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CLEMSON | Miami is back...
...to being humiliated by Clemson.
Time will tell whether the Hurricanes are truly on their way back to glory days last experienced when Trevor Lawrence was in diapers.
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But this much we do know: It's the same old Clemson, a proud and powerful program that takes about a half hour to destroy an entire week of big-game buildup.
ALSO SEE: Clemson's verbal commitments | Additional team-related nuggets following Clemson's win over Miami
These Tigers might need to remember how to execute a field goal, but they haven't forgotten how to execute a supposed contender in the ACC.
Five years ago, an ascending Clemson team wrecked a descending one to the tune of 58-0 on Miami's home field.
Three years ago, a much improved Hurricanes team wasn't improved enough to make a game of the ACC championship game (38-3 loss).
New-age offense, dynamic quarterback, better players ... same result.
The 42-17 final score didn't properly encapsulate just how lopsided this was from the start.
As it turns out, a shaky showing against Virginia a week earlier was the wake-up call this team needed (as if anyone out there needed reminding of what almost always happens when Dabo Swinney's team spends a week hearing about an inconsistent performance).
The only real moments of suspense and angst inside a soaked Death Valley came during the eight or so seconds it took for D.J. Ivey to return a blocked field goal 48 yards for a touchdown, and then the 20 minutes of halftime when everyone was trying to figure out how Clemson was up just 11 instead of 28.
Other than that, this was a complete and total annihilation borne of complete and total schematic clinics by Tony Elliott and Brent Venables.
The Tigers' offensive and defensive coordinators are paid a ton of money, and they made their salaries worth every penny Saturday by picking Miami apart and making the Hurricanes uncomfortable from the start.
The Miami offense that was such a revelation in convincing wins over Louisville and Florida State produced 210 yards, nine first downs and a garbage-time touchdown. And 71 of those yards came on the drive for that garbage-time touchdown.
Clemson played like a team that's used to being here. Miami played like a team that hasn't been here since, oh, 2002 or so.
The Hurricanes were undisciplined and emotional coming in, so it was no real shock that they came unglued with 15 penalties for 135 yards.
Clemson wasn't perfect -- the Tigers had eight penalties of their own, and Lord knows Swinney will tell you himself he goofed by getting greedy and going for that 61-yard field goal at the end of the first half after one had already been blocked -- but this 2020 group still looked and acted like the team that is made for this moment.
The two best players on the field were Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne.
The former threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns on a 29-of-41 clip, and he more than made up for a lost fumble in the third quarter.
The latter looked utterly unstoppable, rushing for 149 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries while leading his team in receiving with 73 yards on eight catches.
These two weren't just the best players on the field; it's hard to argue they aren't the best two players in the country. They're just playing a different game than everyone else.
Clemson piled up 550 yards on 88 plays, rushing for 258 and totaling 34 first downs.
On the other side, as expected Venables forced the issue by being aggressive and bringing frequent pressures to disrupt D'Eriq King's timing.
Rhett Lashlee's offense might be unsolvable for lesser ACC teams, but against this crew it's hard for it to even get started when Clemson linebackers are in the lap of the quarterback an instant after the snap.
After Virginia went up and down the field against a more conservative approach, Venables' boys were back with a vengeance in recording 11 tackles for loss.
King totaled 121 passing yards on a 12-of-28 clip with two interceptions. He was Miami's leading rusher with 84 yards on 14 carries, though 56 came on one first-half carry.
Brevin Jordan was unguardable going in and finished with three catches for 31 yards.
The U is still no match for The Paw.
Maybe next time, Miami.
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