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Miami (FL) football's Week 8 has them looking to hit the reset button again as they'll be facing the Clemson Tigers on Saturday. It will be the Hurricanes' third consecutive ACC conference matchup, having lost their last two, with the most recent loss at Chapel Hill against North Carolina. At least, Miami will be at home this weekend.
Of course, being at home for the Hurricanes' football team doesn't mean much these days, as they continually draw dismal crowds that barely fill up the lower bowls. Long gone are the days and aura that surrounded the Orange Bowl. But it also doesn't help that Miami, under head coach Mario Cristobal, is 5-6 when playing at Hard Rock Stadium. They're also only 3-7 against ACC opponents. Is it any wonder why Miami fans would prefer South Beach over watching the Hurricanes?
Now, with two conference losses, Miami is all but done in hopes of reaching the ACC title game. So now, this team has to reset its goals. What those goals are now probably involve making a bowl game, which they failed to do last year. The Hurricanes are the majority of the way there with five wins, although I'm not sure how highly a win over Bethune-Cookman will be regarded. But how will they respond against a Clemson team that is also dealing with two conference losses and seemingly no College Football Playoff or ACC title to play for?
Clemson is still one of the tougher teams in the conference. They still have tons of talent on their team and are relatively well-coached, despite Dabo Swinney's old-school ways. Both teams need a win this week to revive hope in their season. With that said, let's get into some Miami football Week 8 predictions.
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Tyler Van Dyke throws two interceptions against Clemson football
Clemson football's defense is averaging two takeaways a game, according to Team Rankings. Given the way the Hurricanes have been turning the ball over recently, it's reasonable to expect they will likely give up turnovers against the tough Tigers' defense on Saturday. The bold part of this prediction is that it will only be two turnovers, which will be attributed to Van Dyke.
Van Dyke is currently injured, and even Cristobal is refusing to talk about his injuries, according to ON3. The Miami starting quarterback just revealed after the North Carolina game that he tore three ligaments in a finger on his throwing hand during fall camp, and it's still not fully healed. Plus, he was seen walking around campus nursing a leg injury suffered against the Tar Heels. Add all of that together, along with his five interceptions in his last two games, and this seems like a given at this point.
Miami football won't fumble against Clemson
Speaking of turnovers, the Hurricanes have suffered nine total turnovers in the past two games, which has significantly contributed to their inability to win games. Besides Van Dyke's interceptions, there have been four fumbles, including two that could have been game-changers.
Miami has a stable of solid running backs in Henry Parrish, Don Chaney, and Ajay Allen, but they'll need to hold onto the ball, especially in the red zone. Hopefully, they'll hold onto the ball against Clemson.
Brashard Smith runs a punt back for a touchdown
As the season has progressed, we've seen more of Brashard Smith. He was a standout in the Texas A&M game, where he returned his first kickoff for a touchdown. Besides that, he has only scored two more receiving touchdowns this year. His best game as a receiver was last week against North Carolina, where he caught three passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. Look for him to be more involved against the Clemson football team and make another impact on special teams, as he did against the Aggies.
Miami football loses its third consecutive game, falling to 0-3 in the ACC
I've picked Miami to win in the last two weeks, but I can't do it anymore. They should have rightfully beaten Georgia Tech. At least North Carolina is a good team. Clemson, though not as good as some of the Tigers' teams in the past, is still a very good football team. Plus, in the last four meetings against the Hurricanes, the Tigers have outscored them 178-30. Adding up all four of Miami's scores in those games wouldn't beat Clemson in any game.
Miami usually doesn't perform well in big games, except when it's against Florida State, and sometimes not even then. Believe it or not, there's probably a really good team in this group. If you've watched Miami football this season, you've probably seen glimpses of it. But they just can't get out of their own way, and that goes for their coaches too. The Hurricanes lose their third consecutive game.
