Clemson once again came up empty-handed versus a high-quality opponent on Saturday night. The Tigers dropped to 3-2 on the season and 2-1 in ACC play at the hands of the juggernaut Miami Hurricanes. While Clemson did not play poorly for the entirety of the contest, it did get out of hand in the latter stages of the second half. Heading into the bye week, Dabo Swinney is trying to be positive.
"We're a work in progress, but the season ain't over. We've got a long way to go," Swinney said after Clemson was blown out 41-13 at home to Miami in Week 5. "We've gotta see if we can be better the next time we play, and then the next time we play ... Hopefully, by the end of it, we're a team nobody wants to play."
Even if the margin of defeat was still sizable, Clemson did not look like a completely disjointed mess the entire time. Believe it or not, there were positives from the 28-point home loss. Tait Reynolds had his best game as a starter behind an offensive line that honestly needs to be demoted. The defense held up for as long as it could. However, the Clemson fan base has grown so tired of this big pullback.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney: "We're a work in progress, but the season ain't over. We've got a long way to go. ... We've gotta see if we can be better the next time play and then the next time we play. ... Hopefully, by the end of it, we're a team nobody wants to play"
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) October 4, 2026
Clemson has to be far more locked in after the bye to achieve all it can
Clemson had a great opportunity to be like the Oregon Ducks were in Week 4, but totally blew it. Dan Lanning's team got pushed around by Boise State in Week 1 before losing on the road to Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Those are two high-quality opponents who may have serious aspirations of making the College Football Playoff. The same principles apply to Clemson's losses to LSU and now to Miami.
Unfortunately, there is some growing notion that Swinney did not really have his team ready to play in this one. The Tigers were a bit too even-keeled for their own good. Clemson needed to play nearly flawless football to prove victorious over the Hurricanes. Sadly, the self-inflicted penalties, especially on offense were too problematic to overcome. Clemson was not as locked in as it should have been.
The good news for Clemson is the Tigers will have to take its latest primetime beating in stride when they enter their bye week. After a week of honestly confronting everything, the Tigers will have a layup of a home game when FCS Charleston Southern comes to town. After that, it will only be ACC opponents and South Carolina the rest of the way. How many wins could this Clemson team get to?
Assuming a Week 7 win over Charleston Southern, Clemson will be 4-2 (2-1) heading into the second half of its season. While no opponents should be taken for granted, all six of their remaining Power Four opponents are beatable: Virginia Tech, at Florida State, at Syracuse, Georgia Tech, at Duke, South Carolina. The penultimate game at Duke is the most daunting, but 9-3 or 10-2 feels possible.
Right now, the Clemson players will be left with no choice but to embrace what Swinney is saying.
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