Clemson keeps finding ways to win despite an offense that has barely moved the chains by its own standards. That’s the heart of the challenge waiting for Virginia Tech on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium, where the Tigers have leaned on defense and Nolan Hauser’s right leg to stay afloat.
The numbers tell the story fast. Clemson has thrown only two touchdown passes in six games, yet it sits at 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the ACC. The offense has stalled often enough that the defense and kicking game have been asked to carry the load, and so far they have.
That’s a very different picture than Clemson’s recent past, especially after last season’s 7-6 finish, its worst record since 2010, and a 22-10 loss to Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl. Coach Dabo Swinney responded by firing offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and bringing back Chad Morris, whose Clemson offenses averaged at least 30 points per game every season from 2011 to 2014.
Swinney’s place in the bigger picture hasn’t changed. Last week’s win over Charleston Southern was the 191st of his career, tying Nick Saban for second on the NCAA’s list of wins through a coach’s first 20 FBS seasons, behind Tom Osborne.
At quarterback, Clemson has already had to adjust. Senior Christopher Vizzina opened the season as the starter but fractured his left elbow, on his non-throwing arm, against Georgia Southern on Sept.
- Tait Reynolds, a true freshman from Queen Creek, Ariz., has started every game since, and Swinney still says Reynolds is the starter even though Vizzina was available against Charleston Southern and did not play.
Reynolds has had his brightest outing in a loss, when he went 29 of 44 for 295 yards against No. 4 Miami - all career highs.
But the season line still shows how much Clemson has struggled throwing the ball. The Tigers own the ACC’s worst pass efficiency rating at 108.9, sitting 16 points behind next-to-last Stanford.
Reynolds has 943 passing yards with one touchdown and three interceptions, and Clemson has already allowed 17 sacks, six of them against Miami.
The offense as a whole has not been explosive enough to cover for that. Clemson is averaging 22.3 points per game and 19.4 against FBS opponents, and it has converted touchdowns on just 40% of its red zone trips.
When drives bog down, Hauser steps in. The junior kicker has made 15 field goals in six games, and his 59-yarder against Charleston Southern was the second-longest in school history.
He also delivered the 2024 ACC Championship Game with a walk-off 56-yarder.
Defensively, Clemson has been far steadier, though the raw scoring average needs some context. Under second-year coordinator Tom Allen, the Tigers allow 21.5 points per game, but LSU and Miami have accounted for 92 of the 129 points they’ve given up.
Against the other four opponents, Clemson has allowed just 9.3 points per game. Charleston Southern managed only 76 total yards and finished 0-of-11 on third down in Clemson’s first shutout in five seasons.
The Tigers also bring a loaded defense into this one. Junior linebacker Sammy Brown, the 2024 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, was a preseason first-team All-American by CBS, ESPN, USA Today and Walter Camp.
Brown and fifth-year Alabama transfer Jeremiah Alexander have combined for 79 tackles. Junior safety Corey Myrick, a Southern Miss transfer, leads the team with 44 tackles, and senior defensive end Will Heldt, a Purdue transfer, has four sacks.
In the secondary, junior cornerback Ashton Hampton entered last week leading the country with 10 passes defended, while senior cornerback Elliot Washington II has three interceptions. That sets up a direct test for Que’Sean Brown, Virginia Tech’s top receiver with 46 catches for 616 yards.
There are also some familiar ties behind the scenes. Allen ran Franklin’s defense at Penn State in 2024, when the Nittany Lions won a school-record 13 games and reached the College Football Playoff semifinals. Washington started his career there, and Grunkemeyer, who followed Franklin to Blacksburg, beat Clemson in last season’s Pinstripe Bowl.
On the ground, Clemson has gotten production from Gideon Davidson, the sophomore running back out of Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg. He has scored a rushing touchdown in four straight games, the first Clemson player to do that since Will Shipley in 2022. Senior SMU transfer Chris Johnson Jr. added two rushing scores against Charleston Southern.
The series history leans heavily Clemson’s way. The Tigers lead 24-12-1 and have won seven straight in the matchup, all under Swinney.
Virginia Tech’s last win in the series came in 2007 at Clemson, and this will be its first trip to Death Valley since 2012. The Hokies are also Clemson’s homecoming opponent.
It all leaves Saturday with a simple shape. Virginia Tech has the better quarterback by a wide margin.
Clemson has the better secondary. If the Hokies finish drives with touchdowns while Clemson settles for field goals, the streak ends at seven.
If not, it becomes eight straight for Swinney.
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