Courtesy of Miami Athletics:
Death Valley hasn’t been particularly kind to the Hurricanes in years past.
In fact, heading into this primetime showdown at Clemson, Miami hadn’t won at Memorial Stadium since 2010, its last two visits in 2020 and 2022 ending in disappointment.
That stretch of frustration ended in rather dominant fashion Saturday night.
The fourth-ranked Hurricanes scored on their first possession and never looked back in what was ultimately a 41-13 win over the Tigers in a crucial ACC game for both teams.
Miami quarterback Darian Mensah, who came into the game as the nation’s leader in completion percentage, delivered another impressive showing, completing 18 of 27 passes and throwing for 227 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another score.
Meanwhile, running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who missed last week’s game against Central Michigan with an injury, returned to the lineup and scored twice, including on a 1-yard run late in the fourth quarter that capped a nine-play, 62-yard drive and virtually iced the game for the Hurricanes (5-0, 3-0 ACC).
Wide receiver Cooper Barkate led Miami with five catches for 98 yards, while wide receiver Malachi Toney had five catches for 40 yards.
The Hurricanes came into Saturday night’s game expecting the environment at Death Valley to be plenty loud – and it was.
But Miami tried to do its best to silence the crowd early.
After forcing a three-and-out on Clemson’s opening possession, the Hurricanes needed just one play to get on the board.
Mensah connected with Barkate on a 61-yard scoring play that gave Miami the quick lead just two minutes into the game.
The Hurricanes added to that lead on their next possession with a 50-yard field goal from Jake Weinberg that capped an adventurous 12-play, 58-yard drive during which Clemson thought it had forced – and recovered – a Miami fumble that it returned for a would-be touchdown.
Officials ruled, though, that Mensah threw an incomplete pass, and the Hurricanes closed out the drive with Weinberg’s long kick that pushed Miami’s lead to 10-0.
Clemson answered on its next drive with a long field goal of its own.
The Tigers drove into Miami territory, but on 3rd-and-3, Keona Davis pressured Clemson quarterback Tait Reynolds, forcing an incompletion and the Tigers settled for a 48-yard field goal from Nolan Hauser just before the first quarter ended.
Mensah and the Hurricanes – the nation’s top performing offense – delivered again.
This time, the quarterback scrambled for a 34-yard touchdown run that ended when Mensah fumbled but recovered the ball in the end zone.
After another Hauser field goal just before halftime cut Miami’s lead to 17-6, the Hurricanes pushed their lead again in the third quarter after Fletcher’s first touchdown of the night, a 2-yard rush that capped a 14-play, 83-yard drive that took 7:58 off the clock.
In the fourth quarter, Weinberg added another field goal – this one from 24 yards out – and Fletcher scored again.
Miami’s defense totaled six sacks and nine tackles for loss in the win, with Damon Wilson II delivering 2.5 of those sacks, along with three tackles. Omar Thornton, meanwhile, added seven tackles and a sack, while Ahmad Moten forced a fumble.
The defense also added a score in the game’s final minutes when JJ Dunniganintercepted Reynolds and returned it for a 39-yard touchdown.
Death Valley hasn’t been particularly kind to the Hurricanes in years past.
In fact, heading into this primetime showdown at Clemson, Miami hadn’t won at Memorial Stadium since 2010, its last two visits in 2020 and 2022 ending in disappointment.
That stretch of frustration ended in rather dominant fashion Saturday night.
The fourth-ranked Hurricanes scored on their first possession and never looked back in what was ultimately a 41-13 win over the Tigers in a crucial ACC game for both teams.
Miami quarterback Darian Mensah, who came into the game as the nation’s leader in completion percentage, delivered another impressive showing, completing 18 of 27 passes and throwing for 227 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another score.
Meanwhile, running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who missed last week’s game against Central Michigan with an injury, returned to the lineup and scored twice, including on a 1-yard run late in the fourth quarter that capped a nine-play, 62-yard drive and virtually iced the game for the Hurricanes (5-0, 3-0 ACC).
Wide receiver Cooper Barkate led Miami with five catches for 98 yards, while wide receiver Malachi Toney had five catches for 40 yards.
The Hurricanes came into Saturday night’s game expecting the environment at Death Valley to be plenty loud – and it was.
But Miami tried to do its best to silence the crowd early.
After forcing a three-and-out on Clemson’s opening possession, the Hurricanes needed just one play to get on the board.
Mensah connected with Barkate on a 61-yard scoring play that gave Miami the quick lead just two minutes into the game.
The Hurricanes added to that lead on their next possession with a 50-yard field goal from Jake Weinberg that capped an adventurous 12-play, 58-yard drive during which Clemson thought it had forced – and recovered – a Miami fumble that it returned for a would-be touchdown.
Officials ruled, though, that Mensah threw an incomplete pass, and the Hurricanes closed out the drive with Weinberg’s long kick that pushed Miami’s lead to 10-0.
Clemson answered on its next drive with a long field goal of its own.
The Tigers drove into Miami territory, but on 3rd-and-3, Keona Davis pressured Clemson quarterback Tait Reynolds, forcing an incompletion and the Tigers settled for a 48-yard field goal from Nolan Hauser just before the first quarter ended.
Mensah and the Hurricanes – the nation’s top performing offense – delivered again.
This time, the quarterback scrambled for a 34-yard touchdown run that ended when Mensah fumbled but recovered the ball in the end zone.
After another Hauser field goal just before halftime cut Miami’s lead to 17-6, the Hurricanes pushed their lead again in the third quarter after Fletcher’s first touchdown of the night, a 2-yard rush that capped a 14-play, 83-yard drive that took 7:58 off the clock.
In the fourth quarter, Weinberg added another field goal – this one from 24 yards out – and Fletcher scored again.
Miami’s defense totaled six sacks and nine tackles for loss in the win, with Damon Wilson II delivering 2.5 of those sacks, along with three tackles. Omar Thornton, meanwhile, added seven tackles and a sack, while Ahmad Moten forced a fumble.
The defense also added a score in the game’s final minutes when JJ Dunniganintercepted Reynolds and returned it for a 39-yard touchdown.
