Ups and Downs: Clemson Defense With Suffocating Effort In Win Over Miami

Takeaways from No. 9 Clemson's 40-10 win over Miami.

Jason Priester/All Clemson

It wasn't all pretty but it was one-sided.

No. 9 Clemson got a suffocating effort from the defense en route to a 40-10 win over Miami. The Tigers limited the Hurricanes to less than 100 yards of total offense on the day and just six first downs.

Ups:

Defense: Miami managed just 8 yards of total offense in the entire first half. On the day, they totaled just 98. It was a dominating performance from Wes Goodwin's unit as the Tigers gave up just 30 rushing yards and held the Hurricanes to just 1.3 yards per carry. Miami was 3-off-11 on third down and only ran 42 plays in the game. The Tigers also registered five sacks in the win.

DJ Uiagalelei's Legs: The Clemson offense seems to be most efficient when Uiagalelei gets involved early and often in the running game. The junior quarterback led the Tigers with 89 yards on the ground, consistently gashing the Hurricanes in high-leverage situations in the first half.

Getting the TE's Involved: Davis Allen and Jake Briningstool combined for seven catches and 92 yards. Allen also added a TD catch. It was his fourth of the season, making them the first tight end duo in Clemson history to each record four touchdown catches in a single season.

Owning 3rd Down: The Clemson offense converted an eye-popping 14-of-19 3rd down conversions. It's hard to ask for better production than that. The defense also did its part, holding the Canes to just 3-of-11.

Downs:

Turnovers: The only thing that kept this game from getting out of hand earlier than it did was Clemson's propensity for turning the ball over. For the fourth consecutive week, the Tigers lost the margin, this time 3:2. Seven of Miami's points were the direct result of a fumble. Clemson actually fumbled the ball five times in the win. Fortunately, they only lost two of them. Uiagalelei also threw an ugly interception. This kind of sloppiness is something that will cost the Tigers at some point down the road.

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