The Clemson Tigers are up against a big problem as they prepare to face the Miami Hurricanes next week.
In the week leading up to the Clemson Tigers' 24-10 in over the California Golden Bears on Friday night, I said that if Clemson came away with a victory in Berkeley, it would return home and beat the Miami Hurricanes in Week 5.
Because I said it, I'm standing by it. But while it's great that the Tigers just came away with a pivotal road win in an ACC matchup, I am actually less confident in Clemson's chances versus Miami than I was before it beat California.
Why? Because that game was like pulling teeth.
Yes, Tigers running back Gideon Davidson dominated the affair with 159 yards and a couple of touchdowns on 22 carries ... but where was the rest of the offense?
Tait Reynolds took a major step back in Week 4, going 13-for-21 with 108 yards and a couple of turnovers. That included an interception and a fumble, the latter of which Cal returned for a touchdown.
Not a single Clemson wide receiver had 30 yards, this in spite of the fact that T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco are both potential first-round picks.
It's great that Davidson had such a great game, but what will the Tigers do in the event that he doesn't?
Miami, for example, is entering its own Week 4 matchup against Central Michigan with the third-best rushing defense in the nation. The Hurricanes are allowing just 45.7 rushing yards per game, and while they haven't exactly played top-tier competition, that is still impressive regardless.
If Reynolds performs against Miami the way he did against California, there is almost zero chance Clemson is winning that game.
Reynolds has to look more like the quarterback we saw against North Carolina: not exactly Arch Manning, but at least decent and good enough to keep his team in the game.
Now, being back at home versus the Hurricanes will help. Surely, heading out on the road for a 10:30 p.m. ET start against the Golden Bears was not ideal. But another variable is that Reynolds is a freshman who missed his entire high-school senior season.
So there are obviously some kinks in Reynolds' game that need to be ironed out, and Miami isn't exactly a practice squad.
I will say that I am encouraged by Clemson's fight. The Tigers have now won three straight after getting annihilated by LSU in their season opener, and any talk about Dabo Swinney having lost the team has ceased.
But one thing is for sure: Clemson will need to be much more efficient offensively if it wants to have any chance of upsetting Miami at Memorial Stadium next Saturday.
