It wasn’t all that long ago that Clemson was viewed as one of the elite programs in college football.
The No. 25 Tigers no longer look so ferocious and will try to bounce back from a season-opening beatdown when they host Appalachian State on Saturday night.
Clemson (0-1) was dismantled 34-3 by No. 1 Georgia in Week 1. The 31-point shellacking was the program’s worst since a 51-14 rout by Florida State in 2013.
Tigers coach Dabo Swinney has fiercely rejected the use of the transfer portal, a tool that nearly every program uses to pull in players who can plug holes at positions.
Some observers are pointing to that philosophy for why Clemson has fallen from a program that won 14 or more games four times in a five-season span from 2015-19, including two national championships. Last season, the Tigers’ streak of 12 straight 10-win seasons was snapped.
“People are going to say whatever they want to say,” Swinney said. “It doesn’t matter. Doesn’t matter what I say. … But we do what’s best for Clemson year in and year out.
“When you lose like this, they got every right to say whatever they want to say. So say whatever you want to say, write whatever you want to write. That comes with it. It’s just part of it.”
Clemson was outgained 447-188 by Georgia and managed just 46 yards on the ground.
Quarterback Cade Klubnik was 18-of-29 passing for 142 yards and one interception. However, Swinney said Tuesday that Klubnik wasn’t the reason why the Tigers lost the game.
“He gave us plenty of opportunities that we didn’t take advantage of,” Swinney said. “Unfortunately, when you play the No. 1 team in the country, you’re not going to get a lot of opportunities.”
The Tigers now will look for vast improvement as they seek to win their 21st consecutive home opener.
Appalachian State (1-0) drubbed FCS program East Tennessee State 38-10 in its opener last week and has been known to deliver upsets.
The program’s biggest stunner came when it was an FCS program, as it prevailed 34-32 over No. 5 Michigan at the Big House in 2007.
In 2019, the Mountaineers won road games at both North Carolina (34-31 score) and South Carolina (20-15). Two seasons ago, Appalachian State won 17-14 at No. 6 Texas A&M.
Because of those accomplishments, Mountaineers coach Shawn Clark is confident his players will have no trouble playing at Clemson’s Death Valley.
“It’s going to be a hostile environment, one of the best atmospheres in all of college football,” Clark said. “They have a very passionate fan base like ours. We’ve been in these situations before, so the moment won’t be too big for our players.”
Appalachian State will need a big game from standout quarterback Joey Aguilar if it is to slay the Tigers. Aguilar set school single-season records of 3,757 passing yards and 33 passing touchdowns last season.
He started this season with 326 yards and two touchdowns in the air against East Tennessee while adding two rushing scores.
Clark is alleviating pressure on his players by saying there’s no difference in the preparations for opponents.
“This game is not going to be any bigger than the ETSU game,” Clark said. “We have a job at hand. We have to prepare our very best to have a chance to win. Our coaches are excited, and our kids will be ready to play.”
Clemson has won all five previous meetings between the teams, outscoring Appalachian State 186-29. The Tigers rolled to a 41-10 home victory in the most recent matchup in 2015.
