There was a lot of good over the first seven weeks of the season, some bad and a little bit ugly, as well.
But lets be honest here, there is not too much to complain about with No. 9 Clemson sitting 6-1 overall and 5-0 in the ACC standings. The Tigers are right where they want to be, in the middle of the College Football Playoff race.
The first CFP Rankings will be released on Nov. 5, and should Clemson take care of business against Louisville on Nov. 2 at Memorial Stadium, the Tigers should be squarely in the top 10 of the rankings.
Here is a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from Clemson’s first seven games.
The Good
Cade Klubnik. Last year, we all threw the Texas native under the bus. It seemed like all of the blame from Clemson’s 4-4 start was thrown on his shoulder, and some of it was deserved, but a lot of it wasn’t.
That’s why it is only fair to praise Klubnik for his 2024 season so far.
Through seven games, the junior has completed 66.7 percent of his 219 passes for 1,836 yards, 20 touchdowns with three interceptions. He also has run for 227 yards and four more TDs.
Klubnik’s 24 total TDs are just three shy of Miami’s Cam Ward, who leads the country.
Some more good
The offensive line. Matt Luke has done wonders with the O-Line, as he has turned the same group of players that allowed 29 sacks last year into a unit that currently ranks second in the ACC in sacks allowed, and only two of those six sacks have been charged to the offensive line. The improvement starts at center where redshirt junior Ryan Linthicum played like an All-ACC center. He literally went from battling for the job all spring, to becoming the guy at center before they even got into camp.
They’re good too
What a complete 180 the wide receivers have done since this time last year. Clemson has three receivers—TE Jake Briningstool, Antonio Williams and Troy Stellato with at least 20 catches. Five different players—Briningstool, Williams, Stellato, T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco—have at least 223 yards. Williams (5), Briningstool (4), Moore (3) and TE Olsen Patt-Henry (3) have all caught at least three touchdowns. And yes, their downfield blocking or on the line blocking is much improved as well.
The bad
The backup players on defense. Clemson’s numbers on defense would be much better if not for what the backups have been unable to do when they have got their opportunity coming into games late after the starters and key reserve players have played well for the most part. In games against NC State (21), Stanford (7) and Virginia (21), Clemson’s backups allowed 49 points and a whole bunch of yards.
The ugly
The ugliest part of the first seven games of the season was the second half against Georgia. The Tigers were outscored 28-3 in the second half. The offense could not consistently move the football, and the defense could not adjust to what the Bulldogs were doing in the second half. Clemson was outplayed and outcoached after trailing just 6-0 at halftime.