The Clemson Tigers: 2024 Edition

Well, things are not ideal right now if you are an NC State football fan. Saturday at noon the Wolfpack will face Clemson in Death Valley with a true freshman quarterback, a banged-up secondary, and a running game that has been missing in action for the most part. This is Clemson however, and if you can’t get motivated to play the Tigers, then I don’t know who it would take to get the competitive juices flowing. This is a rivalry game and it’s also a very important game for the Wolfpack in terms of the quest for an ACC championship. So just how good are the Tigers and what are they good at?

The Tigers are coming off a bye week, so they have a smaller sample size of results coming in at 1-1. The loss was to Georgia and the win came against Appalachian State in pretty convincing fashion 66-20. There is plenty of talent on the Clemson roster per usual, but the fact that Dabo Swinney refuses to use the transfer portal limits them to just the prep recruits that they have brought in. It will be interesting to see how long Dabo will continue his stubborn ways.

Offensively is where Clemson struggled last year, and there are definitely some things to be ironed out. Quarterback Cade Klubnik struggled last year and he looked pretty bad against Georgia, but he looked much better against App State. The level of competition is obviously much different so it remains to be seen how much Klubnik has improved from last year. He threw for 378 yards and 5 TDs against Appalachian State, but only 142 yards against Georgia with an interception. It's almost like a Jekyll and Hyde situation. Which Cade Klubnik will show up on Saturday? From a rushing standpoint, their workhorse is Phil Mafah who has rushed for 177 yards while averaging 6.8 yards per carry. The lion's share of those yards were against App State who doesn't have a particularly strong defense. The Mountaineers gave up 378 yards per game last year and they tend to give up a lot of points and yards at times.

Perhaps the Tiger's biggest weakness is at receiver. They don't have a standout threat on the outside, which is not to say that someone will not come out of the pack and become their primary target as the season develops. So far their tight end Jake Briningstool is the leading receiver. If the Wolfpack is at full strength in the secondary, I think we will give Klubnik a hard time on Saturday. I haven't mentioned the offensive line, but as usual they are solid. They were just overmatched by the Georgia defense, but that happens to a lot of teams. If the Wolfpack can somehow get pressure on Klubnik, good things should happen for the NC State defense.

Defensively, Clemson is elite as they usually are. They gave up 34 points to Georgia, but they were on the field a lot as the Clemson offense couldn't get anything going. They lost a lot of talent up front including Xavier Thomas, Tyler Davis, and Ruke Orhorhoro, but there is plenty of talent to replace them. Peter Woods should be an important part of the equation. Last season they were 8th in the country and first in the ACC, giving up only 288 yards per game. The linebackers are young but talented and the safeties are very good. The cornerback spot could be the weakest part of the defense, and that could be big for the Wolfpack with the quality of their receivers.

To look at this game realistically, it's hard to imagine NC State coming away with a win with a true freshman quarterback and a struggling rushing attack, but this game is winnable. Cade Klubnik has struggled against good defenses, and I can imagine that Tony Gibson will have the Wolfpack ready to play. If CJ Bailey can have a good game then things could go the Wolfpack's way. It's a tall order playing in a very hostile environment for a freshman quarterback, but CJ Bailey has shown poise and confidence since replacing Grayson McCall. If NC State can win this game it could be a turning point. This team hasn't lived up to expectations but there is still time. This could be the start of something special if everything falls into place, or it could be a breaking point for the season. Let's hope it's the former.