Miami absolutely *handled* the Clemson Tigers tonight in Death Valley Light, walking away with a dominant 41-13 victory, and honestly, this might be their most impressive win all season. Why? Because the Hurricanes were dealing with a ridiculous amount of injuries, both before the game even kicked off and then had more guys go down mid-game. Talk about gritty.
Darian Mensah Was Human, Then Blew Past Everyone
Yeah, Darian Mensah might have looked “human” throwing the ball for a minute, but who cares when you’re busting off a 34-yard touchdown run in the second quarter? The dude is just *the man*. He also dropped another absolutely perfect dime to Malachi Toney while two Clemson defenders were absolutely whaling on him. Tonight’s game wasn’t pretty, for sure. But watching Mensah command that Miami offense, even when things got ugly, was pure gold. His final line: 18-27 for 227 yards and a touchdown through the air, plus 27 rushing yards and another touchdown on the ground. You gotta love his competitiveness, his skill, the whole package. Seriously, who else would you rather have leading this Miami squad in 2026? Nobody.
Mark Fletcher Jr. Battered Clemson, While the Defense Put On a Show
Then there’s Mark Fletcher Jr. This dude just gets better as the game goes on, and tonight was no exception. Both his touchdowns, along with his best runs of the game, came in the second half. Fletcher finished with 16 carries for 77 yards and two touchdowns, plus tacked on two catches for 16 yards. He was just moving the pile, over and over, always getting those positive yards and keeping the chains moving. He is, literally, the hammer of the Miami Hurricanes offense.
And let’s be real: Clemson’s offense? It stinks. But for Miami’s defense to put on *that* kind of performance in a night game at Death Valley Light, especially with a super banged-up defensive backfield, that’s beyond impressive. The stats don’t lie: Clemson managed a pathetic 55 yards rushing on 31 attempts, averaging a measly 1.8 yards per rush. Miami’s rush defense is just different, still the best in the country. They also forced two turnovers, including a clutch pick-six. Oh, and they stacked up six sacks. Six! Yeah, they gave up 295 passing yards, but all of that was between the 20s. Corey Hetherman’s unit was absolutely locked in.
The Young Guns Stepped Up Big Time
Shoutout to a few more guys who absolutely balled out. Cooper Barkate started the whole party with a ridiculous 61-yard catch-and-run touchdown on the opening play, leading the Canes with five receptions for 98 yards. Freshman Javian Mallory ran like a freight train, fighting for some much-needed first downs in the second half, finishing with 14 rushes for 63 yards. Damon Wilson II could have easily been the third star himself. The stud defensive end was all over the place with three solo tackles and 2.5 sacks. As Cam tweeted during the game, this is the guy everyone’s been waiting for, and Wilson looks straight-up awesome lately. And how about freshman JJ Dunnigan capping off the win with a pick-six? You love to see it! This team absolutely needed a defensive score, even if the game was already in the bag.
With a well-deserved bye week coming up, hopefully, guys like Marquise Lightfoot and other injured players can get healthy. This Miami team, even with its bumps and bruises, proved tonight they can handle anything thrown their way.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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