Clemson finally got a clean win in Death Valley, and the opponent - FCS Charleston Southern - made it a game where the Tigers could sort through a few real takeaways without much noise. That kind of afternoon can fool you if you let it, but a few things did stand out as Clemson heads into the second half of the season.
The clearest positive may have come up front. Easton Ware made his first start at right guard and looked like a player who could be settling into the right spot.
His earlier start at right tackle against LSU was shakier, but this looked more encouraging. Maybe that had something to do with the level of competition.
Maybe it was the result of a few important weeks of in-season growth, plus the move inside on the offensive line.
Either way, Clemson is now waiting to see whether that performance carries over against a stronger Virginia Tech pass rush. If Ware keeps holding up, the Tigers may have found a long-term answer at one of the five line spots. He still has three years of eligibility left after this season, and while Clemson will still need help from transfers in other places, locking down even one position would matter a lot for this year and next.
The passing game, though, remains a concern. Clemson attacked the perimeter with quick throws to open things up underneath, but there still wasn’t much of a downfield threat. Whether that came from Tait Reynolds being careful or from Chad Morris’s game plan, the result was the same: very little that stretched the defense vertically.
The few deep chances went to T.J. Moore, and it was not one of his better days. He failed to haul in some passes he had a hand on and lost jump-ball situations to Charleston Southern’s defensive backs.
That ties back to the quarterback situation, which is still very much a work in progress. Clemson is starting a three-star freshman at QB, and that reality showed in this game.
Next week against Virginia Tech and Ethan Grunkemeyer, the Tigers will be at a disadvantage at quarterback. Grunkemeyer beat them with Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl, and it will be worth watching whether Reynolds develops enough to make fans believe he should be the starter next season.
The biggest shift of all, though, may be on special teams. Clemson put real money and emphasis into that area this offseason, and the payoff is showing up with Rich Bisaccia in charge.
It is a major change. This is no longer a phase where kicks are constantly getting blocked and a decent punt return just means the ball wasn’t fumbled. Clemson’s special teams look close to elite now.
Nolan Hauser is a big reason why. He went 3-for-3, including a 59-yarder, and is now 15-for-16.
With the worst red-zone offense in the country, that kind of reliability matters even more. Hauser could wind up building a Clemson legacy that stacks up with Chandler Catanzaro’s.
And like Ware’s emergence, the special teams progress carries long-term value too. There is real reason for optimism there, and for more discussion about the future, the source also pointed to the new 24-team playoff coming next season.
In Other News...
Dabo Swinney Zeroed In On Clemsons Biggest Passing Problem
Through six games, Clemsons passing offense has been a source of frustration, and Dabo Swinney did not try to dress it up as anything else this week. He pointed to missed opportunities and uneven execution, including dropped touchdown passes and a freshman quarterback still learning on the fly, as the kind of issues that have kept the Tigers from getting more out of the aerial game.
Swinney also stressed that the group has work left to do as Clemson turns to Virginia Tech, even after reaching a recent team goal. The bigger question now is whether the passing game can sharpen up quickly enough to match the rest of the teams progress, because the margin for error only gets thinner from here. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Just Became Part Of South Carolinas Stretch Run Debate
South Carolinas bye week turned into a useful reminder of how much can still shift in the SEC and beyond, with several highly ranked teams taking losses and reopening the conversation around the rest of the Gamecocks schedule. The latest look at the remaining stretch puts Clemson in the mix among the six opponents still ahead, a group that is being sorted from easiest to toughest based on recent performance and the numbers that matter most down the stretch.
For Clemson, that place in the pecking order says plenty about the way South Carolinas path is being evaluated right now, with Arkansas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma all part of the same discussion. The Tigers are being weighed against the others through their strengths, their flaws and the way they could shape South Carolinas chances in November, which makes every one of those final games feel bigger than it did a week ago. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Gets Another Prime-Time ACC Test At Florida State
Clemsons next road assignment now comes with a prime-time spotlight, as the ACC has set the Tigers trip to Florida State for Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. on the ACC Network. It is the kind of late-season stage Clemson has grown used to, and it arrives with the Tigers sitting at 4-2 and still in position to strengthen their standing in the league if they take care of Virginia Tech at home first.
Florida State, meanwhile, will be waiting after a bye week and trying to steady a season that has slipped to 3-4. Doak Campbell Stadium has a way of making November-caliber games feel bigger than the records attached to them, and this one already carries the look of an ACC measuring-stick night for Clemson as it tries to keep its conference path in front of it. [Read more 🡒]