After last Saturday’s season-opening loss to LSU, Clemson was hoping for Saturday’s contest vs. Troy to be a “get-right game.” Unfortunately for the eighth-ranked Tigers, that certainly wasn’t the case, at least not in the first half.

Clemson trailed Troy, 16-3, at halftime of the game at Memorial Stadium after an embarrassing first two quarters against the Trojans.

During halftime of the ACC Network broadcast, former Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson and former Miami/Georgia head coach Mark Richt weighed in on why Clemson struggled so much in the first half.

“I think if you look at it from a 10,000-foot view, they went into this season not even talking about winning the ACC – talking about being national champions,” Clawson said. “They lose a tough game to LSU, and they are just, right now, not in any type of offensive rhythm. [Cade] Klubnik seems very unsettled, his feet are very happy, and you would think they would get explosive plays through the normal course of their offense with all their skill. And you can tell they’re getting frustrated, and they’re pressing a little bit right now.”

Richt added that he thought Troy was simply “playing harder, quite frankly,” and that Clemson was “reeling” mentally.

“People will underestimate that team [Troy] – they are a tough bunch of dudes, and they’re playing on fire, with confidence,” Richt said. “And Clemson, I think, is reeling just a little bit psychologically because they’re like, ‘Who would’ve dreamed we’d be in this situation after the first game? And of course, the second game’s going to be a cure-all. We’re going to play this team, Troy, take care of business and get back on track.’ Well, that didn’t happen.”

The Tigers will try to get things turned around in the second half and avoid a major upset against a Sun Belt Conference team in Troy, which entered the game as 33.5-point underdogs.