The ACC picture looked a lot different after Miami rolled into Clemson banged up and still walked out with a 41-13 win.
That’s the kind of result that gets attention, because even inside a league Mike Ryan believes is tougher than people give it credit for, he still sees a hard ceiling on what a team can survive. On Tuesday’s show, he said the Hurricanes’ ability to go into Clemson with so many pieces missing and still blow the Tigers out would look very different in the SEC or Big Ten.
"It's still a huge benefit to roll into a place like Clemson as hurt as we are and still blow them out," Mike said. "That's a recipe for an upset in the SEC and its a recipe for an upset in the Big Ten."
What has carried Miami through so far is the depth. The Hurricanes have spent stretches without their top three corners, and the offensive line has been shuffled around by injuries.
Even so, they beat Wake Forest with Malachi Toney less than 100 percent and without a real pass protector in the backfield. Then at Clemson, Marquise Lightfoot went down while the Tigers were still in range to turn the game into something more, and Third Scroggins came in and made an impact.
"It's really impressive that Miami has made these performances look easy when you really contextualize the losses that they've had," Mike said.
That kind of roster construction does not happen overnight. It has taken a few years to get Miami to a point where the next man up can keep the machine running.
There is still a qualifier, though: the schedule. Miami has not spent much time against offenses or defenses loaded with the kind of NFL talent other conferences put on the field.
At the same time, the Hurricanes have done what they needed to do away from home. They are the only team in the country with three Power Four road wins, and those trips matter because road games in this league have already burned Miami before, with losses at SMU, Georgia Tech and Syracuse over the last couple of seasons.
Mike also made clear which ACC opponent he’d like to see on the other side in Charlotte: Wake Forest.
He called Clemson, with the NFL players on that defense, probably the toughest test Darian Mensah has faced. But he also thinks Wake’s defensive line brings a different kind of problem because of how relentlessly it plays.
"Every game I see of Wake, their guys just don't stop," Mike said. "Deep into those fourth quarters, they are high-motor players, and I really hope that we see them again in the ACC Championship."
There’s some personal flavor in that view, too. Wake Forest head coach Jake ****ert has said his team is the more physical one, and Miami’s staff has spoken highly of the Demon Deacons as well.
Wake Forest also showed up in DMoney’s ACC game of the week, with the Demon Deacons taking on NC State and CJ Bailey coming off a 380-yard outing. Bailey is in the middle of what DMoney called a reclamation tour after his Vandy blunder, and Wake is rolling. He said it would not be unreasonable to think the winner has a pretty clear path to the ACC championship.
He did not completely dismiss Clemson, either. The Tigers’ losses are to LSU in nonconference play and to Miami, and DMoney said Miami’s win would not hurt Clemson in a tiebreaker because “Miami is going to be in.”
The one place where Mike and DMoney split was North Carolina, and Halloween is the date that matters. Mike watched the Tar Heels hang with Notre Dame until a big run-stopping defensive tackle left with an injury, and he came away believing North Carolina has enough size up front to make life difficult. The interior of Miami’s offensive line still worries him, even though he thought Ryan Rodriguez played very well and the rotation is coming along.
"That's why we told everybody to calm down," Mike said. "The staff would figure it out, and I think we are a little bit."
DMoney, though, brushed the Tar Heels aside and pointed straight at Bill Belichick.
"I'm glossing over this game because of the worst coach currently in the ACC," he said.
North Carolina still has to go to Pitt, go to Duke and host Syracuse before Miami shows up. If the Tar Heels stumble in one or two of those games, DMoney said, “you could be looking at just total dysfunction.”
Even with all that, the bigger benchmark remains the same.
"The resume is going to be built on that Notre Dame visit," Mike said.
Miami’s depth has been enough to get this far. The question now is whether it can carry the Hurricanes through a few more weeks before the schedule finally asks for a real answer.
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Malachi Toneys Viral Clemson Moment Has Miami Fans Debating The Coverage
After Miamis win over Clemson, wide receiver Malachi Toney found himself at the center of a moment that had little to do with the scoreboard and plenty to do with how it was framed afterward. Toneys postgame hug with Dabo Swinney stood out as a simple show of sportsmanship, and the clip quickly spread well beyond the usual reach of a victory recap.
What followed was a different kind of conversation, with Miami fans focusing on the sideline reporters comments as much as the exchange itself. The reaction also pulled old memories back into the picture, including previous criticism of ESPN reporter Holly Rowe during college football coverage, turning one brief postgame scene into a wider debate about how these moments get covered. [Read more 🡒]
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Miamis position has drawn notice beyond the usual recruiting chatter, including praise from Wrights father, but the competition is far from settled. Florida, Texas and Ohio State are still in the mix, which is why this visit matters so much for Miami as it tries to turn an early edge into something sturdier as the process continues. [Read more 🡒]
Malachi Toney Is Still Producing But Miami Has A Real Concern
Malachi Toney kept working against Clemson even as the Tigers made him earn everything, with cornerback Ashton Hampton helping keep the Miami receiver in check. He still finished with five catches for 40 yards, a line that fit the kind of day it was for the Hurricanes' passing game, but it also underscored how central Toney has become to Miamis offense even while hes clearly not at full strength.
Miami heads into the bye week with a few key players banged up, and Toney is one of the names worth watching most closely. He has continued to put up strong numbers on the season, but the reduced speed he showed against Clemson adds another layer to the Hurricanes' injury picture, especially with the stretch run approaching and the offense needing him to keep drawing attention every week. [Read more 🡒]