Another Bad Night for Dabo, Clemson
By: Will Vandervort October 3, 2026

CLEMSON – Miami quarterback Darian Mensah was not perfect on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium, but he was not bad either. The nation’s top passer had another efficient night for the fourth-ranked Hurricanes, as threw for 227 yards and one touchdown on 18 of 27 passing, as they knocked off the Tigers 41-13.

Though his team lost, Clemson quarterback Tait Reynolds showed a lot of poise and toughness as the freshman completed 29 of 44 passes for 295 yards. He also hung in there as he was sacked, hit and pressured all night.

Though he did throw a pick-six with 1:49 to play in the game.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • You wondered what would have happened had Corey Myrick’s 77-yard fumble return for a touchdown with 4:14 to play in the first quarter had not been overturned by instant replay. Replay said Mensah had control of the ball when London Merritt hit him from behind for what looked like a clear stripe sack fumble. Instead, Miami kept possession and later scored a field goal for a 10-0 lead.
  • Penalties killed Clemson all night. One the Hurricanes’ first play, corner Ashton Hampton was called for hands to the face. That set the tone for the night, as the Tigers were penalized 10 times for 91 yards. Most of those penalties came at the worst time for the Tigers.
  • Clemson’s offensive line had another bad night. Besides a couple of procedure penalties, the offensive line also allowed six sacks—four in the first half—and nine tackles for loss.
  • Miami has one of the best run defenses in the country, and that was proven in Saturday’s game, as they held the Tigers to 55.
  • Mensah’s nine incompletions were his most this season. The Miami quarterback had just eight incompletions coming into the season.
  • Clemson held Miami to 419 yards in total offense. The Hurricanes were averaging 588.8 yards per game coming in. They also held Mensah under his average through the air. The senior was averaging 302 yards per game coming in.
  • Miami opened the second half with a drive that bogged down at the Clemson 39. On fourth-and-three, Mensah’s pass to Toney fell to the ground incomplete, as corner Ashton Hampton was credited with a pass break up.
  • The Tigers took the ball and moved it to the Hurricanes’ 18. On fourth-and-two, Clemson tried a trick play with a direct snap to running back Gideon Davidson. However, Miami linebacker Chase Smith shot through the gap and stopped th Clemson running back a yard short of the first down.
  • Miami put the game on ice after that, going on a 14-play, 83-yard drive which took 7:58 off the clock. Mark Fletcher scored from two yards out with 1:51 to play to cap the drive for a 24-6 lead. The Hurricanes faced a third-and-11 from its own 49, when Mensah stood in the pocket and delivered a strike to receiver Malachi Toney, who made a diving catch to help his quarterback. Mensah threw the ball just as Clemson’s Jahiem Lawson and London Merritt hit him from opposite sides. The two later connected on a fourth-and-one on the Clemson 42 for a 3-yard gain to keep the drive alive.
  • After Reynolds fumbled on Clemson’s first play of the next drive, the Tigers held Miami to a field goal. On the ensuing possession Bryant Wesco caught a Reynolds pass, broke the ankles of a would-be-tackler and raced 55 yards to Miami one. Two plays later, Davidson took the ball in to cut the Miami lead to 27-13 with 12:09 to go.

UP NEXT

Clemson gets the week off before returning to Death Valley on Oct. 17 to face Charleston Southern.