The Miami Hurricanes started this season 4-0, dominating their opponents. The first “big” test this season was the Clemson Tigers on Saturday night, so what did we learn? The Hurricanes beat the Tigers 41-13 to move to 5-0, but what did we learn about Miami? Are they real contenders? Is Mensah the quarterback to lead them to a national championship?

We’ll cover all that and more throughout this article, highlighting what we learned from the Miami-Clemson matchup.

Is Darian Mensah the real deal?

The biggest conversation surrounding Miami was whether Darian Mensah was the real deal. He was playing at an elite level throughout the first four weeks, and before the game against Clemson, he had more touchdowns than incompletions on the year.

Mensah has entered first-round conversations for the 2027 NFL Draft, but the two main concerns in his game are arm strength and how he handles pressure.

Against Clemson, Mensah went 18-of-27 for 227 yards and one touchdown. It wasn’t a jaw-dropping performance, but Mensah answered a crucial question. He can throw against the blitz.

When blitzed against the Tigers, Mensah went 10-of-12 for 145 yards and one touchdown. His biggest throw came on a 3rd-and-11 and he stood tall in the pocket, delivering a strike to Malachi Toney. Mensah had an EPA/Dropback of 0.22, which ranked in the 67th percentile.

Not only did Mensah do well against pressure, but he also showed off his scrambling ability, rushing for a 34-yard touchdown. It’s a building-block type of performance for Mensah, and with the bulk of the ACC schedule coming up, he has the chance to string together strong performances.

Can the Hurricanes win a national championship?

Going into the game vs. Clemson, there was doubt that Miami could be a real championship contender. It was nothing against the team, but in reality, the program hadn’t played anyone serious just yet. Clemson isn’t expected to make any crazy run in the 2026 season, but the team is littered with NFL talent.  Players like Ashton Hampton, Will Heldt, Sammy Brown and Bryant Wesco Jr., to name a few, will get attention next spring.

So how’d Miami do? Well, beyond the score, Miami dominated the game in almost every category.

Looking at the advanced statistics, Miami had an EPA/Play of around 0.21, a success rate of about 52 percent and an EPA/Rush of around 0.19. All three of those numbers ranked above the 75th percentile. Dominant numbers are what you want to see from two teams that have different aspirations for the 2026 season.

When you look at championship teams, they tend to dominate the line of scrimmage. Looking at how Miami handled the line of scrimmage, it dominated. The Hurricanes rushed for 192 yards and gave up 55 to Clemson. Those are the numbers that aren’t “advanced,” but what you want to see from a team making a National Championship push.

Miami landed a star in the transfer portal

The Hurricanes lost both their starting edge rushers from the 2025 season to the NFL. Akheem Mesidor and Rueben Bain Jr. both went in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, so Miami had to go shopping in the transfer portal to find a replacement.

Who did they end up with? Former Missouri edge rusher Damon Wilson II, who in 2025 had nine sacks for the Tigers.

It was a slow start to the season for Wilson, but against Wake Forest in Week 3 he had seven total pressures and one sack. Against Clemson, he was dominant again. Wilson had two and a half sacks and six total pressures, dominating the Clemson tackles.

The program kept star defensive tackles Ahmad Moten Sr. and Justin Scott, but the edge rusher was the big question mark coming into the year. Wilson is looking to pick up right where Mesidor and Bain left off. Expect him to get some serious NFL attention in the spring.

How worried should we be about Clemson?

Clemson has serious NFL talent, as we mentioned above, so why doesn’t the team have more excitement going into the year?  The Tigers are starting a true freshman quarterback in Tait Reynolds, so no one knew what to expect going into the year. Reynolds first action came against LSU in the season opener after Christopher Vizzina struggled in the matchup.

So with a true freshman signal caller, it’s hard to make a push for a national championship even with the promising roster surrounding him. What helps a young quarterback is a rushing attack, and Miami didn’t have one. Clemson had an EPA/Rush of -0.49, which ranked in the first percentile, and the team averaged 1.8 yards per carry.

Looking at the rest of the schedule, the team has a relatively easy slate, with the toughest game being either Duke or South Carolina. Clemson should end the year in a bowl game, but with two losses already in the season, it’ll be hard to make the College Football Playoffs. The Tigers will have to run the table in the ACC to make the playoffs by winning the ACC Championship game.