CLEMSON — For most, if not all, of No. 4 Clemson’s 17-10 loss to ninth-ranked LSU, they were not the offensive powerhouse that many expected.

A tough and stout LSU defense is expected to provide a challenge, but Clemson couldn’t get things clicking through the air or on the ground. The ACC’s Tigers could only manage to gain 261 yards of offense and were 3 of 13 on third down.

During the offseason, much speculation was had on who would take the lead of the running room and how it would look during the season. The corps had its first chance to show off what it had, and the results weren’t enough to be considered stable.

Clemson started off slow, with the offensive line not providing much help for the Tigers to get moving on the ground. Through the end of the first half, they earned only 19 yards off of 16 rushing attempts, rounding out to a very poor 1.2 yards-per-carry.

Adam Randall finished the game with five carries for 16 yards, as the Tigers ran for 31 yards all night on 20 carries. Not much was being gained on the ground, which limited their opportunities and desire to keep grinding out minimal yards.

In addition, running backs David Eziomume and Keith Adams Jr. both got chances on the ground, but with minimal gain or effectiveness. At the end of the game, they combined for only three yards on four attempts.

Despite an improvement in the second half, the Tigers ended the game with only 31 yards on the ground in the loss. While it wasn’t the outing that was expected, Clemson has plenty of time to work on their rushing and get things into order for the rest of the 2025 season.