Notebook: Tigers hand Miami its worst loss of all-time
By: will-vandervort October 24, 2015

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Clemson came to Miami on Saturday saying it was here for business purposes only. It took care of its business.

The sixth-ranked Tigers left Miami’s Sun Life Stadium tying a program record for margin of victory over an ACC opponent thanks to a 58-0 win over the Hurricanes. Clemson’s offense totaled 567 yards, while the defense held Miami to 146 yards, including 53 yards rushing.

Miami (4-3, 1-2 ACC) had just six first downs, while the Tigers had 33. It was the Hurricanes worst defeat of all-time.

“That was an awesome, awesome win for our guys,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “That was a complete performance in all three phases. We are really proud of our team. It is just one of those games where it all went our way.

“Our guys were ready to play and were dialed in.”

Clemson (7-0, 4-0 ACC) scored on five of its first six possessions and had 416 yards on the ground. It was the 14th best rushing performance in school history and marked the first time a Clemson team rushed for more than 400 yards in a game since a win over Wake Forest in 2000.

The Tigers had touchdown drives of 82, 84, 61, 85, 84, 45 and 69 yards.

Here is some more news and notes from Saturday’s win in Miami: Clemson has won 10 consecutive games for the first time since the 1983-84 seasons.

  • Clemson has won 16 of its last 17 games. The last time Clemson did that was during the 1947-49 era.
  • Clemson has won 33 consecutive games over teams not ranked in either the AP or USA Today polls, 35 in a row over teams not ranked by the Associated Press. The last time Clemson lost to an unranked team was in 2011 at NC State.
  • Clemson has started 7-0 for the first time since the 2011 season when the Tigers started 8-0.  This is just the fifth time Clemson has started 7-0 or better in a season. The other seasons are 1948, 1981, 2000 and 2011.
  • Miami is the ninth different team ranked among the top 20 winningest teams (percentage) in the history of college football that Clemson has defeated over the last five years. Miami ranked 15th with a .6338 winning percentage entering today. The other teams ranked in the top 20 Clemson has defeated since 2011 are Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Florida State, LSU, Georgia, Auburn and Virginia Tech.
  • Dabo Swinney is 68-26 as Clemson’s head coach. His .723 winning percentage is fourth best in ACC history (min 4 years). The only coaches ahead of him are Jimbo Fisher, Bobby Bowden and Danny Ford.
  • The Tigers’ 58 points were the program’s second-most in an ACC road game, trailing only the 59 scored at Virginia in 2013.
  • The shutout was Clemson’s first in any road game since 1995 at Maryland.
  • The Tigers’ 42 points in the opening half were the most by Clemson in an ACC game since 2012 at Duke, which also came in the first 30 minutes.
  • Clemson’s 42-0 halftime lead was the program’s biggest margin in an ACC game since at least 1977. The Tigers led Duke 41-0 at halftime in 1984, the most lopsided margin on record.
  • The Tigers rushed for 230 yards in the first half, more than it had in any of the previous six games this season. Clemson finished the contest with a season-best 416, most by the program since 2000 against Wake Forest.
  • Clemson has now had a 400-yard passing game and 400-yard rushing game in its last two contests. That is the first time in history a Tiger team has done both in the same season.
  • The Tigers have now scored 11 touchdowns defensively under coordinator Brent Venables since 2012, including two this season.
  • Deshaun Watson is now 11-1 as a starting quarterback the first Clemson starting quarterback to win 11 of his first 12 games.
  • Watson moved to sole possession of seventh place in Clemson’s record book for career touchdown passes, moving ahead of Mike Eppley who had 28. Watson’s 63-yard carry in the opening quarter was the longest of his career.
  • Wayne Gallman produced his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season. The sophomore ended the game with 118 yards and a touchdown. Gallman’s four 100-yard efforts are the most by a Tiger since Roderick McDowell also had four in 2013.
  • Cordrea Tankersley returned an interception for a touchdown in the second quarter, his first career score and the Tigers’ second defensive touchdown in 2015.
  • Shaq Lawson had two sacks, both in the first 16 minutes of Saturday’s game, increasing his career total to 13.
  • Jordan Leggett has a touchdown reception in five straight games following his 34-yard catch from Watson on the game’s opening drive. That is a Clemson record for consecutive games with a touchdown by a tight end, breaking the tie he held with K.D. Dunn (1982).
  • Kelly Bryant scored on a 59-yard touchdown rush, the longest carry of his young career. Bryant’s run was his first of two touchdowns on the day, the first two of his career.
  • Artavis Scott’s three-yard rush in the second quarter was the first rushing touchdown of his career.