Gideon Davidson knows Clemson has already lived through this script once, and he’s eager to make sure it doesn’t play out the same way again.
A year after the Tigers dropped their opener at LSU and then had to rally past Troy, Clemson is back in the same spot: coming off a loss in Baton Rouge and trying to clean things up before the next game. This time, Georgia Southern comes to Memorial Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday, and Davidson said the lesson is simple - don’t let one bad night bleed into another.
“I would just say the little basic details,” Davidson said. “I feel like we let the loss linger a lot last year, and the difference this year is going to be how we respond to the loss this past Saturday. Really just focusing on the things that we can control.”
Davidson, a sophomore running back, said Clemson has spent the early part of the week going back through the offense’s mistakes against LSU. He didn’t try to dodge responsibility, either.
“I felt like I definitely left a lot on the field,” Davidson said. “I wish I could get a few plays back, but the reality is I can't. I look forward to this upcoming game.”
To Davidson, the problem wasn’t some huge physical deficiency. He saw it as a mental breakdown, the kind of thing that can be corrected if Clemson sharpens up quickly.
“For me, it was more just mentality,” Davidson said. “More mental mistakes.
Really just things that were easy, basic things that we can fix. Nothing really performance-wise that we got to work on.
It was just mental mistakes.”
He gave the same answer when the conversation turned to the offensive line.
“Honestly, we have the talent. We have the ability to get it fixed,” Davidson said.
“Like I said earlier, it's just really mental mistakes. There's no real talent issues that we have.
It's all things that we can fix on the board and get it right the next week.”
Clemson’s last response to an LSU loss is a useful warning sign. Against Troy after opening the 2025 season with a 17-10 defeat, the Tigers stumbled out of the gate again, falling behind 16-0 after a touchdown on Troy’s first possession and a pick-six later in the half. Clemson finally got on the board with a field goal before halftime, then took over after the break.
The Tigers scored on five straight possessions over the final three quarters. Adam Randall ran for 112 yards, and Bryant Wesco Jr. caught two touchdown passes as Clemson turned a shaky afternoon into a 27-16 win.
Davidson said Clemson is trying to avoid needing that kind of rescue this time. He pointed to the tone of the week as evidence the Tigers are headed in a better direction.
“We really honed in on the mistakes that we made,” Davidson said. “And we had the right focus, the right mindset coming back yesterday in practice.
And I feel like our offense right now is going to do really well this week and in this upcoming game. I feel like our mindset is being sharp in all the basic things.”
Last season, Clemson eventually shook off the LSU hangover. This year, Davidson wants that process to start before the Tigers ever have to dig themselves out again.
In Other News...
Clemson Gets A Needed D-Line Boost Before Its First ACC Test
Clemsons defensive front got a much-needed lift this week with the reinstatement of tackle Vic Burley after a suspension tied to a public disorderly conduct arrest. Burley still will miss the upcoming game against Georgia Southern, but his return is lined up for a far more important moment, with the Tigers expecting to have him back for their ACC opener against North Carolina.
That matters because Clemson is also bracing for the likely loss of defensive tackle Markus Strong, who is expected to be out for the season after suffering a lower-leg injury in a recent game. Between Burleys return and Strongs injury, the Tigers interior line picture has shifted quickly, and the next few weeks will tell just how much depth they can piece together before conference play starts to sharpen the stakes. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons Ugly Opener Put Dabo Swinney Under An Unwanted Spotlight
Clemsons season-opening loss to LSU did more than drop the Tigers into an early hole. It also put a sharp light on the parts of the roster that did hold up, especially in the secondary, where cornerback Ashton Hampton and safety Corey Myrick drew the kind of attention that can matter as the schedule tightens. For a team that came in expecting a cleaner start, there was at least some proof that a few individual pieces can still compete at a high level even when the overall performance falls short.
The bigger issue, though, is what the opener said about where Clemson stands around its head coach. Dabo Swinney is used to having the benefit of the doubt, but this one invited more questions than answers, from the way the game was handled to how much work remains before the Tigers look like a finished product. The next few weeks will say plenty about whether the loss was just a bad night or the first sign that Clemson has more fixing to do than anyone wanted to admit. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons Home Opener Comes With A Price Fans Will Notice
Clemsons home opener comes with a familiar kind of college-football cost, and this one is a hefty one. According to a contract obtained through public records, the Tigers will pay Georgia Southern for Saturday nights game at Memorial Stadium, a matchup set for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on the ACC Network.
The deal also spells out the usual logistics that come with bringing a road team to town, including ticket allotments and access for Georgia Southerns team and staff. It is the sort of behind-the-scenes bookkeeping that rarely gets much attention on game day, even though it helps shape the business side of a September Saturday in Death Valley. [Read more 🡒]