After 2 games, Clemson football’s outlook unclear. Time to hit the panic button?
The sky didn’t fall.
In fact, there was a lot to like about Clemson football’s 27-16 win over Troy.
But the lasting image of Saturday’s game at Memorial Stadium isn’t going to be any of those things. It’s going to be Clemson — the No. 8 team in the country, and a team still trying to prove itself as a 2025 national championship contender — trailing Troy 16-0 in the second quarter and 16-3 at halftime.
And much like last week’s home loss to LSU, that’s going to be hard to shake.
A week ago, Clemson got outplayed and out-executed by an elite SEC opponent. Fair enough. On Saturday, though, Clemson got outplayed and out-executed for half a game by a Sun Belt team that only won three FBS games last year, was a 30.5-point betting underdog and got paid $1.5 million to make a “buy game” trip.
Put it all together, and Clemson (1-1) has a lot more questions than answers. And a lot of folks — fans, media members, national observers — are hitting the panic button.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney’s response to that school of thought?
“I mean, we’re a talented team, a talented roster,” Swinney said Saturday. “We’ve played two tough games and one that came down to the last play against a pretty good team. I think LSU was pretty good. I don’t think they beat us 35-3. It was a game that came down to the last play.
“And then you saw a team today get down, get up and fight back. I saw resilience and courage and grit and toughness and character and will to win. No quit. You’ve got all those things, you’ve got a chance to be a good football team.”
Putting LSU, Troy games in context
He’s right on both counts.
A week ago, Clemson did have the ball in LSU territory, trailing by a touchdown and in position to send an AP Top 10 matchup into overtime. On the “last play” in question, Clemson QB Cade Klubnik, who wound up taking a sack, had a receiver open for a game-tying score.
And a lot of positives did emerge from Saturday’s win, which tied for the sixth-largest comeback in Clemson history (16 points) and was also the third-largest comeback at Memorial Stadium.
With their backs against the wall after Klubnik’s second-quarter pick six, Clemson ripped off five straight scoring drives and 27 straight points. The only time they were stopped was when time ran out on their final, clock-chewing drive of the fourth quarter.
Clemson’s defense also pitched a second-half shutout, and the Tigers got big games from a number of key playmakers — think running back Adam Randall, wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. and safety Ronan Hanafin.
But it’s tough to square those good vibes with how Saturday’s game began.
Troy caught Clemson off guard with a personnel look Swinney said the defense “hadn’t prepared for” and got a 44-touchdown pass off it.
Randall converted a key 4th-and-2 on the ground, and lost the ball and had it returned 53 yards the other way on the same play.
Fans — already restless after the 1 hour, 32 minute weather delay that followed Troy’s opening TD — booed Clemson multiple times during the first half.
And, for what felt like the first time since 2023, it was actually worth focusing on Clemson’s offensive huddle after Klubnik’s second quarter pick-six — to see if he or backup quarterback Christopher Vizzina would trot out with Clemson trailing 16-0.
Yes, the offense had been bad enough against Troy that it wouldn’t have been a surprise if Clemson’s star senior quarterback, preseason Heisman Trophy candidate and projected first-round NFL Draft pick got benched for a series.
“That first half, it was like Murphy’s Law,” Swinney said.
Sweating it out against a G5: A good thing?
Those kinds of shortcomings make some sense against a team like LSU or Georgia Tech, Clemson’s Week 3 opponent. They make a lot less sense against Troy, a team that was picked to finish sixth out of seven teams in the Sun Belt’s East Division … and was losing to an FCS team in the fourth quarter of its season opener last week … and was 3-30 all-time against AP ranked opponents.
Yet there was Troy, outclassing a Clemson team that returned 16 of 22 primary offensive and defensive starters and putting the Tigers very much on the verge of their first loss to a Group of Five team in 26 years (Marshall in 1999) and their first 0-2 start in 51 years (0-2 in 1974).
Had it lost to Troy, Clemson also would have dropped three straight home games for the first time since 2001 and four straight home games to FBS opponents dating back to 2024 (Louisville, South Carolina, LSU). Not the pregame nuggets most had in mind.
Of course, none of that came to fruition. Just take a temperature check in Clemson vs. Gainesville, Florida (where No. 13 UF lost at home to South Florida) for a reminder of how much that final, final result — win or loss? — changes everything.
“Some self-inflicted wounds,” Klubnik said. “But we responded really well.”
The improvement needs to continue, and quickly — on offense, where slow starts have plagued the Tigers, and on defense, where Tom Allen’s unit wasn’t as sharp against Troy and allowed too many explosive plays plus 4.1 yards per carry excluding sack yardage.
Clemson still has its entire ACC schedule ahead of it, and the potential of a College Football Playoff automatic bid. But the Tigers are sure to drop another spot or two in this week’s AP Top 25 poll. And after a tense game against a G5, next Saturday’s ACC and road opener at Georgia Tech (2-0) already looks trickier.
Troy was supposed to be a “get right” game. It ended up a “sweat it out” game.
That’s fine for the win column. But is it fine for Clemson’s season-long goals?
“If anything, at least we know we’re battle-tested,” Swinney said. “There’s some teams out there that don’t break a sweat til October.”
Next Clemson football game
Who: No. 8 Clemson (1-1) at Georgia Tech (2-0)
When: Noon Saturday, Sept 13
Where: Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta
TV: ESPN
This story was originally published September 7, 2025 at 7:45 AM.
