What Went Right, Wrong and Expected In Miami's 2OT Thriller Win Over Clemson

No disrespect to Emory Williams, he played a phenomenal game, but it was hard to see Miami putting up a fight in the true freshmen's first start against such a stout defense. However, Williams and Rueben Bain Jr. showed out for Miami's 2023 recruiting class and led the Hurricanes to a 28-20 win. Here are my thoughts on how the game went as Miami prepares for their matchup against the Virginia Cavaliers:

What Went Right: The Defensive Line Pressure

As mentioned previously, Bain was an absolute problem for the Tigers posting two sacks and leading the team in tackles. Leonard Taylor also played a big role, getting in the backfield all night and walking away with two tackles for loss.

Additionally, the defensive line was able to bring enough attention to allow K.J. Cloyd, Francisco Mauigoa and Te'Cory Couch all to get a sack as well. This is the type of defensive line performance Miami needs on a game-to-game basis.

What Went Wrong: The Pass Coverage

The box score doesn't really show the entirety of it, but Miami really burned themselves several times with broken coverage on numerous occasions. Jake Briningstool has himself a day, with longest catch coming on a play where he was wide open down the middle of the field.

It wasn't the only case, but Miami was lucky that their defensive line made up for it. While it's hard to nitpick too much on a game like this, the amount of times Clemson players were wide open was noticeable to me. I'd imagine Miami addresses it during their film review, but the off-ball linebackers and safeties need to keep the middle of the field blanketed.

What Went Expected: The Conservative Game Plan

Once it became confirmed that Williams was going to be the starter, it was obvious the Shannon Dawson was going to tighten the leash on the true freshman.

While he did start to open up the playbook in the second half, Miami favored pounding the rock instead of risking a downfield pass on numerous occasions. I understand that it was the safest option, but I feel Miami could've been a little more aggressive in the first half. Regardless, a win is a win but you could've seen this game plan coming from a mile away.

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