Despite a solid 34-17 win over Boston College and its very impressive defense, Clemson actually went down from No. 5 to No 6 in this week’s AP Poll. Sophomore sensation Deshaun Watson broke out with his biggest game of the season as he lit up the Eagles through the air.
The Tigers have a chance to claw back that spot in the polls as they visit a surprisingly feisty Miami team that has its own super sophomore in Brad Kaaya leading the way.
Read on for our preview of this intriguing ACC matchup below. Meanwhile, check out more marquee Week 8 matchups with our previews of Cal vs. UCLA and Tennesse vs. Alabama.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Clemson Tigers vs. Miami (FL) Hurricanes Preview
Where: Sun Life Stadium, Miami
When: Saturday, October 24, 12:00 PM ET
Line: Clemson Tigers (-7) at Miami (FL) Hurricanes (+7)– view all NCAA Football lines
TV Broadcast: ABC
Betting on the Clemson Tigers (6-0, 3-0 ACC)
The Clemson Tigers just keep getting better and better. After laboring against Louisville and nearly going to overtime against Notre Dame after leading by 15 points, the Tigers have been much more ruthless in recent games.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]They absolutely thrashed Georgia Tech, 43-24, and held the Yellow Jackets’ prolific running game to a pitiful 1.7 yards per carry. And on Saturday, they put up 532 yards of total offense on the Boston College’s defense that entered the week as No. 1 in the nation in total defense en route to a 34-17 win.
Deshaun Watson, who has fallen way short of expectations heading into the season, had by far his best game of the year as he ripped the formidable Eagles defense apart for 420 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Miami’s defense is nowhere near the level of BC’s – the Hurricanes are giving up 27.3 points and 454 yards of offense (worst in the ACC) against Power 5 conference opposition – so look for Watson and the Tigers offense to continue putting up stellar numbers.
Meanwhile, the Clemson defense, which is giving up just 16.7 points and 281.7 yards per game this season, should keep the Hurricanes offense in check. That defense has helped the under go 4-1 in the Tigers’ last five conference road games.
Clemson has won its only two visits to Miami (in 2004 and 2009).
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Betting on the Miami (FL) Hurricanes (4-2, 1-1 ACC)
Miami is currently a significant underdog at home against undefeated Clemson, but there are a couple of things to like in terms of the Canes’ ability to cover. For one, it recently gave the ACC’s other undefeated team, Florida State, a good old fight in Tallahassee. Brad Kaaya was simply terrific as he had 405 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 29-24 loss to the Noles.
Miami’s sophomore quarterback has arguably been the conference’s second-best QB behind Watson this season. Kaaya leads the conference in passing yards per game (299) and has a very impressive 10:1 touchdown-to-turnover ratio. He also had a very nice 168.2 passer rating against a very good Virginia Tech defense last time out.
The Canes defense isn’t exactly a shutdown unit, but it can do one thing well: pick off the quarterback. Miami has 11 interceptions already this season, comfortably the most in the conference. Watson has thrown an interception in his last five games this season, so the Canes have a good chance of getting a couple more chances to score points on the Clemson D.
Miami has gone 16-4 (12-8 ATS) in its last 20 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Miami makes Clemson sweat as Kaaya puts up points on a stellar defense. The Tigers eventually pull off the win, 24-21, but the Canes (+7) cover.
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