Former Clemson offensive lineman and ACC Network analyst Eric Mac Lain joined DMoney and Mike Ryan ahead of Saturday night in Death Valley.
While he showed up with the 58-0 scoreboard behind him, Mac Lain was very candid on Miami's prospects in this game and detailed where each side could get an edge.
Here's some of the highlights from the show:
Mike Ryan: We have forgiven you for your sins from the last Florida State game, but now we've got a different kind of bias entering the room. Now we're going against your alma mater, and it seems like Clemson has figured out its identity. They're going to win ugly and they're fine with that. Season on the line here, Mac. I bet you've convinced yourself the Tigers are going to pull this off. Let's hear it.
Eric Mac Lain: Why not us? That's what everybody in that locker room is going to be saying. First of all, the spread is ridiculous to me. That's a big number.
I don't think there's any question Miami is one of the best teams in the country, and the only reservation I have in saying the best is the injuries that have added up. That's real. You see Lane Kiffin crying about it every day, and injuries matter more than ever.
A lot of people are saying Mensah went in there last year with Duke and won. Let me tell you about that.
Clemson fans were checked out, Clemson players were checked out, this is a whole other monster in a night game because Clemson has found some life and an identity. A lot of people thought Cal could be a tripping point, and they still got it done.
They've done it with really good pass defense. That's been elite since Week 1, getting their hands on the football. Ashton Hampton is incredible. He's freaky. Elliot Washington II is emerging as another great corner. And the defensive line had its best game against Cal. Finally someone other than Will Heldt got pressure, got a sack, caused chaos. There's real juice the fans are going to bring Saturday night.
DMoney: EMac, I'm struggling to figure Clemson out. I watched all their games preparing for this week, and it's nice to prepare for a real opponent. I can't figure them out in two areas: running the ball and stopping the run.
Against LSU it was a bloodbath on both sides. The first half against North Carolina was one-sided. Then the second half changes, you get the weather delay, and against Cal they dominated late running the ball. Who is Clemson when it comes to running and stopping the run, and how do they match up with Miami?
Eric Mac Lain: You laid it out pretty well. That second half is when it changed, and it was a little before the weather delay. I'm as shocked as you are. In the first half against North Carolina we were giving up sacks and TFLs left and right. Then the second half happens and the Dallas Cowboys offensive line walks out. We hadn't seen that in three games. The question was whether they'd build on it, and the answer was yes. They ran it very effectively at Cal, on the road, on the West Coast.
Can you do it against the best defensive line you've faced? I think interior-wise, North Carolina had the best tackles they've played, but now you're combining the ends and the tackles.
Ahmad Moten Sr. is as talented as anybody, but he's been dealing with an injury. Justin Scott is just as dynamic, and the edge players are playing really well. Damon Wilson II, it's time. It's time for you to be the guy we all thought you were.
What Clemson has going for it is Gideon Davidson figuring it out. He's patient and he doesn't hyper-react. Mark Fletcher Jr. does this well. Nate Sheppard does it. Isaac Brown at Louisville does it. If it's inside zone right, they stay right on that track until the safety and linebacker start to scrape, and then they cut it. Some guys see a hole and go right away, and the defense can react.
Stopping the run has been the issue, and that's something we've never faced. Clemson is a defensive line factory, with linebackers who enjoy hitting people. It's been a bit of an epidemic. I don't know if this is the game where it all clicks, because Miami is loaded at running back. But when you play an offense this good, you have to limit something. I don't say stop. I say limit. And most of the time, people try to limit the run.
Mike Ryan: Miami has to be gap-responsible against Clemson, not you guys expected this year, but a hallmark of a good staff is realizing what you don't have. And a guy like Bryant Wesco Jr. has the talent to be the leading receiver in this conference, and he's impacting the game by blocking on those outside runs. This team hasn't quit on Dabo. What say you?
Eric Mac Lain: I don't doubt any of that. Elite coaches adjust. What we wanted was to run the ball and take shots.
That's the offense I played in with Chad Morris. Right now, Tait Reynolds can't make those throws. He's throwing a bunch of picks when he goes downfield. That's frustrating, because typically a younger quarterback, one who isn't elite like Darian Mensah, is good at the short stuff and good at the deep stuff. He hasn't been. He actually does the intermediate game fairly well, which is confusing. And he can run the **** out of power.
That has to improve for Clemson to hang. If I'm Corey Hetherman, I'm putting eight in that box and saying, please show me you can throw the football, because I don't think you can. I'm trusting my guys one-on-one, because I don't think he can get them the ball. That's the mentality, based on the film and where Clemson is right now.
The frustrating part is he has the guys around him. Wesco, TJ Moore and Tyler Brown are elite. The tight ends are elite. We've seen flashes, not consistency. I've gotten past the "what could have been" with a portal quarterback.
You didn't have to spend four, five, six million dollars. Just a guy with experience. Now it's about how this freshman improves, and he has, every week. This is by far the biggest challenge he's seen as a starter.
DMoney: The first thing I texted you yesterday was that I hated this spread. When you look at the analytics breakdown, Miami is way ahead in success rate and explosive play differential, but the quality of opponents has been different. And one thing you hit on is Clemson's corners, Elliot Washington II and Ashton Hampton. I posted this morning that Cooper Barkate and Vandrevius Jacobs both had big days against Clemson last year.
If I'm Clemson, I'm making them prove they can do it again, at night, against these corners. How are you approaching Miami's receiving corps and Malachi Toney?
Eric Mac Lain: It's a good reminder of how bad Clemson's secondary was last year. They were one of the worst in the country. So you make a coaching change, bring in a new safeties coach, and go get four or five DBs in the portal. That's been a huge success, and I hope Clemson sees that as a tool worth using more. Corey Myrick is leading the team in tackles. Jerome Carter III is second or third. That's why you bring them in.
Then you have your elite player in Ashton Hampton. I think he's a top-15 pick, and if he runs better than I think, maybe top 10.
He's the perfect corner. He's huge, he's physical, he wants to be the shutdown guy and carry that for his team, and he gets his hands on the football. Now add Elliot Washington II, who's been even more of a ball hawk. In the Cal game he was literally running the route for the receiver. It looked inverted, like he was the receiver, the way he positioned his body and went up for it. He's playing his way into being a really nice draft pick.
Mike Ryan: I was shocked when the line came out too. I thought it would be 12.5 or 13.5, and it's 17. But I think you're getting divine intervention again. It's supposed to rain all day Saturday, and the recipe is right there. Make it a game in the second half. Clemson has the patience to stick with two yards and a cloud of dust. Hold the ball, let the weather limit the explosives, be within a score at halftime or better, and let the crowd take over.
This Miami team hasn't faced that. It's a line of scrimmage game, and when you look at the composite talent rankings, not much separates these teams.
Eric Mac Lain: I agree, and Miami is a great team. They're loaded. Saturday night is another test of how good you want to be and how much you can flex your muscles. Like I said, I think Darian Mensah is the best in the country, and he'll have the opportunity to show it Saturday night.
So how do you do it? You run the ball and keep it away from Dawson and Mensah. Make them frustrated, so when they get it back they feel like they have to score right now. That pressure is real for any coordinator who's used to being in a track meet. Mensah is the best quarterback in the country. Mali, I think, is the best player in the country. That's not a great combo to face.
But if we nitpick and look for a weakness, I think it's Miami's guards. I don't want to say disappointing yet, but that's where I'd look on film for something to pressure and confuse. You put a young freshman in there, in that environment, against those guys, and mistakes can happen. Is it a double A-gap mug that makes them choose? Is it stunts? Is it putting Will Heldt at the three-technique and letting him go one-on-one with a guard? I think Clemson gets creative with pressure. Mensah hasn't faced it this year, but at Duke, his worst games were the ones where he got hit a bunch. Can Clemson simulate that? And does the weather make it a weird game?
This is either a 20-17 game or Miami blows them out. I don't think there's an in-between.
Mac Lain will be working the ACC Huddle in Clemson and says he turns into full fan mode at 4 p.m. We'll be out there too. Catch the full conversation on the CanesInsight YouTube channel, subscribe, and turn on notifications, because Clemson week is just getting started.
While he showed up with the 58-0 scoreboard behind him, Mac Lain was very candid on Miami's prospects in this game and detailed where each side could get an edge.
Here's some of the highlights from the show:
Mike Ryan: We have forgiven you for your sins from the last Florida State game, but now we've got a different kind of bias entering the room. Now we're going against your alma mater, and it seems like Clemson has figured out its identity. They're going to win ugly and they're fine with that. Season on the line here, Mac. I bet you've convinced yourself the Tigers are going to pull this off. Let's hear it.
Eric Mac Lain: Why not us? That's what everybody in that locker room is going to be saying. First of all, the spread is ridiculous to me. That's a big number.
I don't think there's any question Miami is one of the best teams in the country, and the only reservation I have in saying the best is the injuries that have added up. That's real. You see Lane Kiffin crying about it every day, and injuries matter more than ever.
A lot of people are saying Mensah went in there last year with Duke and won. Let me tell you about that.
Clemson fans were checked out, Clemson players were checked out, this is a whole other monster in a night game because Clemson has found some life and an identity. A lot of people thought Cal could be a tripping point, and they still got it done.
They've done it with really good pass defense. That's been elite since Week 1, getting their hands on the football. Ashton Hampton is incredible. He's freaky. Elliot Washington II is emerging as another great corner. And the defensive line had its best game against Cal. Finally someone other than Will Heldt got pressure, got a sack, caused chaos. There's real juice the fans are going to bring Saturday night.
DMoney: EMac, I'm struggling to figure Clemson out. I watched all their games preparing for this week, and it's nice to prepare for a real opponent. I can't figure them out in two areas: running the ball and stopping the run.
Against LSU it was a bloodbath on both sides. The first half against North Carolina was one-sided. Then the second half changes, you get the weather delay, and against Cal they dominated late running the ball. Who is Clemson when it comes to running and stopping the run, and how do they match up with Miami?
Eric Mac Lain: You laid it out pretty well. That second half is when it changed, and it was a little before the weather delay. I'm as shocked as you are. In the first half against North Carolina we were giving up sacks and TFLs left and right. Then the second half happens and the Dallas Cowboys offensive line walks out. We hadn't seen that in three games. The question was whether they'd build on it, and the answer was yes. They ran it very effectively at Cal, on the road, on the West Coast.
Can you do it against the best defensive line you've faced? I think interior-wise, North Carolina had the best tackles they've played, but now you're combining the ends and the tackles.
Ahmad Moten Sr. is as talented as anybody, but he's been dealing with an injury. Justin Scott is just as dynamic, and the edge players are playing really well. Damon Wilson II, it's time. It's time for you to be the guy we all thought you were.
What Clemson has going for it is Gideon Davidson figuring it out. He's patient and he doesn't hyper-react. Mark Fletcher Jr. does this well. Nate Sheppard does it. Isaac Brown at Louisville does it. If it's inside zone right, they stay right on that track until the safety and linebacker start to scrape, and then they cut it. Some guys see a hole and go right away, and the defense can react.
Stopping the run has been the issue, and that's something we've never faced. Clemson is a defensive line factory, with linebackers who enjoy hitting people. It's been a bit of an epidemic. I don't know if this is the game where it all clicks, because Miami is loaded at running back. But when you play an offense this good, you have to limit something. I don't say stop. I say limit. And most of the time, people try to limit the run.
Mike Ryan: Miami has to be gap-responsible against Clemson, not you guys expected this year, but a hallmark of a good staff is realizing what you don't have. And a guy like Bryant Wesco Jr. has the talent to be the leading receiver in this conference, and he's impacting the game by blocking on those outside runs. This team hasn't quit on Dabo. What say you?
Eric Mac Lain: I don't doubt any of that. Elite coaches adjust. What we wanted was to run the ball and take shots.
That's the offense I played in with Chad Morris. Right now, Tait Reynolds can't make those throws. He's throwing a bunch of picks when he goes downfield. That's frustrating, because typically a younger quarterback, one who isn't elite like Darian Mensah, is good at the short stuff and good at the deep stuff. He hasn't been. He actually does the intermediate game fairly well, which is confusing. And he can run the **** out of power.
That has to improve for Clemson to hang. If I'm Corey Hetherman, I'm putting eight in that box and saying, please show me you can throw the football, because I don't think you can. I'm trusting my guys one-on-one, because I don't think he can get them the ball. That's the mentality, based on the film and where Clemson is right now.
The frustrating part is he has the guys around him. Wesco, TJ Moore and Tyler Brown are elite. The tight ends are elite. We've seen flashes, not consistency. I've gotten past the "what could have been" with a portal quarterback.
You didn't have to spend four, five, six million dollars. Just a guy with experience. Now it's about how this freshman improves, and he has, every week. This is by far the biggest challenge he's seen as a starter.
DMoney: The first thing I texted you yesterday was that I hated this spread. When you look at the analytics breakdown, Miami is way ahead in success rate and explosive play differential, but the quality of opponents has been different. And one thing you hit on is Clemson's corners, Elliot Washington II and Ashton Hampton. I posted this morning that Cooper Barkate and Vandrevius Jacobs both had big days against Clemson last year.
If I'm Clemson, I'm making them prove they can do it again, at night, against these corners. How are you approaching Miami's receiving corps and Malachi Toney?
Eric Mac Lain: It's a good reminder of how bad Clemson's secondary was last year. They were one of the worst in the country. So you make a coaching change, bring in a new safeties coach, and go get four or five DBs in the portal. That's been a huge success, and I hope Clemson sees that as a tool worth using more. Corey Myrick is leading the team in tackles. Jerome Carter III is second or third. That's why you bring them in.
Then you have your elite player in Ashton Hampton. I think he's a top-15 pick, and if he runs better than I think, maybe top 10.
He's the perfect corner. He's huge, he's physical, he wants to be the shutdown guy and carry that for his team, and he gets his hands on the football. Now add Elliot Washington II, who's been even more of a ball hawk. In the Cal game he was literally running the route for the receiver. It looked inverted, like he was the receiver, the way he positioned his body and went up for it. He's playing his way into being a really nice draft pick.
Mike Ryan: I was shocked when the line came out too. I thought it would be 12.5 or 13.5, and it's 17. But I think you're getting divine intervention again. It's supposed to rain all day Saturday, and the recipe is right there. Make it a game in the second half. Clemson has the patience to stick with two yards and a cloud of dust. Hold the ball, let the weather limit the explosives, be within a score at halftime or better, and let the crowd take over.
This Miami team hasn't faced that. It's a line of scrimmage game, and when you look at the composite talent rankings, not much separates these teams.
Eric Mac Lain: I agree, and Miami is a great team. They're loaded. Saturday night is another test of how good you want to be and how much you can flex your muscles. Like I said, I think Darian Mensah is the best in the country, and he'll have the opportunity to show it Saturday night.
So how do you do it? You run the ball and keep it away from Dawson and Mensah. Make them frustrated, so when they get it back they feel like they have to score right now. That pressure is real for any coordinator who's used to being in a track meet. Mensah is the best quarterback in the country. Mali, I think, is the best player in the country. That's not a great combo to face.
But if we nitpick and look for a weakness, I think it's Miami's guards. I don't want to say disappointing yet, but that's where I'd look on film for something to pressure and confuse. You put a young freshman in there, in that environment, against those guys, and mistakes can happen. Is it a double A-gap mug that makes them choose? Is it stunts? Is it putting Will Heldt at the three-technique and letting him go one-on-one with a guard? I think Clemson gets creative with pressure. Mensah hasn't faced it this year, but at Duke, his worst games were the ones where he got hit a bunch. Can Clemson simulate that? And does the weather make it a weird game?
This is either a 20-17 game or Miami blows them out. I don't think there's an in-between.
Mac Lain will be working the ACC Huddle in Clemson and says he turns into full fan mode at 4 p.m. We'll be out there too. Catch the full conversation on the CanesInsight YouTube channel, subscribe, and turn on notifications, because Clemson week is just getting started.
