By Hunt Palmer
Game week is finally here.
LSU will load up the bus and fly east on Friday for a showdown that will draw the eyes of the nation in primetime on Saturday night in Clemson. These two programs haven’t met since the 2020 College Football Playoff Championship Game, and both have been trying to reach that level of the sport since.
Dabo Swinney is in season No. 18 as Clemson’s head coach, and he’s been the best coach in the program’s history.
This team is highlighted by a veteran quarterback and offensive line with explosive playmakers on the outside. Running back is a question mark.
Defensively, the front seven boasts much of the talent, while the secondary has a lot of returning faces.
Let’s look at the numbers.
Clemson Overall
2nd: Clemson is 2nd in the country in wins since 2011 with 161. Only Alabama has won more games.
3rd: Since 2015, Clemson is 3rd in the country in winning percentage versus the Top 25 31-12 (72%). Only Alabama and Ohio State have been better.
70-5: Since 2014, Clemson is 70-5 at home. They won 40 straight from 2016 to 2022, and in the College Football Playoff era, they’ve won the ACC eight times and lost at home five times.
52: Clemson has been outscored by 52 points, 62-10, in the last two season openers (34-3 vs. Georgia and 28-7 vs. Duke)
Clemson Offense
Cade Klubnik Career: 559/1040, 7,180 yards, 57 TD, 18 INT, 7 300-yard games.
642 and 7: Klubnik gained 642 yards on the ground and ran for 7 TD last year.
3rd: Klubnik finished third in the country in passing touchdowns last season with 36.
6: Twelve FBS quarterbacks threw for 3500 yards, and Klubnik’s 6 INTs tied for fewest among them.
11: Wide receiver Antonio Williams tied for the ACC lead in TD catches with 11.
708: Bryant Wesco Jr.’s 708 receiving yards led ACC freshmen last season.
128: Clemson’s projected starting offensive line brings back 128 career starts (Blake Miller 41, Walker Parks 42, Harris Sewell 8, Ryan Linthicum 14, Tristen Leigh 23).
4: Adam Randall is the projected starter at running back. He has four career carries for 44 yards. Randall has played wide receiver for three seasons but looks like a running back at 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds.
43: The leading returning rusher for Clemson is Jay Haynes with 43 carries for 295 yards, but he tore his ACL in the ACC title game in December.
195: Backs Keith Adams and David Eziomume combined for 195 yards on the season last year. Adams is a bruising fullback type. Eziomume could be the second team back behind Randall if he holds off freshman star Gideon Davidson. Running back is very unproven for the Tigers
Clemson Defense
5: Five Clemson opponents ran for over 200 yards last season (Stanford: 236, Louisville: 210, The Citadel: 288, South Carolina: 267, Texas: 292)
99th: Clemson had the No. 99 rush defense in terms of yards per carry (4.71 worst since 1975) and the No. 85 run defense in terms of yards per game (160.64)
9th: New Clemson Defensive Coordinator Tom Allen’s Penn State defense finished last season 9th in the country in rushing defense.
19 and 38: Clemson’s best DL trio of Peter Woods, TJ Parker and Will Heldt (Purdue) combined for 19 sacks and 38 tackle for loss last year
176 and 21.5: Linebackers Sammy Brown and Wade Woodaz combined for 176 tackles including 21.5 tackles for loss last season. Brown was the ACC Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American. Woodaz is a converted safety.
2nd: Clemson ranked second in the ACC in passing defense last season led by cornerbacks Avieon Terrell and Jeadyn Lucas who both return. The team’s 16 interceptions on the year tied for 14th in the country.
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