"The Only Gap Is Execution": Clemson Falls to No. 4 Miami 41-13 in Death Valley
Clemson Tigers Athletics
CLEMSON, S.C. — One word sums up Death Valley on Saturday night: loud. The crowd brought the noise, but No. 4 Miami brought the points. The Hurricanes beat Clemson 41-13 and handed the Tigers their first Atlantic Coast Conference loss of the season.
Miami improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the ACC, taking sole possession of first place in the league. Clemson fell to 3-2 and 2-1 in the ACC.
A Night Made for Big Football
From the light-up bracelets to the flares on the flags, a game under the lights felt like a home opener, a homecoming or even a playoff game.
It was the 15th meeting between the programs. Clemson and Miami were tied 7-7 in the series entering the game, and Miami's win moves the Hurricanes ahead 8-7. It was also Miami's first win at Memorial Stadium since 2010.
The Hurricanes arrived as the favorites, and rightly so. They were the ranked team, and Clemson was a 17½-point home underdog, the largest spread of the Dabo Swinney era.
Miami Strikes First
The Tigers used a timeout on their first possession, which appeared to be a clock issue. They went three-and-out when a high snap on third down forced a punt.
Miami took over, and with help from a Clemson hands-to-the-face penalty, scored on its second play. Darian Mensah found Cooper Barkate for a touchdown to make it 7-0 with 13:05 left in the first quarter. The few Miami fans who got into the stadium went wild.
Clemson's defense nearly had a moment of its own. What looked like a takeaway was ruled an incomplete pass, and Miami got a third down. After a key stop, the Hurricanes kicked a field goal for a 10-0 lead.
Clemson desperately needed an answer. The Tigers marched down the field, but not without mistakes, and spent their second timeout. They settled for a 48-yard field goal by Nolan Hauser to make it 10-3 heading into the second quarter.
The Hurricanes Pull Away
Miami's offense went right back to work, and Mensah ran in a 34-yard touchdown for a 17-3 lead with 13:42 left in the half. The Tigers' offense could do nothing, and Miami stayed on the field.
Clemson got a much-needed stop on third-and-1, and Bryant Wesco Jr. gave the Tigers good field position on the punt return with a little more than nine minutes left. The offense stalled though, and the Tigers punted back to Miami, which had six minutes to work with.
Clemson's defense got the ball back, and the offense marched into the red zone as anxiety filled the stadium. On fourth-and-8 with two seconds left, the Tigers kicked a field goal to make it 17-6 at the half.
Fatigue Sets In
Miami won the toss and got the ball to start the second half. Clemson's defense forced a stop, helped by a fourth-down pass breakup by Ashton Hampton, but the offense couldn't produce.
When Miami got the ball back, fatigue seemed to catch up with the Tigers' defense. The Hurricanes converted a third-and-11, then a fourth-and-2, and Mark Fletcher Jr. walked in for a touchdown to make it 24-6.
Clemson's next possession ended when quarterback Tait Reynolds fumbled and Miami recovered. It was 24-6 at the end of the third quarter. Early in the fourth, Mensah nearly threw an interception, but Miami settled for a field goal and a 27-6 lead with 14:52 left.
A Spark, Then the Door Closes
Clemson needed a touchdown, and it got one. Two big passes and a juke run by Wesco put the Tigers at the 1-yard line. After a few penalties on both sides, Gideon Davidson scored on a short run. The drive covered 75 yards in six plays, and the score was 27-13 with a little more than 12 minutes left.
The touchdown breathed life into the crowd. The Clemson chant started up, and the fans pushed the team as the defense headed back out.
But the defense was gassed. An unnecessary roughness penalty on Clemson gave Miami good field position, and Malachi Toney helped get the run game going. Fletcher scored again to make it 34-13 with 6:14 left.
Clemson couldn't move the ball on its next possession. Miami's JJ Dunnigan then intercepted Reynolds and returned it for a touchdown to make it 41-13 with 1:49 left. Trent Pearman replaced Reynolds at quarterback, but the Tigers couldn't add any points.
What Went Wrong for Clemson
The final score doesn't tell the whole story. Reynolds, a freshman, threw for a career-high 295 yards on 29-of-44 passing, but was sacked six times and threw an interception. The Tigers were also penalized 10 times for 91 yards.
Clemson's defense held up well for much of the night against a high-powered offense. The Tigers' special teams did their job. But when all three phases don't perform up to standard, it is hard to beat a top-five team. The offense, particularly the play calling and quarterback play in key moments, has to find its rhythm.
Clemson has shown it's competitive, but the Tigers will have to iron out the wrinkles to get back to the football fans expect.
Postgame: Players Look to Clean It Up
Tait Reynolds
Reynolds said "a lot of things" need to be cleaned up. Asked about the red zone struggles, he said it was a "combination of things" but that the offense is "going to pop." He said cleaning up routes and mistakes will get it there, and that he's confident because of "every single guy in the locker room."
Asked where he has grown the most, Reynolds said the game is "starting to slow down a bit." He did not elaborate on specific fixes.
Bryant Wesco Jr.
Asked about a possible injury, Wesco said it was "not too serious."
He said the gap between Clemson and teams like Miami is small. "The only gap is execution," Wesco said.
On whether the loss is discouraging, he said: "Everybody is going to have mistakes. You gotta have a next-play mentality."
Wesco also praised Reynolds. "The way that he pushes himself when no one else does," he said, adding that the quarterback is a leader who is still learning. "He's a freshman."
On the team's mood, Wesco said, "Motivation is going to take care of itself."
Ashton Hampton
Hampton said he enjoys playing in games like this one. "Love big games," he said. "Felt like I played okay, definitely some things I want to watch on film to be better at."
What’s Next
The Tigers are on a bye week and it is much needed. The strength and performance of the offense has to be evaluated and adjusted. HC Dabo Swinney mentioned that “there’s still a lot of football left.” Also, mentioning that “ I saw a lot of improvements on the field today. We can compete, we just have to take advantage of opportunities.”
There is still much left to be desired and left to be fixed but the Tigers roll to 3-2 and 2-1 and have consistently grown over the past few weeks. The two best teams they faced did result in a loss but they are not the end of the story. More is to come for the Clemson Tigers, it is just “when” that still needs the final answer.
