Miami at Clemson Preview: Q&A with State of the U
The No. 9 Clemson Tigers are back in action on Saturday as they host the Miami Hurricanes. Miami is 5-5 in the ACC and their only wins came against the bottom three teams in Coastal Division: Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Virginia.
Cam Underwood believes that firing Manny Diaz was the right move for the Miami Hurricanes. Ryan Kantor was optimistic about the future of the program. Cam Underwoods is optimistic that things will get where coach Mario Cristobal wants them to go. The team is rebuilding and it will take time. The game against Clemson is on Saturday. It's a big game. Miami is 15-8 over the last two seasons. They are going to play at Clemson. Cristobalt is one of best recruiters in the country.
Tyler Van Dyke's performance has taken a step back since last season. Miami switched to a more vertical passing attack and he's improved. However, he hasn't been 100% healthy and won't play against Clemson. The receiver group is worse than last year. Charleston Rambo and Mike Harley are no longer on the team. They set records for catches in a single season and career. This year's team has a different scheme. It's not as effective as last years. Florida State is a good team, but it's still not a great one.
Frank Ladson has a career-high with 27 catches and 298 receiving yards for Miami this year. Colbie Young has stepped into a starring role at receiver. Xavier Restrepo is a shifty slot receiver and Henry Parrish is the lead RB. Jaylan Knighton is talented but needs to leave his fumbling issues behind him.
Cam is concerned about the defensive line matchup between Clemson's DL and Miami's OL. Miami is very banged up along the offensive line. If Miami can't block Clemson’s DL, they won't be able to run the ball or pass the football.
Cam and Ryan give Miami very low odds of winning the game against Clemson. The biggest X-factor for Miami is winning turnover battle. Clemson is riding a 39-game home win streak. The Tigers should cruise to another lopsided win over the Hurricanes.
