Clemson capped a perfect regular season in ACC play and secured its 12th straight 10-win season with a victory over Miami on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Here are four sequences that went a long way in determining the outcome, a turning point and a telling stat from the Tigers’ 40-10 win.

• After Clemson put together a 75-yard touchdown drive on the game’s opening possession, Miami looked as if it had its initial first down of the day when quarterback Jacurri Brown scrambled for a chunk of yardage on third-and-8. But running back Jaylan Knighton was flagged for an illegal crackback block on Jeremiah Trotter Jr., pushing the Hurricanes back behind the chains. Miami eventually punted, and the Tigers went 57 yards in nine plays to extend their lead to two scores late in the first quarter. Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei used his legs to cap the scoring drive, weaving past a couple of Miami defenders on his way to an 8-yard touchdown run.
• Miami picked up its only first down of the first half when Brown found tight end Will Mallory for a third-down completion early in the second quarter, which kept the Hurricanes from having to punt from deep within their own territory. But things went in Clemson’s favor on Brown’s next dropback. A blitzing R.J. Mickens tipped Brown’s attempted screen pass into the air, and fellow safety Jalyn Phillips came down with the interception at Miami’s 27-yard line. Six plays later, Clemson dialed up a throwback pass to reserve tight end Luke Price, who snuck across the formation to find himself all alone for a 3-yard touchdown grab to give Clemson a 21-0 lead with 10:22 left in the first half.
• Miami forced Clemson’s second punt midway through the second quarter and had the Tigers backed up at their own 9 on their ensuing possession. But the Hurricanes helped Clemson quickly move out near midfield when Baylon Spector caught a short pass near the Tigers’ sideline. James Williams quickly closed in to limit Spector to a 6-yard gain, but Miami’s safety then shoved Spector to the ground well out of bounds, drawing a penalty for unnecessary roughness. Uiagalelei connected with freshman receiver Adam Randall for 18 yards on the next play to again get the Tigers into Miami territory, and Clemson drove into the red zone before eventually stalling out. But B.T. Potter drilled a 32-yard field goal to give Clemson even more points just before the half.
• Already facing a 24-3 deficit late in the third quarter, Miami forced its second turnover of the day late in the third quarter. But Kam Kinchen’s fumble recovery with the Tigers driving deep in Miami territory also meant the Hurricanes had to take over possession at their own 9. That field position proved beneficial for Clemson on Miami’s first play of the possession when freshman cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. quickly closed in on Brown on a blitz. Brown tried to get a pass off from near his own goal line, but a video review showed Brown’s knee was down in the end zone before getting rid of the ball. The safety resulted in two more points for Clemson and gave the ball back to the Tigers’ offense.

Turning point

With 21 points in the first 16 minutes and change of game time, Clemson looked like it might cruise until the Tigers turned the ball over three more times in the second half. And after Jordan Miller recovered Uiagalelei’s fumble early in the fourth quarter and returned it to Clemson’s 10, the Tigers suddenly found themselves in a two-score game after Miami’s third-string quarterback, Jake Garcia, came on and found Kahlil Brantley for a short touchdown pass with 13:45 remaining. But after the teams traded punts, Clemson held onto the ball long enough on its next possession to piece together its longest scoring drive of the night. Shipley capped the eight-play, 86-yard possession with a 3-yard touchdown run that pushed the Tigers’ lead back to three scores with less than 5 minutes left, eliminating any lingering doubt as to the outcome.

Telling stat: 2.4

That’s how many yards Miami averaged per play. In one of its best performances of the season, Clemson dominated the Hurricanes, who were playing without starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke. Brown brought a running threat to Miami’s offense, but Clemson shut that down, too, as part of a suffocating performance against the run (30 net yards). The Hurricanes had just seven more yards (8) than first downs (1) in the first half and finished with just 98 yards, easily the fewest Clemson has allowed all season. Only two of Miami’s drives reached Clemson territory, and its only touchdown came after a turnover in the fourth quarter that gave the Hurricanes the ball deep in Clemson territory.