Stanford (2-1, 1-0) travels to Clemson for the very first time on Saturday, with the No. 17 Tigers (2-1, 1-0) a three touchdown favorite.
The two teams have faced off just once before, with Clemson prevailing over the Cardinal 27-21 in the 1986 Gator Bowl.
It’s also Clemson’s 100th Homecoming game on record since the first celebration in 1922. Clemson has an overall record of 77-19-3 in its previous 99 Homecoming games. That includes a 46-4-2 record in Homecoming games since the 1971 season.
5 Things to Watch For
– Klubnik Continues to Thrive : After an ineffective outing in the season-opener loss to Georgia, Clemson’s offense has seen some kind of resurgence over the past two games. Cade Klubnik has been as good as any quarterback in the country over that stretch and comes in with the third best QBR (93.3) in the country. He has led the Tigers to touchdowns on 15 of his last 17 possessions in blowout wins over App State and NC State. Stanford comes in allowing 298.7 passing yards per game, so this might be another opportunity for Klubnik and that passing game to shine.
– Establish Run Game: TCU ran for just over 100 yards against the Cardinal defense in Stanford’s season-opening loss to the Horned Frogs. Since then, that run defense has been fairly stout. Teams are averaging just 2.2 yards per carry against them. Cal-Poly rushed for only 25 yards against that defense, while Syracuse managed just 26. Both were Stanford wins.
The Tigers are rushing for 189 yards per game, led by Phil Mafah, who is averaging 8.6 yards per carry and 94.7 yards per game. Something has to give here, and with the way that Clemson offensive line is playing, it’s probably not wise to bet against that group here.
– Win the Turnover Battle: Last season, this Clemson offense was not so good at protecting the football. Through three games this season, that is not the case. Klubnik has thrown just one pick to date and the Tigers have lost just one fumble. Stanford QB Ashton Daniels has already thrown three interceptions and the Cardinal have put the ball on the ground four times, although they have only lost one of those. Winning the turnover margin is always a recipe for success and the Clemson defense should have some opportunities in this one.
– Get After the Quarterback: Clemson’s defense has just four sacks on the season, but sometimes the box score doesn’t tell the whole story. The Tigers have been extremely disruptive when the starters are in, particularly the interior of that defensive line. Stanford is allowing two sacks per game and that pass protection has been leaky at times. It will be interesting to see what kind of blitz packages Wes Goodwin schemes up to impact the quarterback.
– 4th Down Defense: Stanford likes to be aggressive at times. The Cardinal have already gone for it on 4th down 10 times in the first three games, and they have converted six of those. The Tigers can’t allow that kind of success rate.
A limited number of signed replica road signs from Cade Klubnik are available! Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!
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