5 reasons Clemson gets a bounce-back Week 2 win over Charleston Southern
Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program opened their 2023 season against the Duke Blue Devils on the road and suffered a brutal 28-7 loss on the road.
Losses like this shouldn’t happen for this program, but with that loss in the past, the Tigers’ have a great bounce-back spot with a home matchup against Charleston Southern on September 9 at 2:15 p.m. in Death Valley. If the Tigers struggle here, then we can start worrying as fans.
A matchup against Charleston Southern in the past would mean little, but now, it means everything. We need to see positives out of this team, and they need to show everyone that they are able to recover. It’s a game they should win, but we need more than a win. We need a complete performance.
Here are 5 reasons Clemson will get the bounce-back win they need in Week 2.
Will Shipley simply won't allow the Tigers to lose this one
We all know how good Will Shipley is, and the Tigers’ star running back was one of the few bright spots (outside of a drop that led to an interception) in their loss to Duke. Shipley, if given the workload, could have taken over that game, and the entire start of this season could have been different. Instead, Shipley got solid usage, but when it mattered most, he wasn’t given the touches when they mattered most. Watching the game and everything after, I can tell you one thing… Shipley was not happy. He is the most intense player on this roster, and he knows that what happened last Monday is not okay. I’m expecting a monster game from the star running back against Charleston Southern as he lets out his frustration and tries to will his team into playing with some energy and intensity.
Clemson's defense is going to play like they have something to prove... which they do
Clemson’s defense looked good against the Blue Devils in the first half, but things fell apart in the second as poor tackling led Duke to run all over the Tigers. It was uncharacteristic of a Clemson defense and something I expect the veteran leaders on this defense to address. The secondary looked improved, which is a positive sign. In a matchup like this, after a performance like last Monday’s, this defense is going to play like they’ve got to prove something, which I think we can all agree they do.
Garrett Riley is going to open up the playbook
I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say that was not the play calling I was expecting in Riley’s first game as Clemson’s offensive coordinator. It was somewhat shocking to see how similar things were to last season’s play calling, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t see some promise and upside. Against Duke, Clemson didn’t test the Blue Devils downfield at all. Doing that makes a defensive coordinator’s job a lot easier because it is just one less thing to worry about. I believe Swinney and Riley will learn from this experience, and it will show against Charleston Southern.
Cade Klubnik will be in for an easier day under center
Klubnik definitely has some things he needs to improve on, but the performance against Duke wasn’t nearly all on his shoulders. In many ways, he wasn’t being put in a situation to succeed with the play calling and the play of Clemson’s wide receivers. Against Charleston Southern, Klubnik will have more time to throw, and the wide receivers SHOULD be able to create more separation for their quarterback. Klubnik will be able to find a groove in this game and make some of the plays we were hoping to see against Duke.
Clemson, as a program, can't afford a loss
Something that was missing against Duke was that sense of urgency. The energy felt low, and I don’t believe I saw anyone other than Shipley show that intensity and sense of urgency a team needs when they’re trailing against a game they should be beating. If they didn’t feel it then, the Tigers should definitely feel it now. There is no room for error, and Swinney and this team are going to play like it on Saturday.
