CLEMSON — For a third consecutive home game, and for the fourth time this year, weather will play a role in the outcome in some way when No. 4 Miami sends a Hurricane warning to Clemson’s Death Valley on Saturday night.

In three of their four games to this point, the Tigers have had to deal with some type of delay. They saw their gam delayed at LSU to start the season and the same happened in its home opener against Georgia Southern.

The Tigers’ win over North Carolina in Death Valley came after a two-and-a-half-hour delay with 8:11 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The forecast does not look well for Clemson, S.C., on Saturday where afternoon thunderstorms and heavy rain are in the picture.

“It has been a weird year. It has been a really weird year,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “We are kicking off at 7:30 and it might be one of the earliest kickoffs we have had all year… I mean seriously. We have had two 9:30 kickoffs and a 10:30 kickoff in our world. Even the noon kickoff (against UNC) was the longest game in Clemson history, I think.

“I mean, it has been insane. It has been really, really weird from that standpoint.”

Swinney says Clemson and its fans deserve to have a normal game-day atmosphere at home because they have not had one this year.

“We really have not had a chance to really put it all together – football, fans, band, you know, the pageantry of Clemson,” he said. “We really have not had the chance to really do that yet… I mean, there is no environment better than Clemson. This place is magical, it really is, especially when we do our part.”

No. 4 Miami (4-0, 2-0 ACC) vs. Clemson (3-1, 2-0 ACC)

• Kickoff: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
• Location: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, S.C.
• TV: ABC
• Spread: Miami minus-16.5
• Total: 47.5 points
• Series: Tied 7-7
• First Meeting: The two first met in 1945 in Miami, which the Hurricanes won, 7-6.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

First place in the ACC is on the line, as Clemson and Miami are the only 2-0 teams inside league play. The winner also gets the inside track to the ACC Championship Game.

KEY MATCHUP

Clemson’s secondary against Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney. The Hurricanes use Toney in every way you can think. Miami will line him up in the backfield. He will line up out wide. He will line up in the slot. He will go in motion. He is used in orbit motion. They will pop a pass to him. Because of the ‘Canes ability to run the football, Clemson will likely play straight man with a single safety high. That means the Tigers will have to track Toney everywhere he goes, which is not an easy ask. Miami has burned anyone who has tried to play straight up on Toney. The Miami receiver ranks third nationally with 141.0 receiving yards per game. He already has 34 catches for 564 yards and six TDs this season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Miami’s Darian Mensah completed an ACC record 26 consecutive passes in the ‘Canes win over Wake Forest on Sept. 18. The senior ranks sixth nationally, averaging 302.8 yards per game through the air. He is completing 88.7 percent of his passes and has 14 touchdowns and no interceptions. Mensah’s 14 TDs lead the nation, and he is the only quarterback with at least 12 TDs that has not thrown an interception. Last year, the Duke transfer threw for 361 yards and 4 TDs with no interceptions against Clemson, while completing 27 of 41 passes in leading the Blue Devils to their first win in Death Valley since 1980.

Clemson cornerback Ashton Hampton is arguably the top cornerback in the nation. Hampton leads the nation with seven breakups, including one interception to go along with 13 tackles, including one for loss. Through four games he has been targeted 26 times with only nine being completed (34.6 percent). Against Cal, Hampton graded at 81.4 percent, according to PFF. The Bears targeted him seven times but completed just two passes for 10 yards in those seven throws. He broke up three of those passes.

THIS AND THAT

Dabo Swinney Clemson teams are 19-15 against AP Top 10 teams in his head coaching tenure. His first AP Top 10 win came against eighth-ranked Miami in a 40-37 overtime thriller on the road in 2009. Swinney is 5-3 against AP Top 10 teams at home, including wins against Georgia (2013), Notre Dame (2015), Louisville (2016), Miami (2020) and NC State (2022).

FINAL ANALYSIS

Miami has one of the best offensive units to ever come into Death Valley. They are averaging 53.5 points and 588.8 yards per game, the best in the ACC and top 4 in both nationally. Clemson’s defense has played better the last three weeks and has allowed just 12.3 points per game since giving up 51 points and 600 plus yards in the opener to LSU. Though it is improving, Clemson’s offense still isn’t very good. The Tigers are struggling to throw the ball with any consistency, which does not matchup well with a Maimi defense that will be geared to stop the run. The Tigers, I think, make things interesting early, but the Hurricanes have too much firepower for Clemson to hang all night.

Prediction

Miami 34, Clemson 17