Miami at Clemson: Best Plan for a Hurricanes Victory?
There are multiple reasons that the SI Sportsbook has the Clemson Tigers as a 19.5 favorite over the Miami Hurricanes. Home team, dominant ACC program, ranked all year long, and going against an opponent with a quarterback situation that is somewhat up in the air (we will all see at kickoff, but the youngster getting the start, with Tyler Van Dyke being injured, is a strong possibility).
That said, here is what Miami needs to do to come out of the game with a victory, regardless of which quarterback lines up behind center.
Win the Turnover Battle
This is the straight-forward and obvious point. It still needs to be said. If Miami is behind with turnovers, it’s going to be behind on the scoreboard. Clemson is at home with its raucous crowd, and signal caller Jacurri Brown will be under quite a bit of pressure to perform well as it is.
He does not need to have to lead Miami from behind. That’s a recipe for disaster. On the flip side, the Hurricanes did create turnovers against Georgia Tech. That’s needed once again.
Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei occasionally leaves a pass in harm's way. If that happens against Miami, the Canes must secure that interception opportunity. Even more possible interception dropped could be a huge miss for the Canes.
As a final note to this category, if Miami ends up plus-two in the turnover category and not just plus-one, the chances to come out victorious goes up significantly.
Hit Big Plays
With wide receiver Xavier Restrepo back in the lineup for a third game, look for the Hurricanes to try to get him the football even more this week. He is now back in the groove and could be a candidate for a deep ball. Also, same with Colbie Young as it relates to going over the top.
That does not mean there are no other ways to score quickly. It could be as simple as running back Jaylan Knighton making a defender miss in space and taking it to the house from 75 yards on the opening drive.
Whatever it may be, Miami needs to create chunk-yardage plays against a Clemson defense that’s very talented. Scoring touchdowns from 10-plus play drives is very hard against the Tigers. The Hurricanes must avoid that method whenever they can.
Special Teams Must Excel
The Hurricanes need to win field position. That’s not just because of Brown being at quarterback either. Miami’s offense can run the football better when it is not backed up towards its own goal line, and that also means taking deep shots off of play-action will be easier to accomplish.
Look, Clemson will attempt to make Brown a pass-first quarterback. That’s not a novel concept. Miami must still find a way to be balanced. Part of that equation stems from being in good field position.
If the defense of the Canes can force some short fields, in conjunction with the punt return team blocking a punt and/or producing a good return(s), there’s a chance for Miami to produce more big plays, as noted above.
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