For most of Saturday night, Clemson football put up a better fight against the Miami Hurricanes than it did the last time Dabo Swinney's team went up against against one of the most talented rosters in the country.
The end result was the same for the Tigers, however. Clemson dropped another game to an elite program in a 41-13 loss to the new kings of the ACC.
Miami, which is ranked No. 4 in this week's US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25, improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in conference play. Clemson fell to 3-2 and 2-1 in ACC play. The Tigers have a bye in Week 6 before facing Charleston Southern on Oct. 17.
Darian Mensah threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns, including a 66-yard TD to Cooper Barkate on a screen pass on the Hurricanes' second
play from scrimmage. Tailback Mark Fletcher had 77 rushing yards and two scores as Miami turned a 17-6 lead late in the third quarter into a 28-point victory.
Clemson's offensive line struggles continued. The Tigers did little to protect four-star freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds, who still managed a career-high 295 yards while completing 29 of his 44 passes. Miami sacked Reynolds six times and had nine tackles for loss. The Hurricanes held Clemson to 55 rushing yards.
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After the game, Miami coach Mario Cristobal met with reporters to discuss his team's victory over the Tigers. Here's what the Hurricanes coach said:
Mario Cristobal reflects on Miami's 41-13 win at Clemson's Death Valley
"Awesome win for our program, getting on the road. Actually, three straight conference win road games for us. We started really, really fast and put a lot of pressure on them. Actually could have started a little bit faster (but) cost ourselves with a motion penalty. That could have put us in real command of the game, but we overcame a lot of injuries.
"Defense really became physical, particularly in the second half. Only allowed six points in the first half. We missed a tackle. A lot of big plays in the second half that led to (Clemson's) touchdown. But I felt we really put a lot of pressure on their quarterback. Knocked around their running game. And then I think when we had to -- you know, the first-half play count, it was 25 (for) Miami, 47 (for) Clemson -- and we flipped the script on that.
"This was good because four years ago, we came here when we had just gotten to Miami with a roster that wasn't what it was supposed to be, and we got our faces kicked in. So, it was good to come out today and play good football and to give ourselves a chance to control our own destiny."
Mario Cristobal talks up resiliency after Miami's win over Clemson football
Miami had two starting offensive lineman go down due to to injury in the first half: right tackle Matthew McCoy and right guard Max Buchanan. McCoy was able to return in the second half.
"We had a lot of guys go down. It's an awful year for that for us unfortunately. Keep our guys in your prayers. Hopefully they'll heal up and be in a good spot, but the resiliency of our team continues to show up, not only in the form of that but in the guys that had to step up and just kept going. It's a great trademark to have as a team as you enter the middle of the season.
"And certainly we'll look at the tape and learn a lot from it, but I'm extremely proud of the way these guys, like you mentioned, just continued to battle and fight when so many guys went down. There were several true freshman in the game at several points tonight."
Mario Cristobal calls Clemson football an 'excellent program' after Hurricanes beat Tigers by 28
Responding to a question about how Miami was able to dominate the second half by outscoring Clemson, 24-7, Cristobal praised the Tigers and Dabo Swinney.
"I think that you really kick yourself in the butt because you could go (up) 24-3 at halftime. And those things, you can't give those away, not down the stretch. I think (Clemson) is an excellent football team. They have at least three first-round potential picks and another nine draftable guys. That's a really talented roster. They've been playing really good football. Coach Swinney does an excellent job. That atmosphere was incredible."
He added:
"Being on the road for three weeks, continuing to improve our play in all areas, see a couple of O-linemen go down and still rush for about 200 yards, protect the quarterback pretty well ... they've got a really good pass rush. A lot of positive steps and a lot of opportunity for growth, as well."
Miami coach talks about Hurricanes' late run-heavy touchdown drive against Clemson
Miami had a nine-play, 62-yard drive for a touchdown with 6:14 remaining to go up 34-13. All nine plays were runs with the biggest a 14-yard rush from Fletcher for his second touchdown of the night.
"I just think as time has gone on, when you assess O-line play, we view it for what it is and we measure progress. The metrics that we have for that are very tangible and concrete, and our O-line has been getting better and better and better. There came a point in time where, 'Let's put the game on your backs and let's see what happens,' and they did against a team that's been playing -- I think (Clemson) didn't allow a touchdown for 20 drives prior to our game. And the O-line just kept pounding away and pounding away and pounding away, and then did it there again at the end. So, really proud of those guys."
How was Miami able to rush the quarterback in dominant win at Clemson? Mario Cristobal explains
Miami had six sacks and nine tackles for loss in Saturday's win over Clemson. Cristobal said of the performance:
"I think we were resilient and relentless. I think that our matchups and our continued workout technique and fundamentals and the way we practice showed up. I do. I think Greentree (Miami's practice fields in Coral Gables) showed up out here tonight. We don't do special videos. I don't know, maybe our social media team does, but we really work hard at this stuff. And that stuff is starting to show up in the way that we want it to in a humble, quiet, 'let's get better and shut our mouths' kind of way.
"So, just want to continue to get more physical. We want to be more durable obviously, but you can't control that sometimes. But the continued experience gained by our freshmen due to circumstances, really, it's going to pay off in the long run, and it paid off tonight. It paid off for JJ Dunnigan, right? JJ was banged up coming into this week and runs out there, 10 men on the field, gets out there right in time, covers a guy and returns it for a touchdown.
"So many things to be proud of, but we had a lot of opportunities at (Reynolds), and we maybe didn't sack him all the time, but we certainly made our presence felt. I think as we hit him, the more it affected him. And again, he's a great player. (Clemson has) a great team. Hats off to them, but really proud of the Miami Hurricanes."
How Miami coach Mario Cristobal graded = Darian Mensah's performance against Clemson
"I thought he had awesome numbers with both his arm and with his legs. Commanded the offense, putting us in the correct run check, extending plays. Made some awesome throws. Got hit a few times, as well. We had a shift that was called on that touchdown. I think Max jumped off, was an illegal procedure they called him for. Aside from that, I don't think we had any pre-snap penalties. So, I thought (Mensah) had great command in a great environment. I thought he was great."
Mario Cristobal talks about Clemson tradition of fans being on the field after games
"It's different, but the fan engagement is an awesome thing. As long as it's cordial, you know what I mean? As long as it's right. You don't want to cross over that line where, let's call it what it is: the most abused constitutional right on the face of the earth is the First Amendment. It's the freedom of speech. Right? Where people could spew blank out of their mouth, right? And this was very different.
"This was a very humbling experience. A lot of fans on both sides were out there, and they were cordial and supportive and welcoming and what-not. Tremendous atmosphere. Hats off to the entire Clemson organization. They're a really first-class act.
Clemson suffers biggest home loss in years. What does it say about Miami?
Prior to Week 5, Clemson's last home loss by more than 20 points was 13 years ago against Florida State in 2013 when the Seminoles won, 51-14, at Memorial Stadium. Cristobal was asked what that stat said about Miami's 28-point win in Clemson's Death Valley.
He said:
"I'll say first and foremost that we went 1-0 (in Week 5). Second of all, I would say that we were able to overcome a lot of injuries and play to a high standard. Knowing those guys in (the locker room), it's awesome. A lot of them are talking about the plays that we could have performed a little bit better on. So, it's a great feeling to know that there's excitement, there's enthusiasm, but there's a hunger to get better.
"Again, four years ago, that was ugly. But remember, we talked about it a long time ago, there are some painful steps in this that you cannot skip, and we're only in game five, right? The tough road is ahead. We're honored to be here tonight. Awesome with the win. Let's get healed up. Let's get to work. We have to get a lot better at a lot of things. We have to get a lot better."
Watch Cristobal's full postgame press conference below.
Clemson football schedule 2026
All times Eastern.
- Sept. 5: at LSU Tigers (L, 51-10)
- Sept. 12: vs. Georgia Southern Eagles (W, 22-7)
- Sept. 19: vs. North Carolina Tar Heels (W, 28-20)
- Sept. 25: at California Golden Bears (W, 24-10)
- Oct. 3: vs. Miami Hurricanes (L, 41-13)
- Oct. 17: vs. Charleston Southern Buccaneers, TBA
- Oct. 24: vs. Virginia Tech Hokies, TBA
- Oct. 31: at Florida State Seminoles, TBA
- Nov. 7: at Syracuse Orange, TBA
- Nov. 14: vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, TBA
- Nov. 20: at Duke Blue Devils, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
- Nov. 28: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks, TBA
Record: 3-2 overall, 2-1 ACC.
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: What Miami coach Mario Cristobal said about Clemson football after win
