No. 4 Miami kept rolling through conference play, and the Hurricanes did it by overpowering Clemson in a game that was defined as much by attrition as by the final score.
Miami improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the ACC with a 40-point performance against the Tigers, who fell to 3-2 and 2-1 in league play. The Hurricanes held Clemson to 13 points and just one touchdown while leaning on a physical run game and a defense that kept hitting from start to finish.
The night also turned into a showcase for Cooper Barkate, who delivered the breakout game that had been building. His first catch came on a Shannon Dawson tunnel screen, and he turned it into a 61-yard touchdown, the longest scoring play of the season for Miami.
Barkate kept producing after that and finished the third quarter with 5 catches for 98 yards and a touchdown. Coming in as WR2 behind Malachi Toney didn’t slow him down at all.
Miami’s offense had to keep adjusting because the line was constantly changing. Injuries forced the Hurricanes to use more than nine players up front, with Matthew McCoy and Max Buchanan both getting hurt during the game. Even with the shuffling, Miami still leaned into the ground game and finished with 192 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns, split between Mark Fletcher Jr. and Mensah.
Mensah continued to show why Miami paid so much to bring him in. He wasn’t flawless against Clemson’s secondary, which made things tougher downfield, but he stayed in command and added another layer with his legs.
His 34-yard touchdown run was the longest of his career, and it came as part of a night in which he scored on the ground while helping keep the offense steady. He also remains banged up, though a week off would help him get refreshed.
Miami’s defense did its part too, and then some. The Hurricanes finished with six sacks and repeatedly overwhelmed Clemson’s protection, including freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds. Damon Wilson kept building momentum as the game went on, continuing the kind of play he showed in the SEC last season.
For all the production, the biggest storyline may still be the injuries. Miami entered the night already down its top four cornerbacks, and more bodies went down against Clemson. Mensah, Toney, and the defensive front may grab the headlines, but the Hurricanes are dealing with a battered secondary and a defense that keeps losing players.
Five Miami players went down during the game, though four of them returned. The one situation that stands out most is Marquise Lightfoot, who did not come back after going to the locker room in the first half. Max Buchanan also went down, SJ stepped in for him, and Ethan O'Connor ended up in the locker room as well.
In Other News...
Miamis Biggest Worry After Clemson Has Nothing To Do With The Score
Miami left Clemson with a convincing 40-13 win in a primetime matchup, and the performance had the feel of a complete road statement even with several key players banged up along the way. The Hurricanes absorbed injuries on both lines and in the secondary, yet the defense still smothered Clemsons rushing attack and finished with six sacks while the ground game produced 192 yards and three touchdowns.
The bigger concern now is less about the scoreboard and more about how Miami comes out of it physically as the calendar turns to Florida State. A rivalry game of that size demands depth and health, and the Hurricanes have already seen how quickly their margin can shrink when the injuries start to pile up. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Just Gave The ACC No Real Case Against No. 1
Miamis win over Clemson did more than add another eye-catching result to the ledger. It gave the Hurricanes a weekend built on both style and substance, the kind of showing that tends to linger in the ACC pecking order. With Miami stacking up as the leagues benchmark in scoring and defense, the argument around the top spot is starting to look less like a debate and more like an acknowledgment of what has already happened on the field.
Around the conference, a few teams flashed enough to keep the race interesting, from Pitt and Duke to SMU and Louisville, while others like Florida State, Virginia Tech and Clemson continue sorting out where they really fit. But Miamis combination of a statement win and season-long consistency leaves the ACC with a familiar problem: if the No. 1 team keeps handling its biggest tests, there may not be much left to argue about. The next stretch will show whether anyone can make that case anyway. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Just Strengthened Its Title Case While A New Concern Emerged
No. 4 Miami kept rolling with a 41-13 win over Clemson, a result that pushed the Hurricanes to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in ACC play and added another convincing piece to their title case. Mario Cristobal had plenty to like afterward, especially the way his team handled the games physical toll and the steadiness up front, where the offensive line helped set the tone while Darian Mensah, Cooper Barkate and Mark Fletcher Jr. all played key roles in the victory.
The larger concern for Miami came from the injury side of the ledger, because the win was not spotless even if the performance was. Cristobal pointed to the groups resilience after multiple injuries during the game, and as the Hurricanes keep building momentum, the bigger question now is how much of that depth will be tested before the seasons biggest stretch arrives. [Read more 🡒]