‘That Quarterback, He Might Be the First Pick in the NFL Draft’ — Dabo Swinney on Darian Mensah After Miami’s 41-13 Rout of Clemson
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Quarterback Darian Mensah threw a 61-yard touchdown pass and ran 34 yards for another score, and No. 4 Miami beat Clemson 41-13 on Saturday night for its first win at Memorial Stadium since 2010.
The Hurricanes (5-0, 3-0 ACC) sacked freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds six times, held Clemson (3-2, 2-1) to 55 rushing yards on 31 carries and got two touchdown runs from running back Mark Fletcher Jr. Freshman defensive back JJ Dunnigan closed the scoring with a 39-yard interception return with 1:49 left.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, who said the score was not indicative of how his team competed and that the Tigers missed opportunities, still credited Miami. “They made the plays and we didn’t,” Swinney said. “They were the better team.”
“I’ll say first and foremost that we went 1-0,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “Second of all, we were able to overcome a lot of injuries and play to a high standard.”
Dabo Swinney Says Clemson Missed Chances Against Miami
Clemson lost to LSU by 41 points in Week 1, and Saturday’s defeat was the fourth-worst loss of Swinney’s tenure, according to The Associated Press.
Chapel Fowler, a Clemson beat writer for The State, asked Swinney whether there is a gap between Clemson and teams like LSU and Miami given “how lopsided both of scores have been.” Swinney didn’t engage with the premise. “It is what it is. We’ve just gotta win the next game. That’s really all that matters right now,” he said.
Swinney pointed instead to two sequences. Before halftime, Clemson jumped offside on third-and-1 near the goal line and settled for a field goal that made it 17-6. On its first possession of the third quarter, Clemson was stopped on fourth-and-1 in the red zone. Swinney said scoring in both spots would have tied the game 17-17 and made it a different game.
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Replying to Fowler, one college football fan wrote that Swinney “did answer,” reading the response as an acknowledgment that a gap exists and blaming the roster.
A CBS Sports column said the win cements Miami’s standing as the ACC’s new top program and called it a referendum on Clemson’s approach to roster building.
Swinney also praised Mensah and the Hurricanes. “They are a really, really good football team,” he said. “That quarterback, he might be the first pick in the NFL draft, and he is surrounded by some really good players.” He added that he thinks Miami could win it all. Asked whether Clemson can still contend for the ACC title, Swinney said, “Absolutely. Absolutely. We were 3-1 coming in, we’ve lost to two really good teams, but we’re still progressing.”
Mario Cristobal, Darian Mensah Lead Miami to 5-0 Start
Miami lost 40-10 at Clemson in 2022, Cristobal’s first season. He said that trip came “when we had just got to Miami, with a roster that wasn’t what it was supposed to be, and we got our faces kicked in.”
Jordan McPherson, who covers the Hurricanes for the Miami Herald, wrote on X that Miami has gone “from getting their ‘faces kicked in’ in 2022 at Clemson to looking like legitimate championship contenders.”
Miami scored less than two minutes in, when Mensah hit wide receiver Cooper Barkate on a screen that went 61 yards. “Really, the o-line is what it was,” Barkate said. “It parted the Red Sea for me.” Barkate finished with five catches for 98 yards, and Mensah completed 18 of 27 passes for 227 yards.
Damon Wilson II had 2.5 of Miami’s six sacks, and Cristobal said that “the more we hit him, the more it affected him.” Reynolds completed 29 of 44 passes for 295 yards, all career highs, but Clemson was flagged 10 times for 91 yards. “Maybe I need to get the ball out a little quicker and hit my reads a little earlier,” Reynolds said.
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Ball Coach, a Clemson alum and high school coordinator who breaks down All-22 film on X, wrote that he was “proud of Tait,” adding, “Running game was a bit of a disaster.”
Running back Gideon Davidson’s 2-yard run with 12:09 left pulled Clemson within 27-13, the first rushing touchdown Miami had allowed this season. Fletcher, who missed Miami’s previous game with an injury, answered with a 1-yard run that capped a nine-play, 62-yard drive.
Dunnigan then returned the first interception of his career for a touchdown. “JJ was banged up coming into this week, runs out there, 10 men on the field, gets out there right in time, covers the guy, returns it for a touchdown,” Cristobal said.
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An illegal shift also wiped out a long touchdown pass to wide receiver Malachi Toney. “It’s a huge win and I don’t want to try to focus on the negative things, but to be honest, we left 14 points on the board offensively, which just makes me pretty sick,” Mensah said.
Edge rusher Marquise Lightfoot left during the game and did not return. “We won’t know until Tuesday, Wednesday, something like that,” Cristobal said of his status.
Miami stayed No. 4 in the AP Top 25 released Sunday, with two first-place votes. Both teams are off next weekend. Miami hosts Florida State on Oct. 17, and Clemson hosts Charleston Southern the same day.
“We’re only in Game Five, right? The tough road is ahead,” Cristobal said. “We’re honored to be here tonight, awesome with the win. Let’s get healed up. Let’s get to work.”
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
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