Miami may have just delivered the kind of performance that turns a promising season into a legit championship campaign. After taking down Clemson, the Hurricanes showed they can win without needing every player to have a spectacular night, and ESPN’s Rece Davis believes that this could make them a serious threat down the stretch.
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“Man, I thought Miami separated itself on Saturday night,” Davis said on Pat McAfee’s show on October 6 after McAfee asked him about his opinion on Miami.
“Not that Clemson’s great, but Clemson was trying to maybe make a stand, make the last stand for the season. And another great receiver, Malachi Toney, just had, by his standards, an average night. And still, Darion Mensah, Cooper Barkate, and the Miami defence—they look like another team that could go back to the national championship game and win it all.”
The Hurricanes are now 5-0, which just shows that they do have what it takes to be a national championship contender. They have managed to combine a total of 248 to 49 in just 5 games.
Miami made its way to one of the loudest stadiums in the world, Death Valley, with almost 80,000 fans waiting to watch the two teams clash on October 3. However, the game did not exactly end in the favor of the Tigers after they were crushed 41-13 by the Hurricanes on their home turf. The curse of losing at this stadium since 2010 finally lifted for the Hurricanes, so this team is something special.
The Hurricanes were in full control since the kickoff. Mensah and Cooper Barkate went straight into business mode as they got the ball with the tunnel screen. Barkate broke free from the Clemson defense and took the lead straight to 7-0 in just two plays. Mensah showed his leg power after he took the lead to 17-3 by running for a 34-yard touchdown.
For a hot minute it felt like the Hurricanes were in control, but Clemson’s defense fought back. They forced out 2 punts and a turnover and were giving Miami a hard time to extend the lead.
However, it was the same story for Clemson’s offense as Miami held a strong defensive line to minimise their chances to score. Clemson’s QB Tait Reynolds recorded his career best, but he could not add any touchdowns, as Damon Wilson II was ready with his attacks. In the first half itself he was sacked almost 5 times and completed 29 of 44 of his passes for 295 yards but zero touchdowns.
In the second half of the game, Miami found their mojo back and pulled up their running game. Their RB Mark Fletcher Jr ran for 77 yards and added 2 touchdowns in his logs. Barkate also helped the team get the 41-point lead after he caught 5 passes for 98 receiving yards. Barkate’s 66-yard touchdown also was a reception on a screen pass.
Despite surviving many serious hits, they did manage to keep their winning streak on. By the end of the game, 4 players saw some major blows, including a shoulder injury to Malachi Toney. He was hardly seen in the game before getting injured. However,despite landing painfully on his shoulder, he still made his way back to the field. He only recorded 1 reception for 8 receiving yards.
It was a shocker, as he is at a season best of 39 receptions for 609 yards and 6 touchdowns. That’s why Miami is standing out from the rest. Even if one player is not giving the best, the rest are ready to make up for it. That’s how Mensah has elevated the offense, but he has also elevated the QB room.
“It certainly seems, up to this point this season, that Mensah has elevated the quarterback position,” Davis added on the show. “A lot of people worried about their offensive line, and I was talking to Cristobal down there in the offseason. It’s not as experienced, but he loved the talent that they have there. That seems to be coming to fruition. They averaged over five yards a carry against Clemson on Saturday night. I think Miami separated itself a little bit as well.”
The $6.5M QB Darion Mensah is proving that he was worth the investment. Against Clemson, he completed 227 yards and a touchdown alongside a 34-yard scoring run. He has switched up the QB room after their former star, Carson Beck, left. He currently leads the entire country in accuracy on throws and has a 73.3% completion rate. So far in the season he has had zero interceptions. By comparison, Beck completed just 44.4% of his deep passes in the same offense last season.
The QB has completed 84.2% of his passes this season and is leading the FBS board. He is third in the race of highest number of touchdowns with a total of 15, just behind Kemario Taylor and Braden Atkinson. These stats just prove how well he has taken up his role as the team leader.