MIAMI, Fla. - Dabo Swinney left Saturday’s 41-13 loss to No. 4 Miami with the kind of result Clemson fans won’t forget, but he pushed back on the idea that the Tigers were outplayed in effort.
“The score was not indicative of how our kids competed,” he said. “That’s what people look at, but just missed some opportunities.
We could have made it a totally different type of game and we didn’t; they did. At the end of the day, the score is what it is.”
The margin was ugly, but freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds did produce some real volume in the passing game. He finished 29 of 44 for 295 yards with an interception and no touchdown passes, setting new collegiate highs in completions, attempts and yardage. Miami still made him work for every inch, though, and the Hurricanes’ pressure repeatedly forced Clemson into bad spots.
Reynolds had six plays that gained at least 15 yards, including a 55-yard connection to junior wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. Even so, the 19-year-old spent much of the afternoon under siege. He was sacked six times and lost a fumble after redshirt senior defensive tackle Ahmad Moten Sr. got to him and edge rusher Herbert Scroggins III recovered it.
Clemson’s offense never found enough rhythm to keep pace. The Tigers had only two drives that reached at least 50 yards, and those possessions ended in a field goal and a touchdown. Penalties only made the climb steeper, with Clemson flagged six times for 66 yards compared with Miami’s four penalties for 25 yards.
On the other side, Clemson’s defense had moments but couldn’t slow down Miami long enough to change the game. The Tigers did sack Darian Mensah twice and delivered a couple of hits, yet the Hurricanes quarterback kept moving the offense. Mensah, the current Football Bowl Subdivision completion percentage leader at 84.2, completed 18 of 27 passes for 227 yards and accounted for two total touchdowns, one through the air and one on the ground.
Miami set the tone early with a 61-yard touchdown from wide receiver Cooper Barkate and put the finishing touch on the blowout with a 39-yard pick-six by freshman safety/nickelback JJ Dunnigan. For Swinney, the loss landed as his worst at home, even as he viewed Clemson’s performance through a different lens from the sideline.
The result also underscored a larger shift. Swinney has owned the Atlantic Coast Conference for more than a decade, but Miami and head coach Mario Cristobal are pushing the balance in a new direction.
Clemson still carries plenty of respect as a program, but the conversation after this one points toward a busy offseason of evaluation.
Miami, meanwhile, moves into its bye week at 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the ACC. The Hurricanes will use the break to heal up and continue evaluating players before their next game, an in-state matchup with Florida State on Saturday, Oct.
- Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.
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