throwing at them. Clemson came out, hit UM in the mouth early, and Miami never really responded either on the scoreboard or emotionally. 15 penalties is inexcusable from a discipline standpoint.
**The Hurricanes got a little bit of a reality check this weekend. Regardless of recent past circumstances, there is going to be a lot of hype when you’re a prominent program in the top 10 playing the #1 team in the country in primetime. Up to Saturday, UM had a strong 2020 season to their name and they were able to answer a lot of the questions that plagued the program after last year’s disastrous campaign. If Miami had beaten Clemson this weekend, at that point you’d be realistic in thinking about the College Football Playoff and maybe more, which is crazy when you think about where this program was at the end of 2019.
Ultimately, the team just wasn’t ready for that level of competition; that is hard to stomach at some level for a program that has been in a vicious cycle of “one step forward, two steps back” for years now and some may feel that Miami is simply right back where they were after the 2017 ACC Championship. The reality is that this was a 6-7 team last year still searching for an identity heading into the offseason. Miami still has their warts, and those issues only get magnified when you go up against an elite opponent. The rot that existed in Hecht was always going to take more than one year to fix to have UM consistently competing at a championship level, and, if the first three games are any indication, much progress has been made in the area of beating the teams Miami is supposed to beat and maintaining the proper intensity and focus in preparation every week. If UM continues to build on those foundational principles, it won’t be long until they are competing with the Clemson’s of the college football world.
**The Canes needed a lot to go right for them to win this game. Going into a road matchup against a team that is more talented than you, it’s imperative that you bring your ‘A’ game, limit mistakes, and hope for a little luck. However, even with the fortune of a blocked FG for a TD, you’re not going to win many contests against a squad like Clemson in Death Valley by committing 15 penalties and losing the turnover battle (3 to 1). What’s worse is that UM’s miscues came in a lot of key moments when they squandered slivers of opportunities to get back in the game.
For example, in a sequence to open the second half down 11, the Canes failed to capitalize on the momentum shift provided by DJ Ivey’s FG block returned for a touchdown when, on the very first play of the half, Jarrid Williams was flagged for a false start penalty to put UM behind the sticks before the drive even started. After going three and out, Clemson gave Miami another chance to close the gap with Trevor Lawrence’s fumble in Tiger territory. Instead of making Clemson pay for that error, Miami goes out and throws a pick in the endzone. It’s little moments like these that added up and usually ends up making all the difference in big games against top tier opponents.
**Miami never really capitalized on Clemson’s relative weaknesses. The Tigers came into the weekend with their typical highly talented and deep team, but there were a few areas of the game that they weren’t as great in as they were last year, chiefly on the offensive line and in the secondary. Each unit was mostly made up of new starters, especially on the O-Line, where the Tigers were breaking in 4 new starters, and as a result were rushing for about 80 ypg less than they had the previous year and giving up more pressures than usual.
To pull off the upset on the road, Miami really needed to exploit Clemson in these areas of the game and hammer those weaknesses, but UM didn’t come very close to doing that. The Canes’ lack of WR development was never more apparent, as they combined for just 5 catches in the game, something that is a major issue that is really holding back the rest of the offense right now. Instead of completely shutting down the Clemson run game and taking advantage of an inexperienced OL, the Canes front 7 allowed Clemson to rush for a season-high 258 yards, obtained only 1 sack, and let the Clemson OL set the tone of the game in the trenches and control the pace of play. Looking at those aspects alone, this game was disappointing on those fronts.
**Miami’s OL took a step back after a strong start to 2020. Clemson’s gameplan on defense was apparent from the get-go and remained consistent throughout the night: Sell-out sending the house with blitzes to pressure D’Eriq King, make him uncomfortable, and really test Miami’s communication up front. Unfortunately, UM’s offensive line that had handled everything thrown at them up until that point folded against one of the best front 7’s they’ll see all season, giving up 5 sacks and 11 TFL to Clemson after previously allowing only 3 sacks all year.
This also worked in part because Clemson was not scared at all by UM’s receivers and did not concern themselves too much with getting beat by a big play over the top. They were content to take away the middle of the field for the TE's and force the receivers to beat them on the outside while selling out to stop the run and pressure King. The UM run game was what the Canes had relied on so far this season with 232.3 ypg coming into the contest, but the Miami offensive line was also getting zero push up front and giving the backs little room to operate. The OL's poor performance led to Canes’ RB’s combining for a pathetic 11 yards on 10 carries.
**King played poorly, but ultimately was hard to judge too harshly with the terrible supporting performances around him. King of course had his worst game of the year, throwing his first two interceptions of 2020 while going only 12-28 (42.9%) for 121 yards through the air. Again, though, with the cascading effects of poor blocking up front, no receivers getting open, and zero traditional run game, King was set up to fail from the opening whistle. This was partially exemplified on King’s first INT, where he threw a 50/50 jump ball for Dee Wiggins, who promptly fell to the ground while getting out-muscled and bodied by Clemson DB Sherion Jones for the ball.
At one point, with it becoming more and more clear that Miami wasn’t going to get anything from their other players on the attack unit, King put the offense on his back and the only way they were moving the ball was via King scrambles (14 carries for 84 yards, rushing TD). So, while there’s no doubt this was a setback considering the promise he showed through the first three games, I’m willing to give King a mulligan for this performance and I particularly liked the way he competed the whole way despite taking a ton of tough hits all night.
**Even despite the aforementioned disadvantages, I didn’t like the game the Miami coordinators called. These type of games are the ones where coaches really earn their paychecks and you really see what your coordinators are made of when they’re facing a superior opponent. I hoped to see an aggressive and varied gameplan from both Rhett Lashlee and Blake Baker, but instead it was only the Clemson coaches that came out with that approach even with the talent advantage in their favor. The Tigers ran a ton of motion and misdirection plays with great execution on offense to keep the UM defense off balance, while dialing up exotic blitzes at the perfect times on defense to pressure the UM offense. On the other hand, despite a few trick play attempts, I thought the Canes were too content to sit back and just let their athletes “go make plays”, while also being slow to make effective adjustments to what Clemson was throwing at them. Most of the offense came simply from King scrambling on broken plays, and Lashlee did not add much to the equation to make the situation easier on his unit. On defense, the opportunity was there for Baker to exploit a suspect Clemson OL coming in, but he did not take advantage of their inexperience in any meaningful way. Again, yes it’s Clemson, but I still hoped to see more from these two this weekend.
**Overall, I’ve liked how S Bubba Bolden and Gilbert Frierson have developed this season. Even though he was a part of giving up two of Clemson’s TD’s, Bolden made multiple impact plays in the game. Bolden again led Miami with 10 tackles vs. the Tigers (team-leading 27 this year), blocked two kicks on special teams, and forced the fumble on Lawrence that gave UM the ball in Clemson territory early in the second half in an 11 point game. He’s been strong in run support all season and has also made strides as a pass defender recently as well. In a game where Miami was lacking in the big plays department, Bolden came through to help keep UM in the game and won ACC DB of the week for his troubles. Great to see him finally reaching his potential after essentially a lost season last year due to eligibility issues and injury.
Striker Gilbert Frierson also deserves some mention after a strong 3 TFL performance; he now actually leads the team in TFL this year with 6 and is third with 18 total tackles. After starting the season locked in a position battle, Frierson has really begun to put some distance between himself and Keontra Smith, and has become a versatile chess piece for the Miami defense, even lining up out wide at corner at one point vs. Clemson.
Grades
Offense: F
It’s a little more difficult giving out grades this week considering the opponent, but it’s hard to gloss over the fact that the offense only managed 210 yards and 10 points. Didn’t like the gameplan, poor execution, and could not sustain drives to help out the defense (7 three and outs, 4 of 15 -26.7%- on third downs). Most of Miami’s offense came from broken play scrambles by King. 3.9 yards per play. 3 turnovers. 5 sacks and 11 TFL allowed. A terrible performance in pretty much every aspect.
Defense: F
550 total yards and 42 points allowed. Could not exploit a suspect Clemson OL coming in and instead got steamrolled for 258 rushing yards and only 1 sack. Allowed 6.3 ypp. 8 for 17 (47.1%) on third downs. 9 TFL was a highlight. Nowhere close to being enough to win.
Special Teams: A+
If there was a bright spot in this game, it was the performance of the UM special teams. Miami blocked three FG attempts and also got points when they brought one back for a TD. Lou Hedley averaged 46.4 ypp, while Jose Borregales made his only FG attempt, a 42-yarder, and both XP’s. The coverage units did not allow any big returns. This could have been an area that was an X-Factor and pushed Miami over the top in a closer contest.
Coaching: F
Even though Clemson did have the upper hand regarding talent, Miami was pretty clearly also outcoached in this game. As mentioned, I didn’t like what I saw in terms of a lack of aggressive playcalling from both coordinators. Miami was slow to make effective in-game adjustments to what Clemson was throwing at them. Clemson came out, hit UM in the mouth early, and Miami never really responded either on the scoreboard or emotionally. 15 penalties is inexcusable from a discipline standpoint.
