After six straight weeks of football games, Clemson gets a bye this week. It comes at a really good time for the Tigers with exactly half their regular season games played. This has been a very up-and-down season already for the Tigers, but there is a chance for them to finish strong. To do so, it is going to take some very good evaluation and a sharp focus to clean up the issues though.
What’s Been Happening
At this point in the season, Clemson sits at 4-2 overall. They have two non-conference as well as two conference victories on the season. The two losses though also came in conference play. The first came in the first game of the season when they lost an ugly one against an up-and-coming Duke team. They won their next two non-conference games against Charleston Southern and Florida Atlantic. In their next conference game in week four they lost to Florida State in overtime for their first ACC 0-2 start since 2010. Since then the Tigers have pulled together two straight wins against Syracuse and Wake Forest to put themselves at 2-2 in conference games. Right now the Tigers are sixth in the ACC and outside the top 25 in the nation. It is an uncommon position for the program under Dabo Swinney. It has made sense though with how they have struggled to beat high-quality opponents this season.
What’s Good
Great Defense
The bright spot from the 2023 Clemson football team thus far is the defense. Coming into the season many of us raved about how good this defense could be with all the talent that returned. Against Duke they looked okay but not nearly as great as expected. From week two on though this defense has turned it up. Right now the Tiger defense ranks seventh in the nation in yards given up this season. Much of that has to do with how well the front seven has played. Both the defensive line and linebacker positions have shown skill and depth. They have done well creating pressure, making plays in the backfield, and getting takeaways. Clemson’s defense has a total of 15 sacks right now and 44 tackles for loss. They also have 11 takeaways which is tied for 5th most in the nation.
Offense Coming Along
Another thing that has been good is although the offense is still not great it has been improving. The offense has actually outgained Tiger opponents in every game they have played this season. They are averaging 437.3 total yards per game. The explosive plays are even finally starting to happen both on the ground and through the air. For example, Will Shipley and Phil Mafah both broke off 20+ yard runs against Wake Forest last week. The week before Cade Klibnik completed seven passes of 15+ yards and one was for a touchdown.
The best part is seeing Klubnik mature more and more each week. His decision-making in key moments can still be a bit questionable but throughout four quarters he rarely makes the wrong decisions. If he could make those decisions quicker he’ll start to elevate his level of play as well as the conversation around him. What really sticks out about Klubnik this season is his leadership. It is not hard to tell his teammates believe in him and look to him for motivation even at his young age. It is all translating to the stat sheet too as he is having a pretty good season so far. Klubnik has completed 137 of 210 passes for 1,370 yards 11 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also has 56 carries for 120 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Young Players Step Up
Klubnik has not been the youngest player in the Clemson program to make an impact though. Some of the freshmen this year have been big-time players in the first half of the season. Most notably TJ Parker, Khalil Barnes, Peter Woods, and Tyler Brown have been playing lights out. Parker at the defensive end position already has 19 total tackles and four sacks on the year. Barnes has been making many plays as well on the back end of the defense. He has 12 total tackles, two forced fumbles, one interception, and two pass deflections. Woods impact does not necessarily show on the stat sheet the same as Parker and Barnes but he has been very important to how well this defense plays. He provides great depth for an important defensive tackle position. Woods also does well stuffing holes making it easier for the linebackers to fill and get tackles. On the offensive side, Brown has been a breakout star the last few weeks. So much so Wake Forest made sure not to give him too many opportunities last week. The week before against Syracuse Brown had his first 150+ yard game.
What’s Bad
The thing that has hurt Clemson the most this season is turnovers. Both the Duke and Florida State games were lost because of giving the ball away. In the first six weeks, the Tigers have given up 43 points off of turnovers. In those first six games, the turnover battle was lost in four of them. So far Clemson has at least one turnover in every game they have played this season.
Another thing that needs to improve is the run game. It is not that it has been bad, but it is not as much of a focus as it should be. The offense Garrett Riley runs is inspired by the air raid but is supposed to still make the run game important. With two running backs like Shipley who is averaging five yards a carry, and Mafah, who is averaging just over six yards a carry, running the ball effectively should still be a focus.
Lastly, Swinney needs to find a kicker. The field goal kicking has not been good at all this season. Clemson has made 40% of their field goals that aren’t extra points. They are 0-3 on field goals of 40 yards or more. Swinney has made it known he will not use the transfer portal except for places where he truly feels they need it. Well, finding a kicker in there should be high on the list this offseason.
What’s Next
The second half of Clemson’s schedule is very tough. Three of the next six games are against top-25 ranked opponents. First is 25th-ranked Miami coming out of the bye, followed by 21st-ranked Notre Dame and 12th-ranked North Carolina in November. The other three opponents, NC State, Georgia Tech, and South Carolina are no slouches either. The Tigers play at Carter-Finley Stadium this season which is a tough place to play and Clemson knows that very well. Georgia Tech just beat Miami last week handing them their first loss of the season in a very hard-fought game. Even with a rough start to 2023, South Carolina beat Clemson just last season in Death Valley. They still have a talented quarterback in Spencer Rattler and will play in Columbia with lots of pride.
Clemson can win all six games to finish the year strong. If they stop turning the ball over, keep playing fast on defense, and lean on the run game a bit more they could put themselves in a great position to win those games. How the rest of this season goes for Clemson is only up to them.
