After beating Notre Dame in their ninth game of the season Dabo Swinney told everyone watching to buy into the Clemson stock. After beating Georgia Tech 42-21 in another significant win, it is safe to say that Clemson’s stock continues to rise. This win now gives the Tigers bowl eligibility for the 19th straight season. Swinney’s team did a great job building off what they did against the Irish a week prior. The run and pass game complimented each other very well for the offense. Cade Klubnik had himself a great game. The defense played lights out too, especially many freshmen players who showed they’re ready to take over the program.
Freshmen Show Out
“This is why you’re buying stock” is what ESPN commentator Louis Riddick said during the broadcast when talking about the amount of young talent Clemson has. The freshmen class he spoke so highly of during the game backed up his claims too. All game long different first-year players were making plays when it counted. Four different freshmen defensive backs got interceptions for the Tiger defense.
Khalil Barnes, Avieon Terrell, Shelton Lewis, and Kylon Griffin each picked off Haynes King. Lewis was even able to return his interception back for a Clemson touchdown. Barnes is a young talent who has put in good minutes for Swinney all year long. In this game, he added five tackles and two tackles for loss to go along with that interception. Peter Woods was another first-year defender who had a great game getting two tackles and one for a loss himself.
The freshmen were not only making plays on defense though. Tyler Brown, who has had a few impressive games already, played very well once again. He got himself 7 catches for 41 yards and made a spectacular one-handed touchdown catch over a defender. Freshman tight end Josh Sapp also had a reception for a touchdown as well. If this game showed anything about the Clemson program, it is that the future is very bright.
Offense Makes Strides
Another exciting thing for the Clemson program to see in this game was the offense taking another stride to get better. The Tigers’ offense totaled five touchdowns and 465 total yards against the Yellow Jacket defense. Again this week it started with a successful run game.
To start the Clemson offensive line had trouble with the Georgia Tech defensive line. Yellow Jackets’ defensive tackle Zeek Biggers’ 330-pound frame seemed too much for the interior to handle at first. As the offense got settled in the Clemson offensive line did a great job creating holes for the backs. Phil Mafah continued to run tough as he did against the Notre Dame defense. He would rush 17 times for 96 yards. Will Shipley came back running with a chip on his shoulder. He ran the ball 11 times for 77 yards and was able to find the end zone on a 32-yard rush. Overall Clemson would gain 260 yards on the ground.
Once the run game got going it also opened up the pass game again for Klubnik who made some great throws. He also made great decisions with not just his arm, but also with knowing when to use his legs. The sophomore quarterback completed touchdown passes to three different receivers. Brown, Beaux Collins, and Jake Briningstool each added one more touchdown to their totals. Klubnik finished the game completing 23 of his 35 pass attempts for 204 yards, four touchdowns, and 1 interception.
Invest in Clemson
After this win, Clemson’s stock went up a bit more. It’s just like Riddick said, the reason to invest in the Tigers is because of the young talent. Much has been said about Swinney’s unwillingness to use the transfer portal more, but this game shows exactly why he feels he does not need it.
Clemson still recruits very well getting some of the top high school players in the nation. Even more important those players typically stay at Clemson. Transfers don’t usually find a school like Clemson enticing to go to because of the talent they retain year to year. Most transfers don’t see where they would fit on a team with players who have been in the program for three to six years and have NFL-level talent themselves.
While the season has not gone how Clemson fans hoped, they do have much to look forward to. There is young talent already in the program to be very excited about. There are also a few recruits on the way who can make an immediate impact. Yes, the stock for Clemson has dropped significantly in the last three years. There is a great chance Clemson does not stay down for long though. The future looks very good for the Tigers. Until then though the Tigers have two more regular season games and one bowl game left to keep improving that stock.
