Clemson left Week 2 with its first win of the season, a 22-7 home victory over Georgia Southern, but the tape told a fuller story than the final score. The Tigers spent long stretches grinding through an offense that never really found its rhythm after the opening burst, even as the defense and special teams helped keep things under control at Memorial Stadium.
That made Saturday night a useful measuring stick. With North Carolina up next to open ACC play, Clemson got a clearer look at who helped themselves and who has work to do.
A few players clearly boosted their standing. Others left the field with more questions than answers.
The biggest winner was placekicker Nolan Hauser, who was as steady as Clemson needed him to be. Hauser knocked through five field goals and kept the Tigers two scores ahead for the entire game.
His kicks came from 20, 34, 38, 49 and 50 yards, and he stayed perfect on the season after connecting on a long one against LSU in Week 1. When Clemson’s offense stalled, Hauser kept the scoreboard moving.
On the other side of the ball, Will Heldt delivered the kind of edge-rushing performance Clemson was waiting for. He finished with his first two sacks of the season and added three tackles for loss, giving the Tigers a disruptive force up front after the defensive line had been quiet at times against LSU. Heldt also got to Max Johnson once after a throw, and he looked every bit like the senior Clemson expected when the season began with high draft-pick buzz around him.
Receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. also made a strong case for a rising stock. He caught seven passes for 103 yards and a touchdown, and 70 of those yards came after the catch.
That included a 45-yard run after a Reynolds throw that eventually helped set up one of Hauser’s field goals. Wesco also hauled in a 10-yard touchdown in the first quarter from Vizzina.
With true freshman Tait Reynolds learning on the fly, Wesco looks like the kind of reliable target Clemson can lean on early in ACC play.
Not everyone came out of the game looking better. Ronan O’Connell’s second straight shaky outing at right guard stood out again, and the numbers back up the eye test.
He posted a 49.1 PFF grade over the last two weeks, and Clemson’s protection issues have shown up in both the passing game and the run game. The Tigers struggled to create clean lanes, and too often the blocking looked confused or out of sync.
Grant Wise got some snaps at right guard after O’Connell was banged up on a second-half play, but the junior still has plenty to clean up if he wants to hold the job against North Carolina.
Running back David Eziomume also came away with a quieter night than Clemson needed. He finished with 14 carries for 62 yards, which works out to 4.4 yards per carry, but a 21-yard run accounted for a third of that production.
Outside of that burst, the run game never really took off. Chris Johnson Jr. averaged 7.6 yards per carry on seven attempts, and Reynolds added a few carries as well, but the overall ground attack never built the momentum Clemson wanted against Georgia Southern.
Right tackle Blake Miller’s replacement, Blake Sadler, had a rough first home start of the season too. Clemson has big expectations for whoever lines up there after Miller’s four-year run, and Sadler did not settle things down.
On the opening drive, he was beaten on two straight blocks and then made another mistake later in the first quarter. For an offensive line already under the microscope, that kind of outing only sharpens the pressure on the entire unit.
Clemson got the result it needed. What it learned along the way was just as important.
In Other News...
Clemsons QB Battle Just Took A Turn Fans Cant Ignore
Clemsons quarterback picture shifted again this week when Dabo Swinney announced that freshman Tait Reynolds will start Saturdays ACC game against North Carolina. The move comes after Christopher Vizzina was limited by a left arm injury in the previous game, but Swinney said the decision is being made on performance, not simply availability, which makes this turn all the more notable for a team still sorting out the position.
Vizzina is expected to be available as Reynolds backup, leaving Clemson with a new starter and a familiar question hovering over the offense. Reynolds now gets the chance to prove he can steady the job in a conference game, while the Tigers wait to see whether this is a one-game adjustment or the beginning of a deeper change under center. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Opens ACC Play With Early Pressure Against Unbeaten UNC
Clemsons first ACC test arrives Saturday at Memorial Stadium, where the Tigers open league play against an unbeaten North Carolina team that has looked sharp through its first two games. The matchup also carries the kind of conference-stage familiarity that usually gives this one a little extra edge, especially with Clemson trying to settle in after a 1-1 start and get moving in the right direction.
North Carolina comes in at 2-0, which only adds to the early-season intrigue for a Clemson team that has owned this series over the years. The Tigers have had plenty of success in this matchup, but opening conference play against a live opponent like this tends to reveal a lot quickly, and Saturday offers Clemson an immediate chance to see where it stands. [Read more 🡒]
Dabo Swinney Suddenly Faces Pressure Clemson Fans Never Expected
Clemsons early-season mood has taken a sharp turn after a rough opening two weeks, and Dabo Swinney suddenly finds himself in a conversation Tiger fans never expected to revisit this soon. The Tigers have not looked like the steady standard-bearer theyre used to being, and the concerns go beyond one bad night, with the teams performance already prompting national discussion about whether the program is dealing with more than just a September slump.
The tension only grew after the Week 2 win over Georgia Southern, which did little to calm the unease around the program, and Swinneys postgame clash with a media member only added to the scrutiny. In a sport where patience can disappear quickly when expectations are high, Clemsons situation now sits alongside other high-profile coaches facing pressure for very different reasons, leaving Swinneys tenure a topic no one around the program thought would be in play this early. [Read more 🡒]