Yeah, it wasn't exactly an artistic masterpiece, and perhaps it wont go down among the greatest wins in program history. But the 28-20 double overtime victory over the Clemson Tigers at the Hard Rock was much needed. Both by the Miami Hurricanes, and Mario Cristobal, who had been in a malaise since the late game meltdown versus Georgia Tech, and then the second half break downs versus North Carolina last week.
And they did it without Tyler Van Dyke but with true freshman, Emory Williams. There should be no downplaying the magnitude of this victory given where this program is currently. This is a big one.
Miami is now 5-2 on the season.
And they have finally won a home ACC contest under Cristobal.
Now that may not seem like that big of a deal but keep this in perspective, at this time last season Miami was 3-4 and had gotten drilled by Duke at home by the score of 45-21. Yeah, it's progress, and for now, it absolutely means something. So much about rebuilding a program and recruiting is about momentum, which is measured in weekly wins(or losses). Just a few weeks ago, there was great feeling about what was taking place on the field, which was leading to recruiting wins. Now, a couple of weeks later, there was an uneasy atmosphere permeating about this upcoming class falling apart should this season spiral. That's modern day football in the age of social media. Euphoria or panic sets in on a day to day basis.
After jumping ahead 7-0 on a Brashard Smith 80 burst, that Jacolby George recovered in the end zone, the Miami offense bogged down the next couple of quarters and eventually the Hurricanes found themselves down 17-7 into the fourth quarter. But they battled back to tie the ball game late in the fourth quarter and then found way to win it.
This was a gut check win for the program. After finding ways to lose the past two weeks, they found a way to win under difficult circumstances on Saturday night. We should all enjoy it, this is part of the rebuilding process for coach Cristobal. GaTech and UNC were two huge steps backward, while beating Clemson -- and yeah, even this version -- is a significant step forward.
And you know what they say about winning -- it beats losing.
-- Miami finally turned the tide against Clemson. Since their last victory over the Tigers in 2010 ( a 30-21 win in Death Valley spearheaded by Jacory Harris and Leonard Hankerson), they had dominated this series. In 2015 they blew out Miami and Al Golden by a score of 58-0, then in the 2017 ACC Championship Game, 38-3, in 2020 they handled Miami 42-17, and last year Clemson stifled Miami, 40-10 (in a game where Miami didn't even get 100 yards of total offense).
If Miami wants to be a player in the ACC, these are the programs you have to beat.
- Emory Williams got the start, and for the most part Shannon Dawson kept it very safe and conservative for him. They called an inordinate amount of wide receiver screens. His box score read 24-for-31 and just 155 yards. But perhaps this was the prudent game plan given that not only is this an inexperienced player, he was facing a defense that has NFL talent on all three levels. The staff had a tough task, protect Williamsm, but at the same time not ask too much of a player who simply may not be ready for a game plan full of vertical shots.
But for the most part, Williams did a nice job of doing what's asked, protecting the ball (just one turnover) and keeping Miami in the ball game. This experience will prove invaluable.
- Rueben Bain just keeps getting better and better. He is becoming a dominant force upfront. On Saturday night he had eight tackles (three solo) with two sacks. I'm sure his play has been discussed ad naseum on this forum, not much more needs to be said. In my view he's the best true freshman Miami has had since Duke Johnson in 2012, and the most dominant defensive lineman at UM since Jaelen Phillips. He just looks like a three-and-out guy.
- Stats don't always tell the whole story, but as you look at the numbers, in many ways this contest was very even -- but Miami had some key advantages in certain areas. . Clemson had 19 first downs, 18 for Miami. Clemson had 345 total yards, to 362 for Miami. But what I found interesting was that the Hurricanes out-rushed Clemon 211 to 31. Which was done without the threat of a real consistent passing game. Also, Miami held the ball for 37:30, compared to 22:30 for Clemson.
- Now onto Virginia, and this is a test for the program. After this emotional win, can they come back and take care of business at home versus a team that they are favored against?
And they did it without Tyler Van Dyke but with true freshman, Emory Williams. There should be no downplaying the magnitude of this victory given where this program is currently. This is a big one.
Miami is now 5-2 on the season.
And they have finally won a home ACC contest under Cristobal.
Now that may not seem like that big of a deal but keep this in perspective, at this time last season Miami was 3-4 and had gotten drilled by Duke at home by the score of 45-21. Yeah, it's progress, and for now, it absolutely means something. So much about rebuilding a program and recruiting is about momentum, which is measured in weekly wins(or losses). Just a few weeks ago, there was great feeling about what was taking place on the field, which was leading to recruiting wins. Now, a couple of weeks later, there was an uneasy atmosphere permeating about this upcoming class falling apart should this season spiral. That's modern day football in the age of social media. Euphoria or panic sets in on a day to day basis.
After jumping ahead 7-0 on a Brashard Smith 80 burst, that Jacolby George recovered in the end zone, the Miami offense bogged down the next couple of quarters and eventually the Hurricanes found themselves down 17-7 into the fourth quarter. But they battled back to tie the ball game late in the fourth quarter and then found way to win it.
This was a gut check win for the program. After finding ways to lose the past two weeks, they found a way to win under difficult circumstances on Saturday night. We should all enjoy it, this is part of the rebuilding process for coach Cristobal. GaTech and UNC were two huge steps backward, while beating Clemson -- and yeah, even this version -- is a significant step forward.
And you know what they say about winning -- it beats losing.
-- Miami finally turned the tide against Clemson. Since their last victory over the Tigers in 2010 ( a 30-21 win in Death Valley spearheaded by Jacory Harris and Leonard Hankerson), they had dominated this series. In 2015 they blew out Miami and Al Golden by a score of 58-0, then in the 2017 ACC Championship Game, 38-3, in 2020 they handled Miami 42-17, and last year Clemson stifled Miami, 40-10 (in a game where Miami didn't even get 100 yards of total offense).
If Miami wants to be a player in the ACC, these are the programs you have to beat.
- Emory Williams got the start, and for the most part Shannon Dawson kept it very safe and conservative for him. They called an inordinate amount of wide receiver screens. His box score read 24-for-31 and just 155 yards. But perhaps this was the prudent game plan given that not only is this an inexperienced player, he was facing a defense that has NFL talent on all three levels. The staff had a tough task, protect Williamsm, but at the same time not ask too much of a player who simply may not be ready for a game plan full of vertical shots.
But for the most part, Williams did a nice job of doing what's asked, protecting the ball (just one turnover) and keeping Miami in the ball game. This experience will prove invaluable.
- Rueben Bain just keeps getting better and better. He is becoming a dominant force upfront. On Saturday night he had eight tackles (three solo) with two sacks. I'm sure his play has been discussed ad naseum on this forum, not much more needs to be said. In my view he's the best true freshman Miami has had since Duke Johnson in 2012, and the most dominant defensive lineman at UM since Jaelen Phillips. He just looks like a three-and-out guy.
- Stats don't always tell the whole story, but as you look at the numbers, in many ways this contest was very even -- but Miami had some key advantages in certain areas. . Clemson had 19 first downs, 18 for Miami. Clemson had 345 total yards, to 362 for Miami. But what I found interesting was that the Hurricanes out-rushed Clemon 211 to 31. Which was done without the threat of a real consistent passing game. Also, Miami held the ball for 37:30, compared to 22:30 for Clemson.
- Now onto Virginia, and this is a test for the program. After this emotional win, can they come back and take care of business at home versus a team that they are favored against?
