Tigers blow Hurricanes out of Death Valley |
CLEMSON – Clemson did what it needed to do against Miami Saturday.
No. 9 Clemson was impressive early on both offense and defense and then survived a lackluster offensive performance for much of the second half on its way to a 40-10 victory over Miami on Senior Day in Death Valley Saturday. Clemson improves to 10-1 overall and finishes 8-0 in ACC play. Miami falls to 5-6 overall and 3-4 in the ACC. Clemson had 447 yards of total offense, while Miami was held to just 98 yards. DJ Uiagalelei finished 22-of-34 for 227 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also carried it 17 times for 89 yards. Will Shipley had 16 carries for 61 yards. Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter had another strong effort with nine tackles and a sack. Clemson has now won at least 10 games in 12 consecutive seasons. The Tigers join record-holders Florida State (14 from 1987-2000) and Alabama (14 from 2008-21) as the only FBS programs ever to win 10 or more games in 12 consecutive seasons. Clemson finishes the regular season conference play with a perfect ACC record for the ninth time in program history, joining the 1967 (6- 0), 1978 (6-0), 1981 (6-0), 1982 (6-0), 1983 (7-0), 2015 (8-0), 2018 (8-0) and 2019 (8-0) seasons. Clemson won its 40th consecutive home game to extend the longest home winning streak in ACC history. No member of Clemson’s roster has lost a home game at Clemson in their careers. Head coach Dabo Swinney ties Oklahoma's Bob Stoops (160) for the second-most victories in the first 15 seasons of a head coaching career in FBS history. The Canes won the toss and elected to defer. The Tigers took the opening kickoff and marched methodically down the field, covering 75 yards in 12 plays and taking well over five minutes off the clock. Uiagalelei capped the drive with a line drive toss to Davis Allen for a 7-yard touchdown. With that score, Allen passed Clemson great Bennie Cunningham for sole possession of fifth in Clemson history for touchdown receptions by a tight end with 10. The Tigers forced a quick three-and-out by the Canes and once again made scoring look easy. The Tigers marched 57 yards in eight plays with Uiagalelei keeping it the final eight yards for a 14-0 lead with a little over four minutes remaining in the first quarter. The teams traded punts before the Tigers were able to take advantage of the game’s first turnover. Miami quarterback Jacurri Brown’s pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage by RJ Mickens and intercepted by Jalyn Phillips at the Hurricane 27-yard line. Six plays later, senior tight end Luke Price slipped unnoticed off the line of scrimmage and into the endzone, where Uiagalelei found him for a three-yard score. The touchdown is the first of Price’s career. With 10:22 remaining in the second quarter, the Tigers led 21-0. you absolutely love to see it. pic.twitter.com/z9XrPNSz2F BT Potter nailed a 32-yard field goal as time expired and the Tigers took a 24-0 lead into the locker room. The third quarter wasn’t full of scoring, but there was a lot of excitement. Clemson had a promising drive end on a fumble and another on interception. Meanwhile, Miami found some success early and marched as far as the Clemson 16. However, Jacurri Brown was sacked for a 10-yard loss on first down and the Canes settled for a 44-yard field goal from Andres Borregales. Midway through the quarter Clemson led 24-3. The Tigers finally got back on the board late in the quarter, courtesy of the defense. The Canes took over at their own nine after a Clemson punt. On first down it looked like Brown might have gotten the ball away just as Toriano Pride brought him down in the endzone. The replay showed that Brown’s knee was down just before he let the ball go and Clemson was awarded the safety. Late in the third, Clemson led 26-3. Another Clemson turnover, this time a fumble after Uiagalelei was hit from behind on a passing attempt, turned into a one-yard touchdown pass from Brown to Khalil Brantley. Early in the fourth the Tigers led 26-10, and it wasn’t until later in the quarter that the Tigers finally put the game away. Following a Miami punt, the Tigers took over at their own 14 and drove 86 yards in just eight plays. The biggest play of the drive was a 49-yard pass from Uiagalelei to Jake Briningstool that put the ball at the Miami three. One play later, Shipley went in for the score and Clemson led 33-10 with 4:40 to play. Clemson finished the scoring with a one-yard run by Kobe Pace with 16 seconds remaining. Clemson plays host to the arch-rival South Carolina Gamecocks next Saturday in the final regular season game. Kickoff is set for noon on ABC. The Tigers have won seven in a row in the series.
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