After two games with performances on opposite ends of the spectrum, Clemson has an early bye week. Many times, having a bye week after a game like the Tigers had against Appalachian State can feel detrimental to a team’s momentum. For this Clemson team, if the bye is used effectively it could be a big factor in how successful this team is.
It is hard on the outside looking in to judge whether the Clemson team from week one or week two is the real one. For those within the program, you have an extra week to look at what worked against App State and what didn’t work against Georgia. Figuring this out can help the Tigers ride a wave of momentum into many wins this season.
Week One Blunders
For the Tigers, week one gave them a reason to do some early soul-searching. Defensively the Tigers held up against the Bulldogs through the first half. The problem became when Georgia found a weakness in the unit when getting good yardage on outside runs. Clemson’s outside defenders did not do a great job of setting the edge. When the Tigers defense tried to go more aggressive to stop those outside runs the ball was thrown right over the defense’s head.
The most glaring issue though was the offense once again, which could not get anything going. The offense only generated 188 total yards for the game. Cade Klubnik struggled all day long. He looked hesitant and as if he lacked confidence in his decision-making. Klubnik finished the game with a 62% completion rate for 142 yards passing and an interception. A popular cliché in football though is that the best teams make their biggest improvement between weeks one and two. For this 2024 Clemson squad that was a true statement.
Week Two Success
The Clemson team that showed up in week two against App State looked like a completely different one from the game against Georgia. This was especially true on the offensive side of the ball. The offense accumulated over 500 more yards of offense in week two than in week one with 712 total yards. Klubnik looked more confident and settled in this game from the first snap. His completion percentage jumped 30% completing 92% of his passes. He also threw for 378 yards and five touchdowns. He also ran two in for a total of seven touchdowns on the night.
Amid Klubnik’s best day slinging the football, four different Tigers receivers caught touchdown passes. Jake Briningstool caught two, and Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco Jr, and TJ Moore each caught one. Defensively, the unit as a whole did a great job shutting down quarterback Joey Aguilar. They never let him get hot.
Aguilar finished the night completing just 18 of his 41 pass attempts for 214 yards and a touchdown. The defensive backs had a good day. Avieon Terrell stood out locking everyone up he lined up across from. He finished the game with two tackles and four pass breakups. Coming out of the bye week, Clemson’s defense needs to be more dominant. It must start forcing more turnovers, getting sacks, and tackles for loss putting the opposing offense behind the sticks.
Can Clemson Get Hot?
The performance in week two looked like the beginning of what can turn into a hot streak for the Tigers. It is tough not having a chance to immediately build off of the win in week two. There is more opportunity to truly evaluate what went right and wrong between weeks one and two though. From there Dabo Swinney and his team have extra time to prepare a plan to keep the momentum alive.
Starting next week the Tigers get into their conference games. Up first is a team that has been talked about as a contender in the ACC Championship race North Carolina State. Though they suffered a bad loss to Tennessee in week two, Clemson did lose to an arguably less talented Wolfpack team last season. Both programs are looking for a fast start in the run to the ACC Championship game in Charlotte. It is up to the Tigers to not allow a repeat of last year’s matchup to happen in Death Valley.
Consistency will be key for this program moving forward. Especially on offense. If Klubnik and the offense can understand the difference in what they did in week one versus week two this Clemson team can make its best run in the last few seasons.
