Clemson football thoroughly dominated the Miami Hurricanes in the first half Saturday night in Death Valley, but came out of halftime flat and ugly in the third quarter which allowed the Hurricanes to get back into the game, albeit briefly.
Jeremiah Trotter dominated early and Trenton Simpson dominated later, as the Tiger defense was the star of the day.
D.J. Uiagalelei was 22 of 34 for 227 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception, but continued to be an enigma wrapped in a riddle with beautiful throws mixed with bad decisions, poor throws and bad ball security.
Uiagalelei was also the Tigers leading rusher and was extremely effective on the ground, gaining 89 yards on 17 carries and scoring a touchdown.
Questions remain, though about decision-making and the ability to deal with success as the Tigers should have won this game going away.
Clemson has a chance to finish 10-1 on the season, but somehow seems to have underachieved in the minds of fans and pundits.
If nothing else, the game showed how far Miami has to go in order to be “back” as Clemson was better in every aspect of the game, except for the propensity to turn the ball over.
The tight ends featured prominently in the Clemson offensive attack from the beginning with Davis Allen being targeted 3 times on the opening drive and between he and Jake Briningstool totaling 7 catches for 92 yards and a score.
Clemson football defeated Miami, but earlier results decreased playoff odds
Despite the big win, the Tigers playoff chances took a hit with last second wins by TCU and Michigan, as both remained undefeated.
Clemson has now reached the 10 win mark for the twelfth consecutive season and next week the Tigers go for their 8th consecutive win over their arch-rival South Carolina Gamecocks before taking on North Carolina in the ACC Championship game on December 3 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Clemson and South Carolina are scheduled to kick at noon, next Saturday on ABC.