Clemson’s Week 2 will be more like Week 1 ... 2.0

No. 2 Clemson checked a lot of boxes in Saturday’s “name the score” game against Furman.

First off, the Tigers won, 48-7. They played 50 players, including a dozen true or redshirt freshmen.

Both starter Kelly Bryant and backup Trevor Lawrence saw plenty of snaps with the first-team offense and had similar numbers.

The defense dominated for much of the game, holding Furman to 163 total yards and keeping them off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter. Clemson forced a pair of turnovers without having any of its own.

“We’ve certainly got a lot of work to do, but I thought today was a good start,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “There were a lot of positives in the game for sure, but the margin for error gets much smaller.”

It definitely will. The Tigers don’t have long to enjoy reaching their first goal of winning the opener before turning their attention to a road game next week at Texas A&M.

But beating Furman soundly while breaking in so many new players and new roles was what Clemson set out to accomplish.

The Tigers displayed balance. Swinney got teaching film on kickoffs, how to handle fourth downs on both sides of the ball, two-minute drill and “a little of everything.”

Bryant handled a quarterback battle that began in spring ball and is continuing into the fall by throwing for 127 yards and accounting for two touchdowns. Lawrence impressed in his debut with three touchdown passes and 137 yards on 9-of-15 passing.

The coaches gave no indication after the game that this two-QB system/tryout will discontinue in College Station, Texas.

Freshmen Lyn-J Dixon, Braden Galloway and Justyn Ross found the end zone. Xavier Thomas and K.J. Henry found playing time on a loaded defensive line.

It was a look into later this season … and 2019.

“There’s a lot to build on,” Clemson co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. “We had a lot of young guys play that we’re counting on later in the season, so this was a chance to coach them up hard as we get ready for the rest of the season.”

Clemson wasn’t exactly perfect against Furman, though. The coaching staff was disappointed in the offense’s tempo. Players weren’t getting lined up quickly enough. Signals were getting crossed. That happens in Week 1, even to national title contenders.

“It takes 11 guys all doing their job, and when you have that one guy not do his job, that’s kind of what stalled some of our drives,” Clemson co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott said.

Now, it’s all about what Clemson will look next week.

The Aggies hung 59 on Northwestern State, and Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond looked pretty good running new coach Jimbo Fisher’s offense. But they’ll find out who they are when Clemson rolls into town.

The Tigers looked like a team that could have great balance on offense. Everyone expects the defense to be dominant, but the Furman game wasn’t really about answering any questions, even at quarterback. It was simply a jumping-off point for what the Tigers hope is a long, successful journey.

The Tigers know it could start to derail if they show up at Kyle Field unfocused and unprepared.“It’ll be a great early test. We’ll kind of check the oil and see where we are,” Swinney said. “We’ll have to be really sharp in that environment to have a chance to win the game.”

For Clemson, the next game be Week 1 2.0.

This story was originally published September 1, 2018 at 7:23 PM.