Tiger supporters are eagerly anticipating 2025 even though the Clemson football program’s 2024 season ends in just two days. Following all, everyone connected to the squad will want to forget about the 38-24 setback to Texas.
Thankfully, the Tigers should have a solid base to build upon in 2025 because to the development of a youthful wide receiver corps and the rise of quarterback Cade Klubnik this autumn. Klubnik will actually be among the leading candidates for the Heisman Trophy come next season.
But the Tigers won’t be in the running for the National Championship anytime soon unless they improve their run defense. The setback against the Longhorns on Saturday revealed that truth.
Texas, with its strong offensive line, dominated the Tigers on the ground. The Longhorns ran for 292 yards as a team, with running backs Quintrevion Wisner and Jaydon Blue each surpassing the century mark.
Because of this, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers only needed to throw 24 passes to win the game, and Clemson never put the game on his shoulders. Furthermore, the domination of the Longhorn rushing attack overshadowed the fact that Klubnik outperformed Ewers.
However, this wasn’t the first time Clemson had trouble stopping the run in 2024. That was, in fact, a problem that frequently arose against quality teams.
The Tigers gave up 169 yards and an average of 6.3 yards per rush to the Bulldogs in their season-opening loss to Georgia. In their 34-3 thumping of Clemson that day, Georgia hit the endzone twice on the ground.
Then, in a startling 33-21 victory over the Tigers, Clemson let Louisville enter Death Valley and run for 210 yards and three touchdowns following a six-game winning streak. On that particular day, Clemson allowed Isaac Brown of Louisville to run 159 yards at an average of 7.6 yards per carry.
A few weeks later, South Carolina dominated Clemson in Death Valley during the Palmetto Bowl. The Gamecocks won 17–14 by rushing for 267 yards and two scores at an average of 6.4 yards per carry. Clemson was destroyed that day by the quarterback run game, as LaNorris Sellers of USC dominated with 166 yards and two touchdowns at an average of 10.4 yards per carry.
In fact, the Tigers have failed to withstand the opposition’s ground attack in each of Clemson’s losses this season. At the top level of the sport, that isn’t how you win titles.
Just take into account that Texas, Ohio State, and Penn State—three of the teams still in the College Football Playoff—have the nation’s top ten run defenses. Other teams, including Georgia, Arizona State, and Notre Dame, have top-40 rushing defenses and are still vying for a national championship. Following the Texas game, Clemson is ranked No. 64 in the country against the run.
Whether Clemson can strengthen its defensive line sufficiently this offseason is the question. Amare Adams, a five-star defensive lineman in high school, will join the program. Will the 6-foot-3, 290-pound player be sufficient to address every issue with Clemson’s run defense, or will he bring some talent to the program’s defensive front? Probably not.
As a result, head coach Dabo Swinney may need to take a different approach. He may need to use the transfer portal to look for answers. Purdue edge rusher Will Heldt is his first defensive transfer this season, but he still needs to locate some seasoned run-stuffers to help shore up his program’s worst weakness. Clemson won’t be a serious contender to be anything more than first-round playoff fodder until that time comes.
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