2010 Miami Hurricanes Football: Miami @ Clemson

The Miami Hurricanes and Clemson Tigers played one of the most remarkable games of the 2009 college football season. We’ll see what they do for an encore this Saturday.

When the Hurricanes last played Clemson, Miami came up with stacks of big plays. Coach Randy Shannon’s team produced a 23-yard touchdown run, a 53-yard fumble return, and a 69-yard touchdown pass. Miami scored 34 points in three quarters and was always a threat to score from any point on the field. This year’s Miami team just finished a 31-3 demolition of the Pittsburgh Panthers on the road. Miami’s receivers and defensive linemen were both far too quick for Pittsburgh to handle. If Clemson isn’t up to the challenge of covering UM receivers or blocking the Canes’ front seven, Miami should be able to go into a hostile environment and pick up a big ACC scalp.

On the other side of the ledger, it needs to be said that the Tigers also made loads of home-run-style plays last year against Miami. A 90-yard kickoff return, a 56-yard touchdown pass, and a 23-yard interception return for a touchdown enabled Clemson to get to overtime against the Hurricanes. Then, in the extra frame, a 26-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kyle Parker to Jacoby Ford won the game for the Tigers, 40-37. In many ways, that was the game that catapulted Clemson to the school’s first-ever ACC Atlantic Division championship. Clemson – knowing how important that moment was – should be full of confidence in this reunion with Miami.

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Parker was very solid last year against the Hurricanes, so he shouldn’t be intimidated by Miami’s speed. If he can focus on distributing the ball to his receivers and finding his check-downs when the UM pass rush is successful at creating pressure, the Tigers have a very good chance to win. The other element of this game which bends in Clemson’s favor is that Miami quarterback Jacory Harris – who threw three interceptions last year against the Tigers – has started the 2010 season coughing up the pill with regularity. Despite Miami’s 28-point triumph in Pittsburgh, Harris looked lost for most of the first three quarters. He floated balls into double and triple coverage, and he evidently has not fixed the ball-security issues that dogged him so markedly last year against Clemson and – for that matter – against most of the teams Miami played. If Clemson can get at least two turnovers from Harris, which is actually a fairly likely proposition, the Tigers should like their chances.

It really is this simple: Harris has to avoid the interception bug for Miami to win. The Hurricanes’ offense – which will probably make its fair share of big plays down the field in the passing game – needs to be precise and polished on its trips to the red zone. Kyle Parker is a more consistent quarterback than Harris, even though he’s not as naturally talented as Harris. The Tigers will prevail if this is a test of blue-collar consistency. Miami has the better athletes, but must showcase its immense prowess without making too many mistakes.

The college football world knows what Miami is capable of. The lingering question is this: Can the Hurricanes play to their abilities on a regular basis? We’ll get an answer this Saturday in the sea of orange known as Death Valley.

Miami Hurricanes @ Clemson Tigers Football Preview