5 Things We Learned From Clemson’s Blowout Win

5. ACC Title Game Favorites

It has not been a great season thus far for the ACC. North Carolina just surrendered 70 points to James Madison. Darkhorse contenders North Carolina State and Virginia Tech have looked poor and bumbled to 2-2 starts. Florida State’s offense is toothless and the Seminoles are 1-3. Miami is the clear favorite to win the league, and a pair of teams have emerged as challengers for the second spot in the ACC Championship Game, along with potential playoff threats. Louisville is one after a win over Georgia Tech, and the Clemson Tigers are the other. Louisville plays Notre Dame this Saturday before taking on Miami at Boston College and at Clemson from October 19 to November 2. Clemson has Stanford before traveling to Florida State. The game on November 2 in Death Valley could be a spot in the ACC Championship Game.

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2. Cade Klubnik's Resurgence Continues

After getting blasted by Georgia and looking anemic again on offense, the heat was on Cade Klubnik and the Clemson offense. Two games later, Klubnik looks like a completely different player. As the saying goes, the “light switch has come on” for the former highly-touted recruit, and Klubnik is now playing like the talented leader Clemson hoped he could become. After putting up seven touchdowns on Appalachian State (which could have been much more if needed), the fireworks immediately started against North Carolina State. Klubnik showed impressive speed for a 55-yard touchdown scamper to open the scoring, and he followed that up with decisive and on-target passing. He was 16-for-24 for 209 yards with three touchdowns in one-half of work before sitting for backup Christopher Vizzina. If Klubnik continues playing like this, the Clemson Tigers will be dangerous.

3. Balanced Offensive Effort

Cade Klubnik was not the only player showing up on offense. Clemson’s supporting cast is stepping up, and for the first time in a while, it appears Dabo Swinney and the Tigers are having fun with the ball. Phil Mafah ran for 107 yards on just seven carries, and Jay Haynes added 42 yards on eight rushes. Six players had at least two receptions, which did not include the 40-yard lone reception for freshman T.J. Moore. Cole Turner took a jet sweep to the outside and burst into the endzone. Adam Randall led the team with 69 receiving yards and five catches. Clemson played backups for much of the second half, so the numbers could have been gaudier, but this was a balanced effort, and that bodes well moving forward.

4. Big Plays From Defense

For the second straight game, the Clemson defense could play a lot of players as the offense grabbed a mammoth lead, and the Tigers could comfortably see out the contest. There are some concerns about the quality of the depth on this Clemson defense, particularly as star lineman Peter Woods was forced to sit out, and the three late touchdowns surrendered will not please Swinney or defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin. Still, the big plays from the defense helped slam the door shut early in this game. Clemson had eight tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, two interceptions, and one pick-six against promising youngster CJ Bailey. The playmaking is still there, but Clemson’s coaches are looking for more down-to-down sharpness and consistency moving forward.

5. ACC Title Game Favorites

It has not been a great season thus far for the ACC. North Carolina just surrendered 70 points to James Madison. Darkhorse contenders North Carolina State and Virginia Tech have looked poor and bumbled to 2-2 starts. Florida State’s offense is toothless and the Seminoles are 1-3. Miami is the clear favorite to win the league, and a pair of teams have emerged as challengers for the second spot in the ACC Championship Game, along with potential playoff threats. Louisville is one after a win over Georgia Tech, and the Clemson Tigers are the other. Louisville plays Notre Dame this Saturday before taking on Miami at Boston College and at Clemson from October 19 to November 2. Clemson has Stanford before traveling to Florida State. The game on November 2 in Death Valley could be a spot in the ACC Championship Game.

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