After an early season bye week, Clemson came roaring into its first ACC game of 2024. The Tigers dominated NC State en route to a 59-35 win. This was the second straight game in which Clemson scored 50+ points. All sides of the ball are clicking at the right time as Clemson has started a stretch of eight straight conference games. This was a great way to start ACC play as well as put the conference on notice that the Tigers are looking to get back to the top of the ACC.
Clemson Dominates to Start Conference Play
Offense is on Fire
The keyword for the Clemson offense coming into this season was consistency. It is what that unit has been lacking for years to this point. The past two games indicate the Tigers may have finally found some of that consistency. The offense picked up right where they left off against Appalachian State scoring in four plays on a 55-yard Cade Klubnik touchdown run. This explosive start was the beginning of a record-breaking first quarter for Clemson, as it became the first FBS team in 20 years to lead an opponent by 28 points after the first quarter two weeks in a row.
By the end of the first half, the Tigers had 408 total yards of offense, 228 of which came in the run game. Phil Mafah could not be stopped on the few carries he did have. He finished with just seven rushes for 107 yards including a 38-yard touchdown run. This helped Mafah to eclipse the 2,000-yard rushing mark for his career. He is the 22nd Tiger to do so.
Through the air, Klubnik looked every bit as good against the Wolfpack as he did against App State. Again, he looked poised and confident in his decision-making. Klubnik finished the day completing 16 of his 24 pass attempts for 209 yards and three touchdowns. The Junior quarterback’s confidence and energy have been infectious too as the offense has looked the best it has in years.
Defense Wreaks Havoc
Defensively, the Tigers are meeting the standard early in games. This week they made life difficult for NC State, especially up front. The Tigers’ defense held the Wolfpack to just 164 total yards, 29 of which were on the ground. This was without star defensive lineman Peter Woods. Not only did the Clemson defense give up almost nothing, it also forced multiple turnovers.
Clemson’s defense forced two fumbles and grabbed one interception, all of which were capitalized on with touchdowns. The two fumbles came in the first half, one forced by TJ Parker and the other by Avieon Terrell. Both guys had good days, but Parker played particularly well. He finished with five total tackles, two tackles for loss, and two sacks to go with that forced fumble.
The only issue the Clemson defense has is how poorly it finishes games. NC State gained 276 yards of offense and scored 28 points in the second half. The last two games have been blowout wins over by halftime. This gave the Tiger’s staff the chance to give more snaps to players who usually do not get many in-game reps. When this happens the defense is more vulnerable to offenses if they don’t sit as many starters.
Even against Georgia though, the defense played very well in the first half but unraveled in the second. The Clemson defense has to do a better job finishing games and being dominant throughout. If not, it could bite this team later on in closer games.
Renewed Energy
The best thing for Clemson fans to see right now is the new energy in the program after the last two wins. It looks like the people around the program are having more right now than at any other time in the past three or four years. Getting back-to-back dominant wins always helps team morale. Doing it in the fashion the Tigers have though makes it much sweeter for this team.
The explosive plays have entered the chat once again for Clemson. Klubnik is starting to look like the quarterback many expected him to when he announced his commitment to play for Dabo Swinney’s team. If the Tigers can keep this momentum going on offense, they will be hard to stop moving forward.
