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Once the points stopped flowing against Clemson, Miami relied on its defense to avoid an upset in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener.
And that might be the difference this season as the 16th-ranked Hurricanes chase their first league title and a spot in the BCS.
''Our defensive line has been doing a tremendous job, and our linebackers have been wiping out the run,'' cornerback Brandon Harris said after Miami's 30-21 victory. ''If we keep playing this way on the back end, I believe we're going to have success.''
Miami (3-1, 1-0 ACC) looked like it was on the way to another shootout with Clemson on Saturday when the Hurricanes let Andre Ellington run free for touchdowns of 71 and 14 yards in the games first 17 minutes.
Then the Hurricanes got nasty, forcing six turnovers. Miami had three sacks and eight stops behind the line of scrimmage. The win was capped by a crucial fourth-down stop by Harris that looked a lot like how ''The U's'' fearsome defenses did it back during their national championship days.
''We've been working on that since last year,'' Harris said. ''Turnovers come in bunches, and today we got six.''
The group, in its second season with defensive coordinator John Lovett, has playmakers along the line and in the secondary. Defensive ends Allen Bailey and Olivier Vernon chased Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker throughout the game, often forcing him to run out of bounds because Miami's secondary had the Tigers receivers covered up.
Linebacker Sean Spence continued his stellar season with 14 tackles and forced fumble. Right before Harris' fourth-down stop at Miami's 20, Spence held Clemson power back Jamie Harper to no yards on third-and-one.
''We just put it all together today,'' Spence said.
Brandon Harris wasn't the only defensive back to step up. When Clemson receiver DeAndre Hopkins broke free for a 20-yard catch, cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke stripped the ball and recovered the fumble to end the Tigers rally.
Turnovers ''breathes something into your defense,'' Miami coach Randy Shannon said. ''If we can keep creating turnovers, we are going to be better as a football team.''
Miami came into the weekend leading the league in sacks and overall defense. If the Hurricanes can keep it up, they might finally get that ACC title shot they've hoped for since joining in 2004.
''We expect to win the ACC every year,'' cornerback Ryan Hill said. ''The fact we haven't won, it is surprising in a sense, I guess.''
The Hurricanes appear to have the offensive firepower to score at will. Quarterback Jacory Harris tied his career best with four touchdown passes, three to Leonard Hankerson, as Miami took a 27-14 halftime lead. The margin could have been even more lopsided as Harris threw a couple of his patented crazy picks - one in the end zone on third-and-goal - to end threats.
Jacory Harris and the Miami offense had a tougher time making yards after halftime and didn't put the game away until Matt Bosher's 29-yard field goal with 2:40 left made it 30-21.
But it didn't cost the Hurricanes as it might have in the past. That's what a skilled defense can do.
''There's no doubt that's what's made the difference,'' Brandon Harris said. ''They take control of the defense and put us all where we need to be. We want to continue to make plays and continue to get wins.''
Miami faces rival Florida State next Saturday and closes league play next month with division rivals Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech on consecutive weeks, a stretch that figures to determine who plays in the championship game.
