Miami Hurricanes Looking to Upset the Clemson Tigers
Two of the biggest brands in the ACC will meet again for the first time since 2020. The last time they met the Miami Hurricanes and Clemson Tigers met they looked completely different.
In that 2020 matchup, Miami was ranked No. 7 in the country while Clemson was No. 1. Clemson was led by star quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who today is in his second NFL season with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Canes were led by D'Eriq King, who now finds himself in the XFL. Nevertheless, these teams looked far different.
In Saturday’s matchup, the Tigers will be backed behind an elite level home field advantage which has led them to 39 straight home victories. On top of that, they'll be led out by strong units offensively and defensively.
Junior QB DJ Uiagalelei has had a resurgent season following a disappointing sophomore season. While he has had some great flashes this season, there has been a call at times for freshman signal caller Cade Klubnik to take over the starting job. Outside of their quarterback situation, they've also had tremendous play from running back Will Shipley. Shipley has over 1,000 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns on the season, and could very well find himself in the endzone against Miami.
Myles Murphy is one of college football's most impactful defensive ends.
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Defensively, Clemson continues to put out one of the best defensive lines in all of college football. Myles Murphy has been a force for the Tigers all season, entering this game with 6.5 sacks for the likely first-round prospect. On the interior, Bryan Bresee has been instrumental for this defense as well. While stats don't show it, his dominance on the interior has allowed for players like Murphy to succeed on the outside.
While Miami will have their hands tied with the loaded Tigers roster, this doesn't mean they don't stand a chance. Despite being 19 point underdogs, this team might be able to catch Clemson by the element of surprise.
It would take a fluid game on all sides of the football for Miami. While the status of Tyler Van Dyke remains unknown, the flashes from Jacurri Brown's start at Georgia Tech provides hope if Van Dyke misses another game.
On defense, the Canes will need to limit big plays if they want any chance in this game, especially with the hostile crowd in Clemson. Gaining a couple of turnovers would certainly help as well.
Even with all of their tough losses this season, Clemson will still be the toughest team Miami faces all season. The Canes will need to roll with that momentum from the Georgia Tech victory, if they want to truly compete in this game.
One more win puts Miami into eligibility for a bowl game. Potentially more important, Miami can almost erase their disappointing record this season with an upset in Death Valley. The question is can they perform to the level to do so?
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