Just a few moments after his team beat Notre Dame last November, Dabo Swinney told ESPN’s Molly McGrath that if Clemson was a stock, “you better buy all you can freakin’ buy right now!”
Fast forward to the present, and ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy – ABC’s color analyst for that game vs. Notre Dame, as well as Clemson’s games vs. Georgia and NC State this season – believes that the Tigers’ head coach was right about buying stock in Clemson Football again.
“It’s time to buy stock in little ole Clemson,” McElroy said on his Always College Football show. “Remember, Dabo Swinney said this last year on the heels I believe it was a win against Notre Dame. He said, if Clemson’s a stock, you outta buy it right now.”
Heading into that game with a top-15 Irish team at the time, the Tigers were 4-4 and everyone from the national media to the fans on Swinney’s radio show were putting them down. However, Clemson put it all together in Death Valley that afternoon, as the Tigers took down Notre Dame 31-23.
Clemson’s stock did rise after its win over the Irish. The Tigers went on to win their next four games, including another over a nationally ranked team in North Carolina. They finished the season with a five-game win streak, which was the third-longest win streak in the country heading into 2024.
Of course, Georgia snapped that streak with a 34-3 win over Clemson in the season opener, but the Tigers have since bounced back in resounding fashion with blowout victories over App State and NC State at Death Valley. After the loss to Georgia, Clemson outscored App State and NC State 125-55 in those two games.
“Well, yes, Clemson did not look good in their first game against Georgia in the second half. That’s an important caveat,” McElroy said of the Tigers, who trailed only 6-0 at halftime of that game against the then-No. 1-ranked Bulldogs. “But I did see a Clemson team that battled for the better part of the first 30 minutes.”
After the UGA game — when Clemson was limited to a field goal, 188 total yards and 46 rushing yards — the Tigers averaged 62.5 points, 618 total yards and more than 260 rushing yards against App State and NC State. Clemson’s 125 points in the last two games are the second-most in a two-game span since 1936.
Since the Georgia game, junior quarterback Cade Klubnik has completed 80 percent of his passes for 587 yards and has accounted for 11 total touchdowns.
“After week one, Clemson went back to the drawing board and they said, all right, here’s what we’re going to do. We are now going to start taking shots,” McElroy said. “If we go down, we’re going down swinging. We’re going to start airing it out. We’re going to use quarterback run. We have talented wide receivers with speed.
“Well, you know what’s happened the last couple weeks. It happens against Appalachian State, and you’re like oh, it’s Appalachian State. Happens against NC State, you’re like all right, hang on a second. People are starting to get on board.”
Up next for Clemson is Saturday’s game vs. Stanford, followed by road games at Florida State (Oct. 5) and Wake Forest (Oct. 12). The Tigers will then return home to play Virginia on Oct. 19, and after an open date, Clemson will host Louisville (3-0, 1-0 ACC; No. 15 in the AP Poll) for what is shaping up to be a huge ACC showdown on Nov. 2.
McElroy believes it would benefit the Tigers to not only win their games but win them big, as they seek a berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff, which will feature the five highest-ranked conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams.
“They’ve got to keep winning impressively because they are going to need some style points in the event which they don’t win the ACC,” McElroy said. “But so far so good in the response from the game and the outcome against Georgia in week number one.”
A limited number of signed replica road signs from Cade Klubnik are available! Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!
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