Saturday will be special for Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney.

Not only do the Tigers return home for the first time in close to a month to host SMU in a rematch of last year’s thrilling ACC Championship game, but Saturday also marks the 17th anniversary of Swinney’s first game as the head coach at Clemson.

The Tigers dropped Swinney’s first game, 21-17, to Georgia Tech, and this time, Clemson will be looking for a different result.

The Tigers (3-3, 2-2 ACC) come in having won two straight, both in blowout fashion. SMU (4-2, 2-0) comes in having also won two straight, with both victories coming rather handily. The Mustangs defeated Syracuse 31-18 two weeks back, and last week they knocked off Stanford 34-10. Both those wins came at home, as Rhett Lashlee’s team is just 1-1 on the road this season.

5 Things to Watch For

1. Clemson Needs Cade: It sounds like starting quarterback Cade Klubnik might not play after spraining an ankle late in the third quarter in the win over BC. Why he was still in that late in the game with the team up big is anyone’s guess, but that is a discussion for another day.

Based on what we’ve seen from backup quarterback Chris Vizzina the past two weeks, the Tigers need Klubnik. Badly.

With Klubnik sidelined most of the week during practice, Vizzina has been getting most of the first-team reps. That can only help, but what we’ve seen from the redshirt sophomore the past two games has left a lot to be desired.

Can Clemson come out victorious without its starting quarterback?

2. Can Clemson Win at Home? It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost a year since Clemson has beaten a Power-4 team at home. The last time the Tigers knocked off a P4 opponent at Death Valley was October 19 last year, a 48-31 win over Virginia.

It is long past time this team gave the orange-clad faithful something to cheer about. Make no mistake, the atmosphere was electric for the season-opener against LSU. In fact, you could just sense the energy in the air as the fans inside the stadium waited on the team to give them a reason to blow the roof off the joint in that second half. Unfortunately, that moment never came. The next two home games featured long weather delays and unsteady performances from the home team.

Clemson is just 2-4 in their last six home games, and this is a program that won 40 straight at home at one point. It’s time for this team to give the home crowd something to celebrate.

3. Pass Pro: No matter who is playing quarterback, he is going to need protection. Especially if it’s Vizzina making his first career start.

Even if Klubnik were to somehow play, his mobility will be limited, and SMU can get after the quarterback. They have 19 sacks in six games, which is Top 10 nationally and tops in the ACC.

With Tristan Leigh still not 100% we very might well see freshman Brayden Jacobs at left tackle again this week. He came in fairly early on for Leigh at BC and was downright impressive in his first extensive action. The Tigers will need a repeat performance this week. They will also need another stellar outing from right tackle, Blake Miller, who was also really good in the win over the Eagles.

The Tigers are allowing just 1.17 sacks per game, ranking No. 24 in the nation.

4. Disciplined Defense: SMU will use a lot of different formations and motions to try and keep an opposing defense off balance. Tom Allen’s unit has been much better over the past two games, which included slowing down a Boston College passing offense that ranked Top 10 in the country coming into that game.

It doesn’t get any easier this week. Kevin Jennings is one of the more dynamic quarterbacks Clemson will face this season. The linebackers will have to be gap sound, and the backend will need to be strong on the perimeter.

5. Make Jennings Uncomfortable: The biggest thing Allen’s unit needs to do is keep the pressure on the quarterback. Make Jeenings feel the heat.

The sack numbers haven’t always borne it out, but Clemson’s defensive front is getting pressure faster than any team in the country. Expect the Mustangs to try and lean on the quick passing game at times to offset that pressure, but either way, Clemson needs that front four to play with its hair on fire.

Photo by Bart Boatwright