CORAL GABLES - His team again allowed too many sacks for his liking, took some "horrendous" penalties and wasted a 10-point lead in the final three minutes of regulation at Clemson's Death Valley.
Still, coach Larry Coker was a greatly relieved man Sunday.
Miami became only the second team since 1978 to win its first appearance at Death Valley, escaping with a 36-30, triple-overtime win Saturday. It saved the No. 12 Hurricanes from their worst start in nearly three decades and ensured they wouldn't suffer a quick exit from the Atlantic Coast Conference race and national title picture.
"Definitely some things have been improved," said Coker, whose team hadn't played since losing 10-7 in its opener at Florida State on Labor Day. "But without question, we've got a lot we can work on and we've got to get a lot better to be the team that we want to be."
Falling two games behind unbeaten Virginia Tech in the Coastal Division, even in September, would have meant trouble. Now UM has a stretch of five home games over the next six weeks - starting with its home opener Saturday against Colorado.
Coker is seeing improvement in the areas that cost his team at FSU. Special-teams play - which ultimately was the deciding factor against the Seminoles - was markedly better at Clemson, the run blocking was strong and second-half adjustments seemed to give quarterback Kyle Wright more time to throw.
SUNSHINE STATE: Unlike Oct. 30, when the state's "Big Three" lost on the same day for the first time since 1978, Miami, Florida and FSU beat nationally ranked rivals Saturday. The sweep is a first, according to records and dates listed in each team's media guides and research by AP.
