'You Have to Be on Edge': Mario Cristobal and No. 4 Miami Not Taking Clemson Lightly
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CORAL GABLES, Fla. — After Clemson was ragdolled by LSU in the opening game of the, many have thrown them to the wayside and not looked at the work they have done since the low moment.
Mario Cristobal and No. 4 Miami are not among those groups overlooking the Tigers and the danger they present.
Clemson has been one of the best second-half units in the country and has won three straight games because of it. Defeating UNC, GA Southern, and Cal are stepping stones for Dabo Swinney and what they are looking for, but Cristobal knows that it is one key area his team has to watch going forward.
"Particularly important to mention is their second half," Cristobal said. "They do a great job adjusting. In the second half, I don't believe they've allowed a touchdown. They've outscored opponents 42 to 6. So doing a really good job seeing what the results of the first half, tweaking what they're doing, coming out in the second half and doing a great job.
"In the second half, important to note also they're averaging over 120 yards rushing before they've taken over games and have won. So really impressed with them. Also a special teams touchdown for them this past week on a punt return, really dangerous returner, a lot of high-level athletes, elite players at a lot of different positions, and they are playing really, really good football.
"Veteran defense. I believe nine of 11 starters are upperclassmen, but I could go on and on about statistical data, and I'm sure you guys have seen it as well. So looking forward to a great opportunity."
Moreover, Cristobal also knows that even if they didn't start off the way they wanted, the Tigers have bounced back and shouldn't be overlooked.
"Certainly they didn't get off to the start they wanted in game one, but since then have been playing really high-level football in a lot of different ways," Cristobal said about Clemson. "To give you an idea of the last three games, they are 3-0. In that 3-0 span, they've outscored their opponents, double the amount of opponent points in terms of what they've done offensively."
Tigers running back Gideon Davidson was also a topic of discussion, along with the rushing numbers the team has been able to put up over the past three games.
Miami has the No. 2-rated defense in the country, only behind No. 3 Notre Dame.
"They're averaging almost 200 yards rushing a game, allowing only 12 points a game, and forcing five turnovers, holding opponents to a very low third-down percentage conversion rate.," Cristobal continued. "Yeah, we watched them this morning as a team. Just tremendous contact balance. He can accelerate. He runs behind his pads, runs through tackles, rarely gets tackled by the first guy.
"Explosive. You watch this past week, they run sprint draw on third and long and he just, you know, finds a crease, gets a good wall block right there by a couple linemen, takes off, and nobody catches him. A guy that really has changed.
"I want to say changed. They already had explosive players, but he presents a tremendous threat on any given touch to take it to the house. He did it against North Carolina. He did it against Cal this past week. Just a really impressive player."
The Hurricanes have more than just him to worry about. Miami will be up for the challenge on the road in Death Valley.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.
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