Miami's Offense Struggles in 40-10 Loss to Clemson
After putting together one of its most complete performances of the season last weekend against Georgia Tech, Miami's offense faltered in the Hurricanes' loss to Clemson on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Miami only produced 98 yards of total offense against the Tigers, which is much less than the 353 yards it totaled in its win over the Yellow Jackets.
Quarterback Jacurri Brown, making his second collegiate start, completed six of his 13 passes for only 53 yards. Redshirt freshman Jake Garcia subbed into the game in relief of Brown in the beginning of the fourth quarter and completed three of his five passes for 15 yards and a touchdown.
On the Hurricanes' first drive, Brown overthrew a pass to veteran receiver Xavier Restrepo that likely would have been a touchdown, and the Hurricanes' offensive struggles mounted from there.
These struggles continued throughout the first half, as Miami entered the break with only one first down.
In contrast, Clemson's offense was effective from the start. Junior signal-caller DJ Uiagalelei led the Tigers on a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that spanned the game's first 5:34 to take an early lead.
Uiagalelei and Clemson continued this momentum for the rest of the first half, going on two more touchdown drives, in addition to a 32-yard field goal. The Tigers led 24-0 at the break.
The Hurricanes found some offensive rhythm on their first drive of the second half.
Brown scrambled for a gain of 40 yards to set Miami up inside Clemson's territory. The drive ended without points, but this created momentum.
UM scored its first points of the game on a 44-yard field goal by Andres Borregales with 5:55 remaining in the first half.
Miami was able to tack on its first touchdown of the game after its offense was set up at Clemson's 10-yard line after a fumble recovery by defensive lineman Jordan Miller. These would be the last points the Hurricanes scored.
Clemson scored pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
Aside from his two turnovers, Uiagalelei gave Miami's defense trouble with both his arm and his legs. The third-year quarterback completed 22 of his 34 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 89 yards on his 17 carries and a touchdown and was Clemson's leading rusher.
Running back Will Shipley, who is the Tigers' leading rusher for the season, contributed with 61 rushing yards on 17 attempts and a touchdown, along with 14 receiving yards on three catches.
Kamren Kinchens led Miami's defense, which allowed only 14 points in the second half (the two Clemson scored were due to a safety).
The sophomore safety totaled three interceptions last weekend and continued this level of play against the Tigers. Kinchens led the Hurricanes with 13 tackles in addition to his pair of pass breakups. He also forced a fumble.
Up next, Miami will travel back home to Coral Gables to face Pittsburgh next Saturday at 8 p.m.
Also next Saturday, Clemson will stay home and take on South Carolina at noon. The Tigers will play North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game the following weekend.
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Luke Chaney is a contributing writer for Sports Illustrated-FanNation's AllHurricanes.com, covering recruiting and Miami Athletics. You can also find Luke on WVUM 90.5 FM as a play-by-play broadcaster. He is also the Sports Editor for The Miami Hurricane. Follow Luke on Twitter @luke_chaney4.