Upset of top-ranked Clemson would be step toward return to glory days for Miami

It has been a while, but Miami has enjoyed a run of success like the one Clemson is on.

The seventh-ranked Hurricanes, who seem as confident and similarly brash as their predecessors in the 1980s, have a chance to add substance to their swagger 7:30 p.m. Saturday against No. 1 Clemson at Memorial Stadium.

For the Tigers, the only thing unusual about this colossal matchup is that it comes during the regular season. They have not hosted a Top 10 team since Louisville in 2016. Clemson has made five consecutive trips to the college football playoffs, been to the championship game four times and won twice.

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Nov 23, 2019; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz yells out during the first half against the FIU Golden Panthers at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

 (Photo: Steve Mitchell, Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports)

But for Miami, this is the biggest game since the 2017 ACC championship against Clemson and that didn’t go so well for the Hurricanes. They lost, 38-3, and the promise of a resurgence fizzled out with three straight losses to end a season that started with 10 straight wins.

“Obviously, that situation ate us up a little bit,” said Manny Diaz, who was then a defensive coordinator and is now in his second season as head coach. “We were very close. We had a big game against Notre Dame but not quite in that setting of what it is in Charlotte (site of ACC championship game). But it was a great learning experience.”

Listen in: What Miami Hurricanes coaches are saying about facing top-ranked Clemson

Miami dominated college football in the 1980s under three different coaches: Howard Schnellenberger, Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson. The Hurricanes won national championships in 1983, 1987, 1989 and 1991, the latter in a final ranking by the Associated Press.

“I just know historically Miami’s been a powerhouse,” said Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was born in 1999 and just turned 21 this week. “They’ve always had a certain swag about them. When you play them, you know what you’re going to get. I think it’s definitely getting back to that and that’s really good to see.”

The Hurricanes, however, have not  beaten a No. 1 team since knocking off Florida State in 2000. The Hurricanes are looking for their most significant victory since beating Virginia Tech at the end of the 2002 season to earn a berth in the BCS championship game, which they lost to Ohio State.

“This is not a big game at Clemson. This is just what they do,” Diaz said. “We’ve got to get our program to where it’s the same way.

“… What we’re trying to do is get ourselves in a position where playing these games is not extraordinary for Miami anymore, that we’re in these type of prime-time matchups, the (ESPN) ‘College GameDay’ thing, playing a team like Clemson. This is how you build a program, to be in these positions and have it feel natural and normal, which is exactly what it is for Clemson.”

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Miami (3-0) in the past two games scored a combined 99 points against then-No. 18 Louisville and rival Florida State, the latter in a 52-10 blowout. The Hurricanes are out to prove that it’s not just a good start to the season against inferior opponents.

“I love it. I think our kids are embracing it,” Miami defensive coordinator Blake Baker said. “I think it’s good for college football l when you look at two top-10 teams being able to battle in the regular season. … If you really want to see how good you are, this is the kind of team you want to play.”