Game 1 Preview: Clemson Travels to Take On LSU
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Start of the Rebound or Same as it Ever Was?
Greetings STS folks! I’m excited to be back with the game previews for this upcoming football season. Obviously 2025 was not a lot of fun, leading to an understandable level of trepidation coming into this season with a game of this magnitude to kick things off. Game 1 certainly won’t make or break this season, especially with it not even being a conference game.
That said, it is past time for Clemson to put a quality performance up against one of the programs receiving a ton of preseason hype (not to mention one of the biggest spenders in the nation for their roster). It is a tremendous opportunity for Dabo Swinney and this program if they can manage to seize the moment after flailing away at these more often than not since 2020. I grew up on old school NWA rasslin’, so in the words of the American Dream Dusty Rhodes, “Let’s quit talkin’ ‘bout it! Let’s take it to tha rang!”
Clemson Defense vs. LSU Offense: I’ve had a lot of time to think about this game. The more I ponder it, the more I believe that Clemson has to at least break even on the lines of scrimmage to have a shot in this contest. If that happens, I like Clemson’s chances to spring the upset because of the measures the staff has taken to upgrade the deficiencies of the defense in the back. This is without a doubt a much faster and rangier secondary group than what the team has fielded in the last couple of seasons. Last year’s group had the bad combination of lack of speed/range and poor assignment details. That made mistakes hurt twice as much because they couldn’t make up for them with athletic ability.
Dabo Swinney supported Tom Allen both with portal decisions and staff changes which you have to hope will make a huge difference. The Tigers simply couldn’t press enough to eliminate the quick passing games of most teams last season, which was one of the big reasons the touted DL didn’t have the type of impact most (including me) felt it would. You have to be able to make the QB hold the ball and work through his progressions to let your pass rush really do its job. Clemson was so good at this during the Venables era and it led to massive sack numbers over those years. Increased speed in the back should allow for more aggressive options versus the quick game, which was a major part of LSU’s offensive plan last year and mirrored by most of Clemson’s opponents during that terrible start to 2025.
Lane Kiffin and Company are now at LSU, which means his fast-break offense is too. The Tigers must hold up against the quick inside zone runs and occasional counters that he typically uses to set up his deep shots and chunk plays. If Clemson isn’t effective on first and second down vs the run game, it will be a very long night even with the upgrades in the secondary. Kiffin brought in Sam Leavitt from Arizona State which gives him a legit dual threat QB to work with. They have plenty of tools to be good on offense, so Clemson’s game plan is likely going to be centered on limiting the explosives and being strong inside the 25.
If you go back to the 2019 title game blowout against Alabama, you saw the blueprint for how to deal with that level of high octane offense. Outside of a couple of early big plays Alabama got, they did all their damage between the 30s and then got stoned inside of that. The Tide finished that game with 428 yards and 5.7 yards per play but only 16 points. That was easier to do with the elite DL the Tigers had back then, but conversely LSU won’t be as loaded as that Tide team was overall on offense either. Still, it all starts with not getting mashed up front and being sound with tackling.
Clemson’s question marks at DT are no secret. The best news about this game is that it’s game 1 – the Tigers are as healthy now as they can be and will hopefully get through this game with their top 3 DTs being able to handle the lion’s share of the snaps. That isn’t a recipe for prolonged success as the season goes, but the time for depth building will come after this trip. If Amare Adams, Markus Strong, and Andy Burburija can stay full go all night, Clemson can hopefully be stout enough. If Clemson loses (and loses big as some have predicted), this spot will be a likely suspect.
Last year’s game was lower scoring than most thought it would be. Openers can be tricky because of all the unknowns coming in on both sides due to changes in staff and personnel. However, it is likely LSU will at least score in the 20s and the Clemson Tigers have to hold it there; LSU getting to 30 or more will be very bad news. Turnovers are always a major variable that are hard to predict and can offset some things (especially for an upset-minded team). Clemson got a big one in the first half of last year’s game but Ricardo Jones didn’t have the speed to score on the return and Clemson was only able to get a FG out of it.
Clemson Offense vs. LSU Defense: Clemson’s struggles in openers have been a major story in the post 2020 slide. Offense has been the biggest culprit for the struggles. Clemson has faced some strong defenses, especially that 2021 UGA unit, but at the same time the absolute ineptitude has put too much pressure on the defense and it has wilted in most of these games as a result. Garrett Riley’s tenure was wrought with extremely poor execution and performance in the openers. Last year’s 10 points was the HIGH mark for scoring in openers during his 3-year run. Chad Morris is back and simply has to re-inject the scoring prowess into the offense. I do believe that is going to happen, but how long it takes is something that is just impossible to know.
Morris’ 2011 offense was dynamic but it had its issues through the first two and a half games before taking off in the second quarter against Auburn. Clemson has put a major emphasis on getting the running game back in gear and getting the physicality back to where it needs to be. It is certainly past time for Matt Luke’s presence to be felt in a positive way. There were signs in 2024 that it was going to be the case, but last year was a major letdown for a multitude of reasons, including poor OL play. How much of that was a lack of cohesion on the offensive staff and Dabo? We are about to find out because if nothing else, Chad Morris and Dabo are in alignment and that should be reflected down the line the same way misalignment was reflected in 2025. Dabo put his faith in the OL room which Luke has almost entirely recruited at this point. We will probably never know if Luke made a push to sign a portal OL or 2, but the Clemson OL is as important as CV or Tait Reynolds. Clemson has plenty around those guys if the OL can hold up its end of the bargain.
Riley was thoroughly outcoached by LSU’s defensive staff in last year’s contest. I’ll never forget LSU getting its best pass rushers isolated on either RBs or even slot WRs versus OL or TEs. It seemed like Riley’s entire gameplan was built on Antonio Williams, and when Williams went out early with the hamstring, the plan went with him. But hopefully that is in the rear view mirror with Morris back in town, who has more than proved he knows how to get multiple weapons activated when he has them in his arsenal. Clemson’s ability to keep the run game as a legitimate threat will help limit LSU’s ability to be exotic with their pressures. Can Clemson win the explosive play margin and protect the ball? Can Clemson at least match LSU in rushing? If Clemson wins, the answers to those questions will almost certainly be yes. That answer has been a resounding no in all but one opener since 2020.
Mansoor Delane was worth every penny LSU paid to get him last year as he was a major revelation for them at corner and helped them negate Clemson’s supposed advantage on the perimeter of last year’s contest. Thankfully, Delane is gone to the NFL and you have to hope LSU hasn’t got an equivalent in place this week. Clemson needs Bryant Wesco and/or TJ Moore to deliver, especially when LSU gambles with single coverages. CV’s lone start had good numbers largely because Moore was such a difference maker for him. Clemson has to break into the 20s at a minimum to win this game and that likely isn’t happening if every drive is dink and dunk. Putting any QB in constant third and long situations is a recipe for losing, but even more so with guys who are less proven at this point. I at least am confident that Chad is not scared. My only issues with him during his first tenure at Clemson was his habit of getting impatient and forcing things downfield a little too much at times, never with being too conservative.
Special Teams: Dabo went and brought in Rich Bisaccia to overhaul this phase in a move I felt was long overdue. There was a stretch where Clemson just needed to be OK in special teams because of the dominance in the other phases. Those days are gone, and Clemson needs to get more out of this spot and certainly cannot afford the gaffs that have happened in recent years with protections, kicking, and sometimes covering. I think back to Dabo’s first full season in 2009 and how much dynamic special teams play helped that team get to the ACC title game. It certainly helped to have guys like CJ Spiller and Jacoby Ford on the team, but they were also put in a position to dominate.
Clemson has some horses to work with and this new era of college football is closer to NFL in terms of parity across the land than ever before. Getting a boost in this phase could very well be the difference between 7-8 wins or 9-10 wins and beyond. 2009 was probably a 6-7 win squad had special teams not been the factor they were that year. Conversely, last year’s team got very little help from this phase and really needed it. We won’t really be able to assess Bisaccia’s impact until we have multiple games in the books, but it certainly would be terrific if they could produce a big positive on Saturday night. Of course avoiding a disaster is first and foremost. Nolan Hauser needs to be the weapon he has shown he can be with the margins as thin as they have gotten for Clemson. The Tigers finally have an elite speed return option now with CJ Johnson and are long overdue for a big TD return.
Overall: It seems a little foolish to pick Clemson to win this game given the unknowns and recent trends versus opponents like this. It might seem crazy to think good can come from not winning, but if Clemson can just demonstrate it can trade punches with LSU and take this game to the wire, there would be plenty of room for optimism for the season to make the turn the program needs. Can Clemson land the first gut punch or initial big play? That was sorely lacking in 2025 and really many of the games in the last three to four seasons. Last year’s game started with what should have been a TFL going for a nearly 20-yard rush for LSU. The 2024 UGA game started with Clemson’s offense doing nothing. The 2023 Duke game was a travesty of epic proportions.
I want to see the edge and the fight that we as fans began to take for granted. LSU clearly believes they are going to win and win handily, you can sense it with some of their comments in their pressers. Dabo has played the “bunch of nobodies” card quite a bit on this end. If LSU wins because they just manage to make a couple of more competitive plays, I can live with it as bad as that will hurt. If they win because Clemson keeps helping matters with brain cramps and moments of soft play, then we might be in for another season of hoping for a bowl game. Last year’s game was close but it seemed that was LSU managing to suck a little less than Clemson did that night. We all know the difference when we see a real dog fight.
Clemson’s difference makers need to be difference makers. The big money guys on this roster need to deliver on that investment. 2025’s legacy was a lot of those guys falling short. If I had to pick two I thought truly delivered from the departed group, I would pick Avieon Terrell and Blake Miller. Adam Randall was about as good as could be expected for a guy changing positions. It was a mess behind that with either injuries or disappearing acts in too many games. We’ve heard all about a closer team and other things that you hope are actually true. There have been plenty of talking heads kicking dirt on the program. Saturday night is an awesome stage to rewrite the narrative. I can’t pick a win but I will pick a fight.
LSU 31 – Clemson 27
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