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Rex Brown

Clemson's C.J. Spiller (28) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the Tigers' 38-3 win over Wake Forest last Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Spiller and the Tigers will travel to face No. 8 Miami this Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

CLEMSON — When C.J. Spiller hopped in his vehicle on Tuesday morning en route to meet with the media ahead of Clemson’s game at No. 8 Miami on Saturday, he quickly realized one of his tires was flat.

But while the delay it caused was a nuisance, Spiller figured — given the magnitude of the upcoming game — it was probably for the best.

“I had to go get new tires,” the Tigers star tailback said upon eventually arriving at Memorial Stadium. “If you’re going into a big race, I’m pretty sure Jeff Gordon gets new tires.”

And though Spiller said it jokingly, the metaphor was actually apt, as the Hurricanes (5-1, 2-1 ACC) likely match up with Clemson’s speed as well as any team on its schedule.

“It’s going to be like a NASCAR race out there,” Spiller said. “Everybody’s going to be flying around. … It’s going to a great game, a fun game — like I said, speed on speed.”

Spiller, of course, is nothing if not a guy that knows a thing or two about speed and explosiveness. He’s had a play of 60 yards or more, either from scrimmage or on a return, in each of the Tigers’ first six games, and all told, has 22 plays of 50 yards or more in his career.

The senior speedster became the first player in ACC history to surpass 6,000 career all-purpose yards last week, as he rushed for 106 yards and two scores in a 38-3 rout of then-Atlantic Division leader Wake Forest — clearly the Tigers’ best all-around performance to date.

“We’ve still got some work to do,” Spiller said. “It was a great performance by us on Saturday, but we’re far from where we want to be as a team.”

And Clemson (3-3, 2-2) will be up against another high-octane offense this Saturday at Land Shark Stadium, as the Canes come in averaging 9.4 yards per pass and 14.4 per reception, thanks in large part to sophomore signal-caller Jacory Harris, who ranks eighth nationally in passing efficiency and has “The U” off to its best start in three seasons under coach Randy Shannon.

“We can’t let (Harris) get comfortable,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “We let him get comfortable, it’ll be a long day on South Beach. A long day.”

Miami's receiving trio of LaRon Byrd, Leonard Hankerson and Travis Benjamin carried its air attack last week in a 27-7 win over UCF, combining for 13 catches. On the season, Hankerson has a team-high 293 yards, followed by Benjamin with 280 and Byrd with 258.

“This week, it’s all about chunks,” Swinney said. “They don’t have a receiver with just a ton of catches, but those guys are averaging big yards. … We’ll have to do a good job holding up in coverage against some really good, skilled guys.”

As for the ground game, Hurricanes senior running back Javarris James passed Frank Gore, currently a star with the San Francisco 49ers, for seventh place on the school’s all-time rushing list last week and is joined by Graig Cooper to make up a very talented and physical backfield tandem.

Clemson redshirt freshman quarterback Kyle Parker was quick to note, however, that Miami’s talent certainly wasn’t limited to the offensive side of the ball.

“They just have athletes every where, and that’s what you think about when you think about Miami as a program,” Parker said.

Sophomore corner Brandon Harris ranks second in the nation in passes defended this season with 11, including one interception, and sophomore linebacker Sean Spence has emerged over the last four games, averaging more than seven tackles per game over that span.

“They just have really good players,” Parker said. “They’re not going to confuse you or beat you with scheme, they’re just going to go out there and let their players play.”

According to Parker, however, Clemson has the talent to give the Canes a run for their proverbial money.

“I think there’s a whole lot of talent of this team,” he said. “To be a top-15 team, you have to go out there and win, week in and week out, and that’s one of the things we need to work on. But there’s not a doubt in my mind that we have the talent to be that good, we just have to go out there and prove it.”

And Swinney agreed with his young field general, saying his team had proven itself capable of competing with most anybody.

“As I tell the guys, ‘Nothing matters except us,’” Swinney said. “Not where we play, not what’s on their helmet, not what the ranking beside their name is, not what the weather is, not what color uniforms we’ve got on. Nothing matters except us and how we play. Because we’re good enough.”