CLEMSON — The Clemson Tigers’ goal for Week 2 was to get that awful taste from Labor Day out of their mouth. It took a while to get the ball rolling, but Clemson caught fire in the second half and rode it out to a 66-17 victory over the Charleston Southern Buccaneers.
A struggling offense in the first half found themselves, and defensive Wes Goodwin’s genius is working through two games for the Tigers. Self-infliction was still present, but Dabo Swinney woke this team up when they needed to in Death Valley. Here’s the key observations from Clemson’s first victory of 2023.
-Quarterback Cade Klubnik must be poised. In the first quarter, the Tigers went for a fourth-down in their own territory, and he bobbled the snap. The Buccaneers returned it to the 1-yard line, making it an easy score. A couple drives later, Klubnik held the ball for too long and then tried to throw it away. the ball never got close to the sideline, and it ended in a 67-yard pick six. The mistakes have to go, especially because of the defense Clemson sports.
-With concerns at wide receiver, Beaux Collins stepped up to the plate Saturday. Highlighted by a 69-yard touchdown where he raced by defenders, Collins led all receivers with seven catches for 137 yards and a touchdown. Everyone knows Antonio Williams is reliable with his two touchdowns today, but Collins’ dominant day is crucial moving forward
-T.J. Parker should be a starter. No slight to anyone on the depth chart, but his presence is clear on this defensive line. Parker finished the game with a team-leading three tackles for loss and a quarterback hit. Can’t imagine how many pressures he had as well. As a freshman, he’s earned this right and Lemanski Hall should have no choice to raise his snaps.
-Bravo, Wes Goodwin. There were 14 points given away by the offense, but it was a dominant day for his defense. Charleston Southern had just four first downs and 71 yards on the day. No missed tackles to be mentioned, and there was some physical hits delivered by the Tigers. None more than cornerback Jaedyn Lukus, who laid the wood, jarring the ball loose for linebacker Wade Woodaz to take it back for a touchdown. The defense is the strength of this team, and Goodwin’s second year at the wheel is a great one so far.
TURNING POINT
Halftime. When the Tigers went to the break, it was a measly 24-17 lead and I can’t imagine Swinney gave the nicest speech when he visited his team in the locker room. Whatever he said clearly worked, because Clemson scored 28 unanswered in the third quarter.
The first half was an obvious mess, but it was a sigh of relief to see the Tigers come out with a chip on their shoulder once fans had already started to clear out. Fast starts will be necessary going forward, but this is something to build off of.
TELLING STAT: 676-73
If you looked at the box score for this game, one would think the Buccaneers got ran through the dirt and then some from start to finish. That wasn’t the case, as mistakes plagued Clemson for the second week in a row. Nonetheless, the second half was necessary momentum for this offense above all.
The real key here is the defense. Regardless of offensive mistakes, they saw an FCS opponent and manhandled the option offense. Goodwin is cooking through two weeks in 2023, and this defense deserves credit just as much as the other side is taking criticism.
The Tigers get back to work with a second-straight game in Death Valley next Saturday, taking on the Florida Atlantic Owls. The game will be televised on ACC Network, kickoff off at 8 p.m.