CLEMSON — Tom Allen was brought to Clemson for several reasons by head coach Dabo Swinney. The biggest is to win games like No. 4 Clemson will face on Saturday against ninth-ranked LSU.

“It is a big test for us without question,” Allen said.

LSU comes into the top 10 match with what many considered to be one of the best offenses in the country. And it is for good reason.

The Bayou Bengals are loaded at the skill positions and have quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who is considered to be one of, if not, the best quarterback in the country.

But it is not just Nussmeier. LSU also has star power at wide receiver in Chris Hilton, Barion Brown, Nic Anderson and Aaron Anderson. Tight ends Bauer Sharp and Trey’Dez Green are dangerous pass catchers, as well.

Then there are the running backs – Caden Durham and freshman sensation Harlem Berry.

“They have a lot of speed, and a lot of twitchiness. They got guys that do a great job with the ball in their hands, yards after the catch and their ability to stretch the field,” Allen said. “That is just what they do. They do a great job. They have an elite quarterback, elite receivers, and they are very impressive.”

But Allen is impressive too.

Clemson is loaded on defense with elite players, as well, including defensive end T.J. Parker and defensive tackles Peter Woods and DeMonte Capehardt. They also went into the transfer portal and pulled out All-Big Ten defensive end Will Heldt.

This is the type of game Allen was hired to defend, like he did last year when he led Penn State to a No. 7 national ranking in total defense (294.8 yppg..) and a No. 8 national ranking in scoring defense (16.5 ppg).

No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson

• Kickoff: Saturday, 7:52 p.m.
• Location: Memorial Stadium, Clemson
• TV: ABC
• Spread: Clemson -4.5 points
• Over/Under: 57.5 points
• Series: LSU leads series 3-1

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

There is a lot more at stake than bragging rights on who gets to say they are the real Death Valley. Though it is the first game of the season, there are major College Football Playoff implications at stake. The winner gets off to a good start and has an inside track to the CFP’s 12-team playoff.

KEY MATCHUP

The LSU Tigers must replace four starters from last year’s offensive line. Granted they went to the transfer portal and pulled out a couple of experienced players, such as former Virginia Tech center Braelin Moore, but they have combined 16 snaps together.

And though LSU’s transfers may help down the road, it’s a tall task to ask them to be completely in sync in front of 81,500 packed into Memorial Stadium and pulling against them.

Then there is Clemson’s defensive front. The Tigers were not very good last year on the defensive line. They finished the year ranked last in the ACC at stopping the run. They were average at getting to the quarterback and they were okay with causing havoc in the backfield.

What did Dabo Swinney do to address those problem areas from last year? First, he changed leadership at defensive coordinator. Then he brought in Will Heldt from Purdue to sure up Clemson’s issues at defensive end.

He then went and pulled Tom Allen from Penn State to run the defense.

With all that said, the key matchup will be Clemson’s interior defensive linemen against LSU’s interior offensive linemen. If Clemson can move quarterback Garrett Nussmeier off his spot and speed up his clock, it should be a good night for the Clemson Tigers. If not, Nussmeier, with his bevy of wide receivers, will torch the Clemson secondary.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik is considered one of the best quarterbacks entering the 2025 season. A large part of that reason is due to his 4,102 total yards and 43 total touchdowns in 2024. Klubnik threw for 3,639 yards and 36 TDs to just 6 interceptions, while completing 63.4 percent of his throws. He also ran for nearly 500 more yards and scored 7 TDs.

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, like Klubnik, is considered one of the nation’s best quarterbacks. Now in his second year as LSU’s starting quarterback, Nussmeier is 10-4 as a starter. In 31 career games, Nussmeier has thrown for 5,722 yards and 40 touchdowns. He has two 400-yard passing games and nine games with at least 300 passing yards. He has also engineered three fourth-quarter comebacks in his 14 starts, directing LSU to comeback wins over South Carolina and Ole Miss in 2024 and against Wisconsin in the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl, his first career start.

THIS AND THAT

Saturday’s game marks just the third time in Memorial Stadium history, Clemson will open a season against a top 10 opponent. The Tigers are 1-1 in those two other games. Clemson lost to No. 10 Maryland, 21-14, to open the 1977 season and then beat No. 5 Georgia, 38-35, to open the 2013 season.

FINAL ANALYSIS

LSU head coach Brian Kelly has run his mouth a lot in mocking Clemson’s Death Valley. It’s surprising considering he brings in a new offensive line. The noise should be at an all-time high at Memorial Stadium, which has been known to intimidate veteran offensive lines through the years. Clemson must get pressure up the middle and knock Nussmeier off his spots and make him uncomfortable, which I think with Peter Woods, DeMonte Capehardt, Vic Burley and Stephiylan Green, that should happen. If it does, look for the Tigers to get six or seven sacks. If that happens, the Clemson offense will have more than enough juice to get the job done.

Prediction

Clemson 34, LSU 20