Kirk Herbstreit says "we will find out where Miami is" this weekend

Herbstreit has called two Miami games already this season. (Photo: Matthew Oharnen / USATODAY)

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Oct 07 08:01:03 GMT-04:00 2020

Kirk Herbstreit and the rest of the nation will find out just where the Miami program stands when the Hurricanes visit top-ranked Clemson this weekend.

Herbstreit, ESPN’s top college football analyst, has seen Miami play twice this season and will handle the color duties for this weekend’s 7:30 matchup on ABC.

“On ABC, we have kind of been the voice of the ‘Canes with watching them navigate their way through this early part of the season,” Herbstreit said on the ESPN College Football Podcast. “We saw them take care of Louisville and it was like ok that was a good win. And then they blew out Florida State, who is struggling right now. The next thing is Clemson, and it was like ok now we are going to find out. Now we are going to see how much this D’Eriq King and Rhett Lashlee and this offense—now we see where they really are.”

Clemson has won the last two games against Miami by a combined 96-3 score. When the programs last met – in the ACC Championship Game in 2017 – Clemson ran roughshod of the Hurricanes en route to a 38-3 victory.

This Clemson team might be a tad more talented that team, but the Hurricanes are far more talented than the team that left Charlotte humiliated in 2017.

“Manny Diaz will have to answer questions all week talking about how Clemson is the bar, not only in the ACC, but also the country,” Herbstreit said. “Now you get a chance to go on the road and take on Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne and Brent Venables. You have watched these guys play in big games and now you are going to get thrown into the ring with them and you are going to find out how good you are. We will see. Their front line guys are capable athletically. I don’t think they have the depth. I think they are trying to build that. We will find out where Miami is.”

ESPN’s David Pollack – part of the GameDay crew that will be in Clemson for the game – said Clemson was less than dominating in a 41-23 victory over Virginia last weekend.

“We are used to Clemson destroying everybody and looking great,” Pollack said. “Last week, watching that Virginia game, it wasn’t great. It wasn’t vintage Clemson football. Here is what I am seeing across college football. I am seeing a lot of average. I see a lot of meh. In the past I have seen better execution and now I think everything is meh and everyone is finding themselves more than any other season compared to when you have so much time to prepare in the past and you have cupcakes to get ready.

“See a lot of teams struggling to find identities. Clemson doesn’t struggle with Virginia usually. They usually beat the doors off Virginia. Their biggest thing with Clemson was their defense with giving up 400 yards and Virginia able to do what they wanted to do. College football has been a mixed bag and I don’t know what to expect.”

Herbstreit said he thinks the Cavaliers’ offensive success might have served as a wake-up call for the Clemson defense and expects Brent Venables’ squad to rise to the challenge.

“I don’t know if Brent Venables went to bed Saturday night with the way his defense played,” Herbstreit said. “I would expect the cream to start to rise to the top, starting this weekend now that we have gotten a few games in. I think we will see teams start to play to their ability.”