Clemson comes out of its bye week looking for a cleaner stretch, and Dabo Swinney believes the break arrived at a useful moment.
The Tigers host Charleston Southern on Saturday after taking the weekend off, and the pause follows one of the rougher snapshots of Clemson’s season so far. In its last game, Clemson was thumped 41-13 by then-No. 4 Miami at home, a defeat that stood out after the Tigers opened the year with a 51-10 win at LSU in new coach Lane Kiffin’s debut.
At 3-2, Clemson has also been fighting an issue Swinney keeps circling back to: turnovers. The Tigers are minus-3 in that category and still searching for the kind of momentum-changing plays that can tilt a game.
"We have yet to win the turnover margin. That's a huge factor," Swinney said. "If we're going to have a great finish to our season -- we've got seven weeks, a 7-game season ahead -- we've got to win the turnover margin to have the type of season and finish we want to have.
"They have to know the importance of one play. ... Those are things we have to do better."
Charleston Southern arrives with a little confidence of its own. The Buccaneers are 3-3, sit seventh in the Ohio Valley Conference, and are coming off a 49-39 win over No. 21 South Carolina State, their first victory over a ranked team since 2024.
Quarterback Jared Echols sparked that result, finishing 17 of 29 for 194 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing seven times for 28 yards.
"He's really kind of a magnetic leader," coach Gabe Giardina stated of his sophomore.
Two other Buccaneers earned league honors after the win. Linebacker Steve Zayachkowsky was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week after piling up 17 tackles, the most in the conference this season and ninth-most by an FCS player in 2026. He also added two pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Quay Kindell was selected as the Special Teams Player of the Week after bringing back a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, the first for the school since 2023.
In Other News...
Clemson's Second Half Now Rides On Three Pressing Problem Areas
Clemsons bye week offered a clean break, but the second half still looks like it will be judged by three familiar pressure points. Tait Reynolds growth at quarterback remains central to how much the offense can expand, while the offensive line has not yet played to the standard expected under Matt Luke. On the other side of the ball, the defensive line has also been inconsistent under Tom Allen, leaving the Tigers with a clearer sense of what still needs fixing than what has already been solved.
The broader record has only sharpened that view. Clemson has handled the softer part of its schedule with three wins, but the two losses to top-25 opponents showed the gap that still separates it from the teams it is trying to catch. With the stretch run ahead, the Tigers do not need a complete reinvention so much as steady improvement in those problem areas, because the margin for error gets thinner once the schedule and competition both stiffen. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Just Landed Another Early Recruiting Win That Should Turn Heads
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Martins decision also fits the broader appeal Clemson has sold to top underclassmen: a program identity and culture that keep resonating on the recruiting trail. He has already put together a noteworthy high school career, and landing a player with that kind of profile this early gives the Tigers another reason to feel good about the foundation they are building for the years ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons Ashton Hampton Is Turning Into A Draft Stock Problem For Opponents
As Clemson has leaned on its secondary this fall, Ashton Hampton has kept making the kind of plays that force NFL evaluators to pay attention. Mel Kiper Jr. now has the defensive back ranked as a top-16 prospect on his latest ESPN big board, a nod to how quickly Hampton has become one of the Tigers most important defenders while helping anchor a back end that has repeatedly shown up in key moments.
Hampton leads the FBS with nine passes defended this season, and the production matches the kind of aggressive, confident cover man Kiper believes can handle top receivers. For Clemson, that only sharpens the stakes as the season goes on, because the better Hampton plays, the more he looks like the sort of high draft pick who can change the conversation around an entire secondary. [Read more 🡒]