Miami Offensive Coordinator Shannon Dawson was tasked with preparing a backup quarterback on short notice against one of the conference's toughest defenses, the Clemson Tigers.

Dawson succeeded.

QB Emory Williams navigated the Hurricanes to a 28-20 win to move the team to five wins, matching last week's total. Head Coach Mario Cristobal was impressed and assured of his choice to hire Dawson with the performance.

"Shannon, he did a great job. That's hard. That's hard. I mean, that's a top-ten defense," Cristobal said. "And knowing what we had to do to play complementary football against Clemson's offense and whatnot. That's an art, you know, and he really did a masterful job of it."

"I didn't want to go out there and put the whole game on him at the beginning," Dawson said. "I also knew that at some point in the game, he was going to have to make a crucial throw or a couple, and when those times came, he came through for sure."

Williams made two crucial throws to wide receiver Colbie Young. Williams engineered a nine-minute touchdown drive in the fourth quarter that ended with an eleven-yard touchdown throw to Young.

With Miami down a field goal, the Hurricanes faced a 3rd and 13 with 6:17 left in the game and needed a conversion. Williams delivered the football to Young on an inside route on a sixteen-yard gain. The drive would end with the game-tying field goal.

"He's definitely a player-coach," Young said about Dawson. "If the players come up to him and ask him about certain plays we see on the field, certain things we like out there. He listens to us and definitely tries to put it in the game plan. He's not scared to take shots, but he's not scared to settle back and let the guys run the ball, so. He's a very good, well-balanced coach, very smart, and he really knows the ins and outs of the game."

Dawson is still evolving the offense, incorporating different wrinkles as the season progresses. Last week, for the first time this season, we saw Wide Receiver Brashard Smith lined up in the backfield on several plays.

"They just asked if I would like to take some snaps, I said of course. I'll do anything for the team to help the team win," Smith said about taking snaps at the running back position. "Yeah, I played it all my life. I feel like it's easier, really."

Smith broke free from the backfield for an 80-yard gain, resulting in a touchdown in the first quarter against Clemson.

"He opened up the offense a lot," Smith said about Dawson. "He's using guys in different ways to make us get open and just make a play."

Dawson has adjusted to his personnel on the field, and the players recognize the OC's efforts.

"He's continued to learn us and our quarterback, and our receivers and our personnel and our offensive line and running backs more and more and more, Center Matt Lee said.

"We learned him more and more and more, what he likes to do, and what he wants to do, and where his kind of mind goes in a game and during the week and whatnot. But he's done an excellent job. As a guy, great dude. Love to be around him. Gets after it every day. Always a positive attitude. He's a fun guy that you want to play for that gives you your flowers. Thinks about everything you really want in a personality of a offensive coordinator."

Lee also explained that Dawson is stubbornly set in his offensive philosophy during the course of a game. Dawson generally led pass-heavy offenses, but he has shown to be run-heavy if that aspect is working.

"Obviously, he has his philosophy, but what we're doing and what's working for us as personnel on the field, that's going to dictate on the field what he calls as well. But he's done a great job, and I love him."

Miami has the second-highest scoring offense in the ACC, averaging 36.3 points per game, and the second-highest total yards at 481.9 yards per game.

The Hurricanes will look to continue its success on offense as they face a Virginia team that is last in scoring defense (31.1 points allowed per game) and second to last in yards (395.6 yards allowed per game).

Talk with Miami fans on Canes Talk, Inside Canes Hoops, and Canes on the Diamond

• Subscribe to the Storm Tracker Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, and Spotify

• Subscribe to the Canes County YouTube Channel

• Follow us on Twitter: @Canes_County, @BenjaminRivals, @TheCribSouthFLA, @AnthonyYero1, and @MichaelYero

• Follow us on Instagram: @Canes.County

Follow us on Facebook