First look: Top story lines, kickoff details for Clemson vs SC State football game
After a rocky offensive performance against a stifling Georgia defense, Clemson returns home to play South Carolina State. Any weakness the Tigers had was exposed in the opener, which gives Clemson time to work on it over the next 11 games in hopes of fulfilling the rest of their season goals.
Clemson vs SC State kickoff, TV info
Who: Clemson (0-1) vs. South Carolina State (0-1)
Where: Memorial Stadium in Clemson
When: 5 p.m. Saturday
TV: ACC Network
How does Clemson respond?
The toughest part of Clemson’s regular-season schedule is behind the team. The Tigers opened the season with a top-five opponent in Georgia for the first time in Dabo Swinney’s tenure and fell 10-3. The Tigers have their home opener this week against South Carolina State, which gives the group a chance to regroup and build some confidence.
The biggest area of concern was on offense with sophomore quarterback D.J Uiagalelei shouldering the blame, though offensive coordinator Tony Elliott assured it wasn’t just on him. If Clemson wants to build momentum for the rest of the season after a loss to the Georgia Bulldogs, it’ll need a strong response against the FCS Bulldogs.
Starting running back revealed
After being hush-hush about who would start in the backfield, sophomore Kobe Pace emerged as the Tigers’ guy at running back. He drew high praise from Elliott during fall camp after a freshman season that included 75 yards on nine carries as one of the reserves behind Travis Etienne.
After the game Saturday night, Elliott said the Tigers would be sticking with that starting lineup until further notice. That group also included senior Matt Bockhorst at center and freshman Marcus Tate at left guard.
Senior Lyn-J Dixon, a contender for the starting running back spot, didn’t appear in the first half of Clemson’s opener for “team reasons,” Swinney said.
Next for Clemson: more Bulldogs
The in-state Bulldogs from Orangeburg fell just short in their own opener, dropping a game 42-41 Saturday to Alabama A&M. Buddy Pough, 67, has the most wins in school history and is a legend among the state’s all-time coaches. Twenty years on the job, his Bulldogs are the favorites to win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. They’ll be heavy underdogs here in their fifth matchup against Clemson, all taking place since 2008. The Tigers won the first four games 54-0, 52-13, 73-7 and 59-0, the last meeting coming in 2016.
SC State players to watch
▪ Kendrell Flowers, RB: He’s from the Columbia area, playing at Irmo High School. And he’s faced Clemson once already in 2019 while at Wake Forest (nine carries for 27 yards in that game). The transfer led S.C. State in rushing over four games in the spring. He had 81 yards and three touchdowns in the 2021 opener.
▪ Corey Fields, QB: The 2019 MEAC Rookie of the Year had an off game in his opener, with 14-of-28 passing for 213 yards, a touchdown pass and two interceptions. (He had a 3-to-1 TD-to-INT ratio in 2019.) He did run for a 54-yard score Saturday.
▪ Blair Davis, LB: The sophomore played at South Pointe High in Rock Hill. He had a team-high 10 tackles in the opener with three pass breakups and one quarterback hurry.
Clemson players to watch
D.J. Uiagalelei, QB: It’s not abnormal for a quarterback to have a bad game. In fact, it’s almost certain any quarterback Georgia faces will have a rough go because of its defense. Still, Uiagalelei, who totaled 178 passing yards on Saturday, will have to be the leader Clemson’s coaching staff has asked him to be and turn the offense around.
Joseph Ngata, WR: Health prevented Ngata from showing his full self last season, but he was the one bright spot in Clemson’s offense this past weekend. He emerged as one of Uiagalelei’s more reliable receivers in a pinch, catching six passes for 110 yards. Last year, he totaled seven passes for 83 yards in seven games played.
Andrew Booth, CB: Very few balls came Booth’s way on Saturday night. Still, he managed four tackles, one for loss, and one pass breakup on a third-down play. Booth is arguably one of Clemson’s best cornerbacks and, now healthy, can help boost the strength of the secondary with consistent plays being made.
