Three reasons for Clemson football fans to be concerned about Miami Hurricanes
The Clemson football team will take on the No. 7-ranked Miami Hurricanes Saturday in a primetime ACC matchup in the friendly confines of Death Valley.
Though Clemson football struggled just a bit in a win over Virginia this past weekend, the Tigers are still considered a heavy 15.5-point favorite over the Hurricanes heading into this one.
There are plenty of reasons for Clemson football fans to fill good about this one heading into the weekend, but there are also a few concerns, as well. Here’s a look at three concerns Tiger fans might have heading into Saturday.
3. Miami is an emotional team that feeds on big-time energy
There’s no doubt that the ‘swagger element’ of The U has come back during the 2020 season. It might not be at quite the same level as what we saw in the late-90s and early-2000s, but believe me it’s there.
And, for the first time, Miami actually seems like a legitimate football team. They’re not just jumping up and talking trash after making a big hit 30 yards down the field. Instead, they’re making legit plays.
When you take the talent that the Hurricanes possess- albeit still much less than Clemson- and you add in the fact that they’re going to be completely juiced for this game [it’s the biggest game in their program history since the ACC Championship game a few years back] you could be looking at a team that plays well above its ceiling, especially if some things go right for them early and they gain confidence.
On the flip side, let a few things go wrong and it could be a downward-spiraling snowball effect for the Hurricanes.
2. Miami’s pass-rush has potential to be one of the best in the league
Miami had its top pass-rusher opt out of the 2020 season, but there’s still plenty of talent along that front-seven.
Both Jaelan Phillips and Quincy Roche are NFL-caliber level defensive ends and there have been times this season where the Tiger offensive line has been suspect, to say the least.
If the offensive line can’t pick up on blitzes and if that unit has difficulty picking up their assignments, it could make things extremely difficult to move the ball with any consistency.
1. D’Eriq King is a special player– better than Brennan Armstrong
If you’re looking for a major concern coming into this one, you don’t have to look any further than quarterback to find your answer.
D’Eriq King is a special player and there’s no way around it.
King can throw the ball and he can also take off and run. He’s much more elusive than Brennan Armstrong (UVA’s QB) and could spell fits for this Clemson football defense if the Tigers don’t fix their mistakes from last week.
Rhett Lashlee is going to utilize King in every facet possible and the Clemson defense is going to have to step up to slow down all these playmakers that the Hurricanes possess.
Clemson and Miami are set to do battle this Saturday evening in Death Valley with the game scheduled to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. live on ABC.