Clemson’s Dabo Swinney Believes Loss Against No. 4 UM Doesn’t Reflect Tigers’ Effort

MIAMI, Fla. – Despite Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney suffering his worst home loss on Saturday to the No. 4 Miami Hurricanes – 41-13 – he doesn’t believe it tells the full story from the Tigers’ perspective.

“The score was not indicative of how our kids competed,” he said. “That’s what people look at, but just missed some opportunities. We could have made it a totally different type of game and we didn’t; they did. At the end of the day, the score is what it is.”

Despite Swinney’s confidence, Clemson fell into the Hurricanes’ defensive game plan: stop the run and make freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds throw more. That is exactly what happened and the Tigers couldn’t make the adjustments to get out of it. The Hurricanes held Clemson star running back Gideon Davidson to just 25 of 55 total rushing yards, including a third-quarter stop on fourth-and-one by sixth-year linebacker Chase Smith to force a turnover on downs on a trick play.

Reynolds completed 29 of 44 passes (both new collegiate career highs) and threw for 295 yards and an interception; no passing touchdowns. Although the Hurricanes forced him to beat them, the 19-year-old did have some promising plays. Reynolds had six plays with at least a gain of 15 yards, including a 55-yard play to junior wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr.

However, the former three-star recruit couldn’t escape the Hurricanes’ swarming defensive line. Reynolds was sacked six times and had a fumble forced by redshirt senior defensive tackle Ahmad Moten Sr. and recovered by edge rusher Herbert Scroggins III.

Clemson had just two drives of at least 50 yards of total offense, which resulted in a field goal and a touchdown. Also, the Tigers committed six penalties that accounted for 66 yards; meanwhile, the Hurricanes had just four for 25. Clemon’s defense managed to sack star quarterback Darian Mensah twice, along with a couple of hits, but it wasn’t enough to disrupt him. The current Football Bowl Subdivision completion percentage leader (84.2) had 18 of 27 passes completed (66.7 percent) and threw for 227 yards and scored two total touchdowns (one passing and one rushing).

Although Swinney saw the game from a different lens on the sidelines, the Hurricanes dominated for a majority of the game. It started with a 61-yard touchdown by wide receiver Cooper Barkate and finished with a 39-yard pick-six by freshman safety/nickelback JJ Dunnigan. Swinney has dominated the Atlantic Coast Conference for over a decade, but the Hurricanes and head coach Mario Cristobal are shifting the hierarchy.

Clemson is still a highly respected program, but next offseason could result in major evaluations.

The Hurricanes enter the bye week 5-0 (ACC 3-0) and look to heal up, with players looking to return from injury and others being further evaluated ahead of next Saturday’s (Oct. 17) in-state rivalry clash against the Florida State Seminoles. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. E.T. and will be televised on ESPN.

More Miami Hurricanes News:

- UM's Darian Mensah Reportedly Signed New NIL Deal With Floridian Spring Water

- Jack Dickert Believes Wake Forest Outmatched UM's Physicality, Despite the Results

- Did UM's Jackson Cantwell Hint at a Full-Time Return to Left Tackle?