CLEMSON — As expected, Clemson had very little trouble disposing of FCS foe Furman on Saturday, with the Tigers cruising to a 45-10 win.

Dabo Swinney’s team had more than 200 yards passing and 200 yards rushing, making Clemson 118-2-1 all-time when reaching those marks.

The win also means the Tigers are bowl-eligible for the 27th consecutive year, dating to 1999. Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia and Oklahoma are the only schools to have won at least six games every year in that span.

Future Looks Bright at QB

Chris Denson gave fans a glimpse at what the future might look like with him at quarterback. The true freshman ran for more than 100 yards in his first extensive action of his career.

He might have done it against a worn-down FCS defense, but he still looked smooth as silk running the ball. While he still needs to polish his mechanics when it comes to throwing the ball, the left-handed signal caller has a ton of upside.

Whether it’s next season or the one after, the Tigers seem to have found one of those diamonds in the rough in Denson. First, you have to make sure you keep him around, and that is never a guarantee in today’s landscape, where every player is a free agent after each and every season.

Stock Down

While Denson certainly helped his case, backup Chris Vizzina did not help his for being the guy at quarterback next season. The redshirt sophomore had his fair share of struggles throwing the ball, averaging just four yards per attempt. One of the rare times he was allowed to throw it down the field, he missed a wide-open Tristan Smith on what would have been a sure touchdown.

Outside of the first quarter, Vizzina certainly looked the part in his spot start against SMU. However, let’s also remember that performance came against one of the worst pass defenses in the FBS.

Clemson is likely going to need to add an established veteran from the portal for next season.

Reserve Defenders Disappoint

Once all the starters on the defense were out of the game in the second half, Furman was able to move the ball a little too easily. The Paladins were nowhere near 150 yards of total offense at that point and then had more than 200 in the third quarter alone.

Swinney would eventually send his starters back in, and Furman was limited to just 63 in the final 15 minutes of action. All that to say, there is a steep drop-off when all the backups come in.

On a positive note, the defense did finish up with nine tackles for loss and two sacks, while also winning the turnover margin. The Tigers are now 3-1 this season when forcing more turnovers than the opponent.

Up Next

It’s now that time of the season. Rivalry week. Or hate week, for some of the more diehard fans out there.

Both Clemson and South Carolina have experienced extremely disappointing seasons when compared to the preseason expectations, which has taken a little shine off of this year’s edition. However, it’s still the Tigers and Gamecocks, and because of the disappointing seasons, each team will want this one.

Clemson has a shot at finishing up the regular season with four straight wins, and after starting 3-5, that would at least send the team into an offseason that should feature plenty of change with a little positive momentum.

With South Carolina having won last year’s matchup, the Tigers certainly don’t need to drop a second straight to their in-state rival.

Photo by Bart Boatwright