Clemson has thrown two touchdown passes in six games.
Ethan Grunkemeyer has 15 by himself.
That gap is the first thing to know about the team waiting for Virginia Tech at Memorial Stadium on Saturday night (7 p.m., ESPN). It isn’t the only thing. Clemson is 4–2 and 2–1 in the ACC because its defense has carried a stalling offense, and its kicker keeps cashing in.
A win would make the Hokies bowl-eligible in coach James Franklin’s first season. Here’s what to know.
1. Last season left a mark on Dabo Swinney
Clemson went 7–6 in 2025, its worst record since 2010, and lost to Penn State 22–10 in the Pinstripe Bowl. Coach Dabo Swinney fired offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and brought back Chad Morris, whose Clemson offenses averaged at least 30 points per game every season from 2011 to 2014.
Swinney isn’t going anywhere. Last week’s win over Charleston Southern was No. 191 of his career, tying Nick Saban for second on the NCAA’s list of wins through a coach’s first 20 FBS seasons, behind Tom Osborne.
2. A true freshman is running the offense
Senior Christopher Vizzina opened the season at quarterback, then fractured his left elbow, on his non-throwing arm, against Georgia Southern on Sept. 12. Tait Reynolds, a true freshman from Queen Creek, Ariz., has started every game since.
His best day came in a loss: 29 of 44 for 295 yards against No. 4 Miami, all career highs. Vizzina was available against Charleston Southern but didn’t play, and Swinney says Reynolds remains the starter.
3. The passing game ranks last in the ACC
Clemson’s pass efficiency rating of 108.9 is the conference’s worst, 16 points behind next-to-last Stanford. Reynolds has 943 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. The line hasn’t helped. Clemson has allowed 17 sacks, six of them to Miami.
4. Nolan Hauser turns stalled drives into points
Clemson averages 22.3 points per game, 19.4 against FBS opponents, and scores touchdowns on only 40% of its red zone trips. Junior kicker Nolan Hauser picks up the slack. He has 15 field goals in six games, and his 59-yarder against Charleston Southern was the second-longest in school history. He also won the 2024 ACC Championship Game with a walk-off 56-yarder.
5. The defense is the real thing
Under second-year coordinator Tom Allen, Clemson allows 21.5 points per game, but LSU and Miami account for 92 of the 129 points. The other four opponents averaged 9.3. Charleston Southern managed 76 total yards and went 0-of-11 on third down in Clemson’s first shutout in five seasons.
6. Sammy Brown is the name to know
Junior linebacker Sammy Brown, the 2024 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, was a preseason first-team All-American for CBS, ESPN, USA Today and Walter Camp. He and fifth-year Alabama transfer Jeremiah Alexander have combined for 79 tackles. Junior safety Corey Myrick, a Southern Miss transfer, leads the team with 44, and senior defensive end Will Heldt, a Purdue transfer, has four sacks.
7. The secondary is Clemson’s best unit
Junior cornerback Ashton Hampton entered last week leading the country in passes defended with 10. Senior cornerback Elliot Washington II has three interceptions. That’s the matchup for Que’Sean Brown, the Hokies’ top receiver with 46 catches for 616 yards.
8. The Penn State ties run both ways
Allen ran Franklin’s defense at Penn State in 2024, when the Nittany Lions won a school-record 13 games and reached the College Football Playoff semifinals. Washington started his career there. And Grunkemeyer, who followed Franklin to Blacksburg, beat Clemson in last season’s Pinstripe Bowl.
9. A Lynchburg native carries the ball
Sophomore running back Gideon Davidson went to Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg. He has scored a rushing touchdown in four straight games, the first Clemson player to do it since Will Shipley in 2022. Senior SMU transfer Chris Johnson Jr. ran for two scores against Charleston Southern.
10. History favors Clemson
Clemson leads the series 24-12-1 and has won seven straight, all under Swinney. Tech’s last win came in 2007 at Clemson, and Saturday is the Hokies’ first trip to Death Valley since 2012. They’re also Clemson’s homecoming opponent.
The Hokies have the better quarterback by a wide margin. Clemson has the better secondary. If Virginia Tech scores touchdowns and Clemson kicks field goals, the streak ends at seven. If it goes the other way, it’s eight straight for Swinney.
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