The Clemson Tigers play host to the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon in a crucial ACC showdown. These two long times powers have found themselves going in opposite directions over the last handful of years. The Tigers remain the class of the ACC, while the Hurricanes have gone from preseason favorite to find themselves near the bottom of the standings. These two programs are filled with strength but with the Tigers continuing to eye a CFP berth, they’ll be tough to take down in this one.
Miami has had an up-and-down season and while they haven't lost back-to-back games since the beginning of October, they haven't won consecutively since the opening weeks of the season. A win last week against Georgia Tech the last time out has this group hoping that they can end the season finding just one more win to find themselves bowl-eligible. The issue is that finding that win on the road against Clemson seems unlikely, even despite the Hurricanes sitting with a 3-1 record on the season. Having played on the road last week, they could be in for a challenge trying to find success for the second-straight week.
It doesn't help that the length of Miami's injury report continues to get longer and longer as the season progresses. Tyler Van Dyke (shoulder) remains the most notable name on the injury report, as he finds himself questionable for this one. Henry Parrish Jr. (undisclosed) is also questionab le and with a pair of other running backs already ruled out, the Hurricanes can't afford to lose even more talent on the offensive end.
Congratulations to @KKinchens24 & @LouHedleyy on being named @ACCFootball Players of the Week after their performances against Georgia Tech.
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— Canes Football (@CanesFootball) November 15, 2022
Miami has some balance between the offense and defense, though with neither jumping off the page when it comes to where they stand nationally, it's only natural to have more concern for the offense going into this matchup. The Hurricanes not only have the injuries mentioned earlier but also have four offensive linemen ruled out for the season as well. The lack of top-end talent is obvious heading into this one and Van Dyke is unable to go as well, this offense seems destined to struggle to move the ball.