CLEMSON — Clemson weathered multiple rain delays, a cross-country trip and an unsettled quarterback situation through the opening stretch of its season.
Now, the Tigers are preparing for a test that could provide a much clearer picture of just how far they have come in the last month.
Clemson (3-1, 2-0 ACC) opened its season with a lackluster 51-10 loss to LSU. Since then, the Tigers have found ways to win, but they have not faced another opponent of that caliber. Saturday night will give them another opportunity when No. 4 Miami comes to Death Valley for a 7:30 p.m., kickoff.
The Hurricanes (4-0, 2-0) rolled through its first four opponents — Stanford, Florida A&M, Wake Forest and Central Michigan. While none have established themselves as championship contenders, Miami’s offensive production has been difficult to ignore.
Transfer quarterback Darian Mensah has completed 88.7 percent of his passes, while wide receiver Malachi Toney and running back Mark Fletcher Jr. headline an offense loaded with weapons.
“We’re both undefeated in the league,” Swinney said. “This is a team that doesn’t have very many weaknesses. Really, it’s a really talented football team across the board. It’s like looking at a video game. It’s unreal.”
Swinney described Miami as having multiple potential Heisman candidates and a “three-headed monster” in the backfield. He was especially complimentary of Toney, calling him a “dude of dudes.”
“This kid can do it all,” Swinney said.
Mensah presents another challenge for a Clemson defense that Swinney believes has made significant progress since the beginning of the season.
“He’s very accurate and throws the ball very well,” Swinney said. “You make a mistake, and he’s gonna make you pay. You better have all eleven guys all on the same page doing their job.”
That makes discipline even more important. Swinney emphasized Clemson cannot afford unnecessary mistakes, particularly penalties after the whistle.
“There’s no margin for error,” Swinney said. “We have to play with elite effort and great toughness and physicality.
“We’ve gotten better each week, but we need to have our ‘A’ game. No ‘B’ game or ‘C’ game.”
One major difference between the Clemson team that faced LSU and the one preparing for Miami is under center.
Freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds is expected to make his third start of the season Saturday. Swinney said the quarterback position was still unsettled entering the LSU game, but Reynolds has since provided Clemson with more stability.
“Now we have a kid who is settled in that position,” Swinney said. “We’ve grown in our identity. I like what I’ve seen. We are more experienced.”
The Tigers have also found more consistency defensively. Swinney pointed to the secondary as one of Clemson’s biggest strengths, particularly Ashton Hampton, whose leadership has stood out.
“We got Sunday players,” Swinney said.
Some of the defense’s early struggles exposed areas Clemson needed to address, allowing the coaching staff and players to make adjustments as the season progressed.
Now, those improvements will be tested against one of the most talented offenses Clemson has seen come to Death Valley in a long time.
Clemson has shown improvement week by week. Miami provides the Tigers with an opportunity to show just how much they have improved.
“We haven’t really had a chance to put it all together,” Swinney said.
Saturday night might be their chance.