Clemson 24, Texas A&M 10: Solid Win in Crucial Game

Photo by Tigernet


The Tigers weren't dominant in the 24-10 win over Texas A&M on Saturday, but they also weren't seriously challenged in a game that was supposed to be the most challenging on the schedule.

Clemson's defense held the Aggies to just 289 yards of offense. Meanwhile, quarterback Trevor Lawrence was 24-for-35 for 268 yards and a touchdown.

Next up for the Tigers is Syracuse. The Orangemen were supposed to be a challenge for Clemson, but they looked awful in a shocking 63-20 loss to Maryland on Saturday.

GAME COVERAGE: Anderson Independent Mail, Shakin' the Southland.

OWNING THE SEC: The Tigers are 9-1 against the nation's top conference since 2016.

STILL NO. 1: Clemson holds on to the No. 1 position in all major polls, including AP.

Clemson vs. Texas A&M: This Is a Test

The No. 1-ranked Tigers tangle with the No. 12-ranked Aggies today at 3:30 p.m. in Death Valley. The game will be broadcast on ABC. This looks to be Clemson's biggest test of the season amid a relatively weak schedule.

GAME PREVIEWS: Saturday Blitz, Sports Illustrated, The State, TigerNet.

SERIES HIGHLIGHTS: It's 1-1 between the schools.

LATEST LINE: The Tigers are favored by 17.5? Seems high.

Clemson 52, Georgia Tech 14: Impressive Opener

Photo by Tigernet

America's First-to-Worst Football Blogger (me) is just now catching up on coverage from Clemson's season-opening thrashing of ACC foe Georgia Tech on Thursday night. The Tigers weren't perfect in the 52-14 win, but they didn't have to be. Superstar quarterback Trevor Lawrence was just 13 of 23 with two interceptions, but he did throw a sweet TD strike to Tee Higgins. The story of the game, though, was the huge performance by running back Travis Etienne, who rushed for 205 yards and three TDs on just 12 carries.

GAME STORIES: The State, Tigernet.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Tigers face probably their biggest test of the season on Saturday -- No. 12 Texas A&M. Thank god it's a home game.

The Atlantic Tackles Trevor Lawrence

MATTHEW EMMONS / USA TODAY SPORTS / REUTERS
High-brow web/print hybrid The Atlantic focuses on Clemson's young superstar quarterback Trevor Lawrence and how NFL rules prohibit him from playing on Sundays.

The plain facts of his talent and his inability to make money off of it, though, fit neatly into an era of growing skepticism about the ethics of nominally amateur college sports. 

It's a good piece and it's not too long; read the whole thing.

Clemson vs. Georgia Tech: It's Finally Gameday!

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The day we've all been waiting for is here — the opening of Clemson's football season.

The No. 1-ranked and defending national champion Tigers kick off tonight at home against ACC foe Georgia Tech. Gametime is 8 p.m. on the new ACC Network, which Sling TV doesn't offer (yet), so I don't know how I'll be able to watch. I'm hoping it gets out of hand early so it doesn't matter.

GAME PREVIEWS: Shakin' the Southland, Tigernet, Clemson 247.

SERIES HIGHLIGHTS: NCAA.com has a nice look at the Clemson-Georgia Tech series, including that heartbreaking 2004 Tiger loss in Death Valley that was probably the most apt example of the now-defunct phrase "Clemsoning."

WHERE IS CLEMSON? A great story from the Washington Post. Sample:

Evidence suggests that the proper noun “Clemson,” for so long limited to mostly regional usage, has expanded its reach in recent years. It has done so through that most American of methods: having a football team that routinely goes on television and beats the pure living hell out of other people’s football teams.

Read the whole thing.

LATEST LINE: Clemson is a 36-point favorite, which seems a bit high to me.

Predictions are Hard, Especially About the Future

What would college football in mid-August be without predictions? Here are a few.

Shakin' the Southland sees Clemson winning the ACC Atlantic Division (no surprise there).

The Tigers return a ton of key pieces on offense including QB Trevor Lawrence, RB Travis Etienne, WRs Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross, and three offensive linemen. It could be the best offense in Clemson history.

Looking further down the road, Shakin' the Southland also predicts that the Tigers will top Virginia in the ACC championship game.

Tiger Enter Season Ranked No. 1

It's official: Clemson is the team to beat in 2019.

The Tigers are ranked No. 1 in both the AP and coaches preseason polls.

As Shakin' the Southland wrote in its analysis of the coaches poll:

"We’ve arrived and now people are realizing it is 'We want Clemson,' not 'We want Bama.' ”

Here's a link to the full AP poll. Here's a link to the full coaches poll.

The Tigers open the season on August 29 with home night game against ACC rival Georgia Tech. Kickoff is at 8 p.m., and the game will be televised on the new ACC Network.

Clemson is Already Winning Big ...

... And it's only July. Tigernet's David Hood looks at how the Tigers were the all-encompassing focus of both the ACC AND the SEC media days:

It’s easy to understand why Clemson would be the main topic with ACC teams, but the SEC teams also had to answer questions about how this upstart from South Carolina could, gulp, be the favorite again this season.

Read the whole thing.

Sad News: Former Tiger Dies

Former Clemson running back Tyshon Dye drowned during a family get-together during the July Fourth holiday.

Tigernet has posted a lovely tribute to a player who was "a sweet soul."

My son Koty was born nine weeks early and spent most of the first two months of his young life in NICU at Greenville Memorial Hospital, fighting for survival. He is mostly deaf and there are other issues that make it hard for him to make friends or socialize with other people. ... Four or five years ago, Dye was rehabbing from injury but Swinney’s high school camp moved him out of the indoor practice facility. For some reason, we were allowed to interview Swinney that day and I took Koty with me to hold the mic. When the interview was over, I still had camp to cover and Koty wandered off. When it was time to leave, I looked everywhere but didn’t see him anywhere. I finally heard the sound of laughter and found him sitting upstairs at the indoor practice facility with Tyshon. The two were having all kinds of fun – they aren’t far off in age – and I almost hated to break it up. 

Read the whole thing.