Is Clemson Prepared for the Hurricanes?
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Is Clemson prepared for the Hurricanes? The Tigers will have their biggest test of the year with Miami pulling into Tigertown Saturday night. The Hurricanes were in the National Championship game last season, yet many people believe this year’s team is even better. So far, that looks to be true as Mario Cristobal’s squad is sitting at 4-0 and the fourth-ranked team in the most recent AP poll.
Miami is a team with its eyes set on winning championships while Clemson continues to find ways to just stay alive. So, it is no surprise who the favorite is going into the weekend. Dabo Swinney and his 2026 group have one more chance to shake up the college football landscape if they are prepared to weather the storm from the Hurricanes.
Is Clemson Prepared for the Hurricanes?
Matchup History
This will be the 15th meeting between Clemson and Miami. The first-ever matchup between these programs took place in 1945, which Miami won 7-6. This year’s game will serve as a tiebreaker for the first 14 meetings, as the series is split 7-7.
The Hurricanes won the last matchup with the Tigers 28-20 in 2023. That game took place in Miami. This season, the game will be in Clemson, South Carolina. The last time these teams met in Memorial Stadium was in 2022, and the Tigers won 40-20. Clemson will be looking for ways to replicate that performance at home against a much-improved Hurricanes program.
Slowing Down the Explosive Offense
If Clemson wants a chance to pull off the upset at home, it starts with slowing down the explosive offense of Miami. The Hurricanes average 51.8 points per game, as well as 588.8 total yards per game. They lead the ACC in both categories.
Quarterback Darian Mensah himself leads the conference, as well as all of FBS, in completion percentage and touchdown passes. Mensah has completed 88.7% of his passes for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns. He’s thrown no interceptions while averaging 302.8 passing yards per game. The Tigers are very familiar with Mensah after he threw for 361 yards and four touchdowns against them last season in a Duke uniform.
His top target from last season, Cooper Barkate, had six receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown on the Clemson defense. Barkate is Mensah’s second-leading receiver at Miami this year, with 14 receptions for 143 yards. Mensah’s number one receiver this season is who many believe to be the best in the conference, Malachi Toney. In four games, Toney has already racked up 34 receptions for 564 yards and six touchdowns.
If Clemson wants a chance to win the game Saturday night, the defense can’t let this group make explosive plays. The Tigers’ defensive backs have been very impressive to start the 2026 season. They will have their toughest task of the year trying to cover this wide receiver corps out of South Florida. If they can keep Toney and Barkate from taking over the game, it’ll allow Tom Allen to dial up the pressure to get after Mensah. It also enables the whole front seven to hyper-focus on slowing down Miami’s efficient ground attack.
Finding Ways to Move the Ball
Offensively, Clemson will need to find ways to move the ball. That will not be easy against the Hurricanes, who have the second-best total defense in the FBS entering week five.
The Tigers seemed to have finally found something in the run game after rushing for a combined 441 yards against North Carolina and Cal. Running back Gideon Davidson has posted 100+ yards on the ground in the last two outings. He had 159 yards and two touchdowns on the West Coast last week against the Golden Bears. Chad Morris’ goal was to establish the run game this season, and he’s doing that. It’s something they will want to continue doing against Miami, but it will be difficult. The Hurricanes, on average, are giving up just 39.5 rushing yards per game.
What the Tigers will likely have to lean on, which quarterback Tait Reynolds has actually managed best, is the short passing game. Reynolds will have to do a bit of dinking and dumping in order to move the ball and keep the Miami offense on the sideline. Expect to see plenty of screens, slants, hitches, crossers, and comebacks to keep getting the offense to sticks.
It’s not going to look very pretty once again. However, if the offense can protect the ball and fight for every inch, it could put some pressure on the Hurricanes as the game wears on. If Clemson can keep the game close going into the fourth, it’ll give itself a chance to pull off the upset.
Main Image: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
Related Content:
Arkansas Has a Huge Task This Weekend
Will the Players-Only Meeting Help Penn State?
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos