Clemson lost its first-round college football playoff matchup against Texas 24-38 in a hard-fought effort. Even after going down 28-10, the Tigers kept fighting and almost clawed their way into a comeback. The woes in the run defense were too much for Clemson to overcome, though. The lack of discipline against the run again caught up to the Tigers. It made it difficult for the defense to string together enough stops to win the game.
Clemson should still be proud of its 2024 season, though, even with the early exit. The Tigers won the ACC Championship and made it back into the playoffs for the first time in four years. With the talent expected to return for next season, they should also be motivated by where the program is headed.
Tigers Show Promise
Struggles Against the Run
For much of the season, we’ve talked about the Tigers needing to fix their run defense to have a chance to make noise in the postseason. Defending the run was a problem Clemson had all season long. It seemed to get worse as the season progressed too. In round one of the college football playoffs, it cost them an opportunity to advance.
Texas had 292 yards on the ground and four rushing touchdowns. Quintrevion Wisner and Jaydon Blue both rushed for over 100 yards and two touchdowns. It is hard to win a championship if the defense allows a team to rush for nearly 300 yards in a playoff game. Clemson’s defense did an awful job tackling. There were also players taking bad angles to attempt tackles, being slow to fill run lanes, and not properly taking on blocks too often.
Defending the run takes eleven guys working to shut it down. The defensive line has to know their gaps and defend them. This allows the linebackers and safeties to step up and fill the remaining holes in the defense. The Clemson second and third-level defenders were too slow filling those holes or took on blocks incorrectly taking them out of the play.
Clemson has lots of young talent on defense that is expected to be back next season. Those guys and the coaching staff need to put an emphasis on improving the run defense in the offseason. If the Tigers want a deeper playoff run next year, they have to defend the run game much better.
Cade Klubnik Shines Again
The biggest bright spot coming out of the playoff loss was the performance of Cade Klubnik. The junior quarterback improved drastically this season and put that on display in his hometown. He did everything in his power to engineer a comeback for the Tigers, although they fell short.
Klubnik finished the game completing 26 of his 43 passes for 336 yards and three touchdowns. He did this with no run game as well. Phil Mafah was only able to take two carries before exiting the game. His backup Jay Haynes was out with a torn ACL he suffered in the ACC Championship game. So, it was up to Klubnik to make big plays and he did just that.
He got great help from freshman wide receiver TJ Moore who also had a standout performance. Moore caught nine passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. He became the go-to receiver down the stretch when the Tigers needed a big play.
Though he did not get the win, Klubnik showed the talent the Clemson fanbase was expecting to see when he committed. Now with playmakers like Moore, Bryant Wesco Jr, and incoming transfer Tristian Smith, the quarterback’s skills should shine even more. Klubnik should be one of the best quarterbacks in the country next season.
Where Clemson Goes from Here
It was a tough first-round loss for the Tigers but nothing that they should hang their head on. They showed fight and put on the best performance of all the teams that lost in round one of the CFP. Where does Clemson go from here though?
Well, Dabo Swinney has already done what many have begged him to do, going into the portal to grab some playmakers for each side of the ball. Smith at wide receiver from Southeast Missouri State, and edge player Will Heldt from Purdue. Two players that can make an instant impact. Especially Heldt who can make an already stout defensive front even better working opposite of TJ Parker.
Clemson will have a team that can make it back to the CFP next year. Much of the best talent from the 2024 team is expected to be back. The continued development of Klubnik, the young receivers, and the talented defense is going to be key this offseason.
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