CLMESON, S.C. (WLOS) — It was a Tiger-Hurricanes showdown in Death Valley Saturday night, as No. 4 ranked Miami came to town to face a Clemson team looking to prove they can compete with the nation’s best.
In the first half, that seemed rather promising, however, mistakes and penalties haunted the Tigers. Miami would pull away in the fourth quarter to win it 41-13.
Miami beats Clemson 41-13 (WLOS staff)
“I think we grew in a lot of areas, I know it’s weird to say that when you just lost a ball game, but I saw some good stuff out there tonight, I saw some Clemson football,” Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney continued, “Just missed some opportunities could have made it a totally different type of game and we didn’t, and they did, and so, they deserve all the credit, at the end of the game the score is what it is.”
The Tiger received the ball first and Chris Johnson Jr., senior running back, ran for 42 yards to start the game. However, it would be a quick three in out.
On the Hurricanes first real play, Cooper Barkate, red-shirt senior wide receiver, completed a pass from Darian Mensah, red-shirt junior quarterback, to run home for a 61-yard touchdown. Miami 7-0.
Just over three minutes left in the first quarter, Mensah looked to pass and the ball, instead he would be sacked by Andy Burburija, junior defensive tackle, the ball would come out. Corey Myrick, picked it up to run home for what the Tigers believed to be a touchdown. After an official review, it was ruled an incomplete pass. Miami would eventually settle for a field goal to lead 10-0.
Nine seconds to go in the first quarter, a 48-yard kick by Nolan Hauser would make this score, 10-3.
13:42 in the second, Mensah would break free to run for a 34-yard touchdown. Canes 17-3.
Clemson would end the half with a 29-yard field goal by Hauser. The Tigers would trail 17-6 into the break.
Out of the half, Miami’s Mark Fletcher Jr., senior running back, rushed for 2-yards to score the lone touchdown of the quarter.
Early in the fourth, Tait Reynolds, freshman quarterback, found Bryant Wesco Jr., junior wide receiver, who sprinted down the sideline for 55-yards. This would set up Gideon Davidson, who rushed for a 2-yard touchdown to make it 27-13.
Miami would continue the scoring to finish it out for the win, 41-13. Clemson ended the game with 55 rushing yards, Reynolds forced to rely on the pass game. He went 29-44 and had 295 passing yards.
“At the end of the day, there is just a lot of things we need to clean up and we didn’t get the win, so, offensively we need to play better and we all know that and we’re going to and I keep saying week by week, and it’s going to happen, it’s going to pop at some point, and you guys be ready for it.,” Reynolds said.
The Tigers fall to 3-2 (1-1 in the ACC) and get a bye week, before Charleston Southern visits Death Valley on Oct. 17.