The Clemson Tigers are back in action this Saturday, facing a Charleston Southern team that will be one of their two buy-in games for the 2026 season.
Head coach Dabo Swinney and his team are coming off a bye from last weekend, looking to bounce back from their loss to No. 4 Miami at home that saw the Tigers pick up their first ACC loss of the season. With the rest of the way being conference opponents, of course, except for South Carolina, Clemson will look to pick up an important win to move to 4-2 on the season.
These are the three storylines I’ll be keeping an eye on throughout the contest.
Does Clemson’s Offense Show Out?
Against the Buccaneers last season, the Tigers scored 66 points on them at home after coming off a loss in 2023. They recorded double-digit points in every quarter in that game.
So, can Clemson replicate that type of success to get the offense going in 2026?
Quarterback Tait Reynolds believes the team has the capability of doing so, with the unit only scoring 22 points as the most it's done in a game this season. Clemson has the players at skill positions to do so, and with a quarterback who’s learning from his mistakes as a freshman, the Tigers could do that on Saturday.
However, it will be interesting to see where those points come from, whether rush or attack, and which players are the ones to get in the end zone.
How Do Defensive Newcomers Perform?
Since the Miami loss, there have been a few changes to Tom Allen’s unit that are worth watching in Saturday’s contest.
The first is defensive tackle Kourtney Kelly, who tore his ACL back during spring camp but is expected to return on Saturday to make his debut as a Tiger. Before the injury, many praised the West Georgia transfer as a starter on the defensive line this season.
With cornerback Corian Gipson out for the season, sophomore transfer Donovan Starr is now a starter. He comes from Auburn, although he was a top recruiting target of Swinney’s and brings a type of speed that will replenish the group. Keep an eye out for true freshman Marcell Gipson Jr. as well, who continues to turn heads throughout practices.
Of course, if the game gets out of hand, we could also see more new faces from the defensive unit, which will be worth watching.
What Haven’t We Learned Yet?
From the first five games, we’ve learned this: the offense has yet to wake up, the secondary is elite and special teams has saved Clemson in games so far this season.
Do any of those narratives change on Saturday? Some of the previous non-conference games have done that in recent seasons.
I’m looking at that Appalachian State game in 2024, when Clemson’s offense erupted, or a game like Troy last season, where the Tigers still couldn’t get it going with an elite offense going into the season. That 2025 year popped the bubble of how far the team could truly go.
Does Clemson’s offense pop, the trenches show up or something else that we didn’t know before? That could be an x-factor going forward as the Tigers look to contend in the ACC.
Kickoff is set for noon, with the game to be broadcast on the ACC Network.
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