Twenty-five nuggets, thoughts, Canes-Clemson postscripts heading into UM bye

Twenty-five Hurricanes nuggets, data points and thoughts off the 41-13 win in Clemson:

▪ One of the most impressive developments, through five games, is how the front seven hasn’t missed a beat after the loss of first-round picks Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, and to a somewhat lesser extent, Wesley Bissainthe.

The Hurricanes defense leads the nation in both rushing yards allowed per game (42.6) and opponent’s yards per carry (1.6). Last season, UM yielded 81.8 rushing yards per game and 2.9 per carry.

Against Clemson, linebackers Chase Smith and Mo Toure set the tone with their physicality in the run game. Pro Football Focus gave each elite run-defense grades for the night, ranking them 1-2 in that category. Armondo Blount was third as a run defender, even though he has been banged up recently and perhaps not yet at his best.

Even the pass rush is matching last year’s output, after a slow start, albeit against competition that doesn’t yet measure up to last year’s schedule.

The Canes are averaging 3.2 sacks per game, compared with 3.1 last season.

Besides his 2.5 sacks Saturday, Damon Wilson II had an astounding 11 quarterback pressures, which PFF said were the most by any player in FBS this past weekend. Ahmad Moten, Herbert Scroggins and Booker Pickett had three pressures apiece.

▪ With Marquise Lightfoot limited to 21 snaps because of an injury, the Hurricanes gave 40 defensive snaps to Scroggins and 26 to Pickett. Freshman De’Anthony LaFayette played 17, mostly late.

During his Monday appearance with WQAM’s Joe Rose, Mario Cristobal was noncommittal about Lightfoot or any of the injured players but didn’t declare anyone out for the year.

Canesport reported that the word on UM’s sideline said Lightfoot had a concussion, though others speculated it was a shoulder injury. Cristobal will speak to reporters again at 3 p.m. Monday and will presumably be pressed for clarity.

In the meantime, Scroggins’ improvement, dating back to limited work in last year’s playoffs, is encouraging.

▪ Even with Ethan O’Connor leaving the game briefly for an injury, he still played 66 snaps. Ryan Mack played 26 snaps, compared to just six for Damari Brown, who has dealt with a foot issue for years.

Injuries continue to bedevil Brown, who permitted both passes against him to be caught (for 14 yards) in his limited work against Clemson.

What’s interesting is that Mack played ahead of three freshman cornerbacks and second-year player Chris Ewald. Xavier Lucas remains out but could be back for the Oct. 17 FSU game. Ja’boree Antoine could be back in November.

Mack, playing his most prominent role on defense in a high-profile game, allowed one completion in three targets, a 19-yarder.

▪ O’Connor was again very good, allowing just 30 yards on eight targets (and five completions). He would be a starter on most FBS teams.

▪ Dylan Day, who had been sidelined for two games with a non-football injury, replaced JJ Dunnigan as the starting safety alongside Zechariah Poyser and played 54 snaps, compared with Dunnigan’s 25.

Day played well, aside from a personal foul penalty on a late hit on a Clemson player who had gone out of bounds.

But Dunnigan’s pick-six late in the game — combined with the win — made this an enjoyable and successful night for the freshman from Kansas. Cristobal said he had been banged up recently, which might have been a factor in Day starting.

▪ Day held up better in coverage than Dunnigan had in the two previous games. Day allowed two completions in two targets but those passes went for only three yards, per PFF. Dunnigan allowed three of four to be caught for 44 yards, but compensated for that with the pick-six.

▪ Safety Poyser allowed only seven yards in his coverage area, on two completions (and three targets). His physicality continues to set a tone in the back end of Miami’s defense.

▪ At defensive tackle, Keona Davis played only six snaps, compared with 18 for Jarquez Carter. Justin Scott (46) and Moten (38) are able to handle heavy workloads, but I’m surprised Davis hasn’t played a bit more. Davis (the Nebraska transfer) and Carter (the Ohio State transfer) have been decent, but nothing more to this point.

▪ Linebacker Kellen Wiley Jr., who was held out against Central Michigan for injury and other undisclosed reasons cited in vague comments by Cristobal, returned and logged nine defensive snaps — one more than Kamal Bonner.

▪ Ezekiel Marcelin had emerged as the No. 3 inside linebacker but didn’t play in the game because of a recent injury. Cam Pruitt’s 16 snaps were most among the inside linebackers. Marcelin might be the best of those four (himself, Wiley, Bonner, Pruitt) when healthy, but it’s close.

▪ PFF rated Moten, Dunnigan, Smith, Wilson and Bryce Fitzgerald as UM’s best players on defense Saturday.

▪ Carter and Lafayette were rated the worst.

▪ Though nickel corner Omar Thornton’s run defense and physicality have been huge assets, he remains erratic in coverage. Both passes against him were caught, for 33 yards. He leads UM in tackles, but he must do a better job sticking with receivers.

▪ Though Toure and Smith were exemplary against the run, PFF asserted that they allowed all eight passes thrown against them to be caught, for 100 yards, including 71 against Toure. UM will need to live with occasional games where they’re victimized in the pass game.

▪ The decision to start Ben Congdon at left guard paid off nicely. PFF rated him Miami’s second-best offensive lineman Saturday, behind only center Ryan Rodriguez. He played 61 of Miami’s 66 snaps.

The former starter at left guard, SJ Alofaituli, played 32 snaps; he mostly filled in for right guard Max Buchanan when he left, for a time, with an injury before returning.

▪ Right tackle Matthew McCoy, who sustained a painful shoulder injury, missed only six snaps, but was bowled over by a Clemson defender when trying to play with a harness.

Georgia transfer Jamal Meriweather played those six snaps that McCoy missed.

▪ UM opted not to use five-star freshman Jackson Cantwell in relief of McCoy. Indications are Cantwell is better at tackle than guard, but he’s not yet good enough to displace tackles Samson Okunlola or McCoy. And UM seemed to trust Meriweather more than Cantwell when McCoy went out briefly.

▪ PFF rated Congdon, Rodriguez and Alofaituli as Miami’s best run-blocking lineman Saturday. That’s great progress for an interior line that has been maligned at times.

▪ Buchanan and Rodriguez were rated the best pass-blocking lineman; McCoy permitted Miami’s only sack. Incidentally, props to Buchanan and McCoy for the toughness they showed trying to play through injuries.

▪ We told you in August that UM people were buzzing about Javian Mallory and that they believed he needed to be in the rotation.

Fast forward two months, after the CharMar “Marty” Brown season-ending knee injury, and Mallory is clearly now the No. 2 running back unless someone passes him.

Mallory played 24 offensive snaps, compared with three apiece for Girard Pringle Jr. and Jordan Lyle.

▪ Though Vandrevius Jacobs had 141 yards on seven receptions for South Carolina against Clemson last November, he wasn’t targeted on any deep throws and played just 11 offensive snaps.

▪ Malachi Toney played 62 of Miami’s 66 offensive snaps, while Cooper Barkate played 61, Daylyn Upshaw 39 and Vance Spafford 2. At some point, Somourion Wingo will press Jacobs for time.

▪ PFF rated Fletcher, Toney, Rodriguez, Barkate and tight end Elija Lofton as Miami’s top five players on offense.

▪ Okunlola and tight end Gavin Mueller (21 snaps) were rated the worst high-usage players on offense. It was a rare subpar game for Okunlola.

▪ UM loves the upside of Mueller, and he will keep being developed even though Saturday wasn’t a banner night. So will fellow freshman tight end Israel Briggs, who played six offensive snaps.

This story was originally published October 5, 2026 at 10:50 AM with the headline “Twenty-five nuggets, thoughts, Canes-Clemson postscripts heading into UM bye.”