Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney will attempt to pass College Football Hall of Famer Frank Howard for sole possession of Clemson’s all-time head coaching wins record on Saturday, Oct. 21, when his Tigers face the Miami Hurricanes in prime time. Kickoff at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
Prior to Clemson’s open date last week, Swinney tied Howard atop Clemson’s all-time leaderboard with a 17-12 win against Wake Forest on Oct. 7. Both the opponent and the opponent’s point total drew historical parallels. Wake Forest last defeated Clemson in 2008, a loss that led to Swinney’s ascension to head coach the following week. Wake Forest also scored 12 points in that contest, though in 2008 those 12 points resulted in a 12-7 Wake Forest win rather than the 17-12 defeat Wake Forest suffered this season that evened Swinney with Howard in the wins column.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS WEEK
– Head Coach Dabo Swinney attempting to earn his 166th career win to pass College Football Hall of Famer Frank Howard (165 from 1940-69) for sole possession of the Clemson record for career head coaching wins.
– Swinney attempting to match the career win total of College Football Hall of Famer Red Blaik, who won 166 games at Dartmouth and Army from 1934-58. Swinney’s .801 win percentage is already ahead of Blaik’s .759. – Clemson and Miami (Fla.), which met in a 40-10 Tiger win last November, meeting in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2004-05.
– Clemson, which took the all-time series lead against Miami for the first time last year, attempting to move its series record against the Hurricanes to 8-6.
– Clemson attempting to win a fifth straight game against Miami for the first time in school history. Clemson’s four straight wins in the series include two wins in Clemson in 2020 and 2022, a win in the 2017 ACC Championship Game in Charlotte, and a 58-0 win in the Tigers’ most recent road game at Miami in 2015.
– Clemson attempting to improve to 44-20 in games following regular season open dates in the ACC era (since 1953). Clemson has won 14 of its last 16 regular season games following open weeks.
– Clemson attempting to improve to 21-11 in games at NFL stadiums under Dabo Swinney. A win would improve Clemson to 18-7 at NFL stadiums since 2015.
– Clemson attempting to add to its 35 road wins since 2015, the most road wins by any program in the nation in that span.
Predictions:
Zach: The Clemson Tigers hit the road in search of their fifth win and keeping their hopes of making the ACC Championship alive, as they head down to Miami to take on the fighting “Never Kneeling” Hurricanes. The Tigers are fully healthy coming off a bye week, and I fully expect the offense to look the best it has all season with Antonio Williams return providing a spark. The defense, well, they do their thing and help the Tigers as they get a big win in the Sunshine State and keep the path to another ACC Championship Game alive.
Clemson 31, The Never Kneeling Fighting Cristobals 17
Brad: Teams are supposed to play some of their best ball following an open date and that should be the expectation for the Tigers at Miami. Now, the Hurricanes are looking to avoid a third-consecutive loss that would feel like the wheels have fallen off, so they’ll be hungry. Starting QB Tyler Van Dyke is not healthy, but he plays behind an offensive line that hasn’t allowed many sacks this season. The Clemson defense still has to get pressure with the front six and let the backend play coverage. If Clemson can stop the run and run the ball well themselves, a win is in the cards. Then again, the offense isn’t coming off a confidence-building performance and his struggling with creating explostive plays.
Clemson 24, Miami 17
Jason: Not only is this Miami team coming in reeling, starting QB Tyler Van Dyke is also banged up. While the Canes have proven they can be explosive, they’ve also been turning the football over at an alarming rate. Nine total during their two game losing streak. That should provide some opportunities for a Clemson defense that gets Nate Wiggins back this week. Antonio Williams is also ready to roll after missing the past four games, giving Garrett Riley one more weapon to use against a Miami pass defense that has at times been suspect in the two losses.
Clemson 28 Miami 17
