CLEMSON, S.C. — Miami handed Clemson its second-worst home loss under Dabo Swinney, beating the Tigers 41-13 on Saturday night. Afterward, Swinney said he felt confident his team could still compete for an ACC title despite the result, saying, “The season ain’t over.”
Clemson has gotten blown out in its only two games against Top 25 opponents this season– the opener against LSU and against Miami. The home loss Saturday was its worst since 2013, when Clemson lost 51-14 to eventual national champion Florida State.
Swinney said the final score against the Hurricanes was not indicative of how his players competed. Instead, he lamented multiple missed opportunities in the red zone that could have made the game more competitive.
Late in the second quarter, Clemson had a third-and-1 from the Miami 2-yard line but got a false start penalty and had to settle for a field goal. Then in the third quarter down 17-6, Clemson went for it on fourth-and-2 from the Miami 18-yard-line. Miami stuffed the direct snap to running back Gideon Davidson. The Hurricanes then scored on a 14-play drive that lasted 7:58 to essentially put the game out of reach.
“These guys are gaining experience. They’re getting smarter,” Swinney said of his team. “They’re getting tougher. They’re learning. We’ve got a lot of young guys that are growing up right before our eyes.
“(Miami is) a team that I think could win it all. We’re a work in progress, but the season ain’t over. We’ve got a long way to go. It’s a season. This one stinks. We played a really good team and they were better than us today but we’ve got to see if we can get better next time we play, next time we play, next time we play and then at the end of the season we’ll hopefully be a football team that nobody wants to play. We’ve got work to do.”
For Miami coach Mario Cristobal, the win was especially meaningful because the last time the Hurricanes played at Clemson four years ago, they lost 40-10.
“We got our faces kicked in,” Cristobal said of the result in 2022. “So, it was good to come out today and play good football and give ourselves a chance to control our own destiny.”
Indeed, Miami is one of three teams in the ACC that is undefeated in league play, but the only one ranked in the Top 10. Clemson now has work to do to get into the race, but Swinney said he “absolutely” believes his team can still compete for an ACC title this year.
“We’re still progressing, and we’re going to keep battling,” Swinney said. “We’re 2-1 in the ACC. But we’re right there. We’ve just got to dig in. There’s a lot of opportunity for this team. So let’s go get better.”
