Despite Its Injuries, Miami Still Had Its Trump Card Against Clemson

If Hurricane fans thought the injury problem Miami has faced up to this point in the season would end against Clemson, they had another thing coming.

Several key Miami starters exited the game at some point, and the defensive back room remains plagued by injuries that have kept upperclassmen out for weeks. That includes defensive lineman Marquise LIghtfoot, who has been a consistent pass rush threat for Miami through these first five games.

But the kicker? Miami didn't need him. When the final score rested at 41-13, Miami's way, the Hurricanes had sacked Clemson quarterback Tait Reynolds six times and registered more than 20 QB pressures. At several points of uncertainty, the Miami defense did what it does best: it pinned its ears back and got after the opposing quarterback.

Who Shined on the Defensive Line for No. 4 Miami?

Damon Wilson Jr. had his best night of the season by far, registering 2.5 sacks on the team's six total. Before the season, the Missouri transfer was one of the key figures in discussions about how to replace the production of Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor. On Saturday night, he showed exactly why. Wilson was the only Hurricane to register multiple sacks on the night.

With the 2.5 sacks he registered on Saturday, Wilson now has 3.5 sacks on the year, good enough to keep climbing the charts for team totals. Lightfoot still leads the way with 5 on the year, as he registered one himself before exiting with an injury.

On a night when Miami quarterback Darian Mensah finally looked human, only completing 18-27 passes as opposed to the 80% clip fans have become accustomed to, and where Malachi Toney was limited because of his various bumps and bruises, it was back to ground-and-pound football for the Hurricanes, who still managed a convincing road ACC win to keep their perfect record alive.

If Miami wants to make it back to the national championship, it has to win both games where Mensah and company are dialed in and games played between the tackles. Saturday was the latter, and with the bye week ahead before a showdown with Florida State, the Hurricanes picked a great time to show the country that they can very much still win like last year's team had to - with their physicality.

Now, though, it's time for Miami to lick its wounds, get some players healed up, and do its best to remove as many names as possible from the next availability report for the October 17 matchup against the Seminoles.

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