The Miami Hurricanes were overwhelmed in a 42-17 loss to Clemson on Saturday night in a battle of top 10 teams.
The Miami Hurricanes were dominated in the trenches, had an anemic offense for most of the night, too many penalties and Clemson dominance on third down on offense and defense all led to a 42-17 loss. In a measuring stick game, Miami learned they have a long way to go before they can complete with Clemson.
D’Eriq King and the highly praised Rhett Lashlee offense felt flat in a game that the Clemson defensive line completely dominated Miami. The Miami Hurricanes offense was practically non-existent. Clemson finished with a 550-210 advantage in total yards. The game was not as close as the final score.
Miami had 98 of its 210 yards on two plays. King had a 56 yard run in the first half and a 42-yard completion to Keyshawn Smith in the second half. A D.J. Ivey 48-yard return off of a blocked field goal by defensive tackle Jared Harrison-Hunte allowed Miami to go into the half trailing 21-10.
Clemson completely dominated the line of scrimmage. The Miami running backs were barely used and Clemson had four sacks for a loss of 24 yards. Other than scrambles by King, Miami had no running game. King finished with 14 carries for 84 yards and a late TD off a scramble on fourth down late in the game.
Too many mistakes doomed Miami. The Hurricanes committed 15 penalties for 135 yards, threw three interceptions and were not able to create any explosive plays for touchdowns. Running back Cam Harris who entered the game averaging 103.67 yards per game and finished with eight carries for three-yards.
King had his worst game in a Miami uniform. The Houston transfer was 12-28 passing for 121 yards without a TD and his first two interceptions. King ran 14 times for 84 yards and a TD. Clemson was led as expected by QB Trevor Lawrence and RB Travis Etienne. Lawerence was 29/41 for 292 yards and three TDs.
Lawrence added eight carries for 34 yards and a TD. Etienne was bottled up during the first half running the football, but a 72-yard TD run in third quarter allowed him to finish with 17 carries for 149 yards and the TD and added eight receptions for 73 yards. Miami drops to 3-1 with the win and is still very much in the ACC race.
The Hurricanes will return home to play Pittsburgh who has lost their last two games. Miami will face another tough defense against the Panthers. The Hurricanes have to be more disciplined and get back to where the offense was in their first three wins of the season. There is still a lot left for Miami to accomplish this season.