No. 4 Miami had the kind of night that can make a team look complete on the scoreboard and unfinished everywhere else.
The Hurricanes rolled past Clemson 40-13 in a primetime ABC matchup, and they did it with both sides of the ball firing. But the real headline kept circling back to the same place: the injuries are piling up.
Miami went into the game already thin, and the damage only got worse. Malachi Toney was hurt.
The offensive line was banged up. The defense was forced to start safeties at corner, and then lost Marquise Lightfoot in the first half.
Even so, the Hurricanes kept stacking possession after possession, answering Clemson with statement drive after statement drive.
The defensive front set the tone. Lightfoot got to the quarterback before leaving, and then Damon Wilson, Ahmad Moten, and Justin Scott took over from there. That trio helped shut down the Tigers’ ground game, holding Clemson to 29 rushing yards while combining for six sacks and making life miserable for freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds.
Reynolds still had moments. With Miami missing its top four corners, the freshman found openings and put together one of the best games of his young career.
He repeatedly found the right spots to attack the depleted secondary and kept Clemson from fading quietly. But the Hurricanes kept answering, and the biggest plays came when Miami needed them most.
One of those swings came on an Ahmad Moten punch-out on Reynolds, a turnover that Miami turned into points. Later, freshman JJ Dunnigan delivered the knockout with a pick-six that sealed the Tigers’ fate.
On offense, Miami leaned into the run once Darian Mensah settled into a night that was his roughest of the season. He was solid enough, but he missed throws and nearly had two passes picked off in the red zone.
The Hurricanes didn’t need him to be spectacular. They needed balance, yards after the catch, and a run game that could close the door.
That’s exactly what they got. Miami finished with 192 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.
Mark Fletcher Jr. returned after missing the Central Michigan game and handled 16 carries for 77 yards, scoring two of those touchdowns. The Hurricanes also kept feeding freshman Javion Mallory and used Mensah’s legs to help finish the job.
Mensah ended the night 18-for-26 for 227 yards and two total touchdowns, but the bigger picture was impossible to miss: Miami is winning while juggling injuries all over the roster.
The bye week comes at a good time. Miami will use it to try to get healthier before heading back home to face Florida State.
In Other News...
South Carolina Just Created A New QB Question Clemson Fans Will Notice
South Carolina opened its game against Kentucky with a wrinkle that Clemson fans will notice in the rivalry context: Cutter Woods took the first snap at quarterback while backing up LaNorris Sellers. Coach Shane Beamer said the move was planned, framing it as part of a broader message about competition and accountability at the position rather than a sudden shakeup.
Woods is now officially credited with a loss as a starting quarterback, even though the depth chart still points to Sellers as the starter. For Clemson observers, the significance is less about a full-blown change and more about the way South Carolina is testing its quarterback room, keeping the door cracked just enough to make the situation worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Just Sent Clemson Another ACC Reality Check
Miamis rise through the ACC has been hard for Clemson to ignore, and the latest scheduling note around the Hurricanes only reinforces how much the league picture has shifted. Miami announced that its Oct. 17 game against Florida State will kick off at 7 p.m. Eastern on ESPN, setting up another prime-time stage for a team that has jumped out to a 5-0 start and sits 3-0 in conference play.
For Clemson, the bigger message is what Miamis position means in the larger ACC race. The Hurricanes have already beaten Florida State in each of the last two meetings and are now chasing a high College Football Playoff seed, a reminder that the path to the top of the league is being controlled by a team the Tigers are trying to catch. Even a matchup between Miami and Florida State carries weight for Clemson now, because every week seems to tighten the pressure around the conference pecking order. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Heads Into Bye Week With New Questions About Who To Trust
Clemsons trip to Miami left more than a lopsided loss on the scoreboard, it sent the Tigers into the bye week with a sharper sense of which players are helping and which spots still need sorting out. The 41-13 defeat to the No. 4 Hurricanes exposed some uneven performances across the roster, but it also offered a few individual bright spots on a day when the offense and defense both spent long stretches searching for answers.
Malachi Hampton was one of the clearest positives, continuing to show up around the ball and strengthen his case as an NFL prospect with the kind of defensive work that stands out even in a tough team result. Elsewhere, the review was more mixed, with Brown, Adams and Wesco drawing a range of grades that reflect the larger issue facing Clemson now: as the Tigers pause before the next stretch, they still have to decide which contributors they can count on when the games start meaning even more. [Read more 🡒]