Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney called the LSU matchup “like taking a final exam on day one of class.” He wasn’t wrong. Clemson scored a 58. LSU got a 65. It wasn’t enough to pass, but it was enough to show the Tigers where the answers are.
Quarterback Cade Klubnik under center didn’t have a good day; that much is clear. Nobody’s pretending otherwise.
There were throws that still make you wince on film, including one late in the game when Tyler Brown broke free on third down with a chance to waltz into the end zone and tie the game.
Klubnik never saw him.
Clemson finished with just 10 points and an offensive performance that left fans deflated. The disappointment was especially glaring as this offense had been hyped all offseason.
Klubnik was touted as a Heisman front-runner and a potential first-round NFL draft pick.
Wide receivers Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore were expected to restore the Wide Receiver University label.
Adam Randall, the running game’s supposed savior compared to Derrick Henry, touched the ball only five times, and Clemson gained just 31 yards on 20 carries. He was a non-factor, and the offense never found a rhythm.
And the offensive line? It was supposed to be a strength with the return of four out of five starters. Instead, the line struggled to settle in and create consistency.
“That’s the part that frustrates me,” Swinney said. “For some reason, Cade got flustered. He scrambled out of the pocket when he didn’t need to. We just didn’t do a good job of executing our plan.”
The numbers tell the story. LSU blitzed five on only 14 of Clemson’s 46 dropbacks, but still generated 17 pressures. That’s not about exotic schemes; it’s about breakdowns in protection and a quarterback who lost trust in the pocket.
So yes, the offense failed the test.
But Clemson didn’t lose because Klubnik was a fraud or because the wideouts were overrated. They lost because, against an elite opponent, the margin for error was razor-thin, and Clemson made too many mistakes to close the gap.
Which brings us to the part that really matters, and the one Swinney made sure to emphasize.
“A lot of narratives in the offseason, but the only one that held up was Tom Allen, that defensive line and the linebackers. Great wideouts, all these great wideouts and Heisman quarterback and all that crap? Great wideouts make plays. Those narratives didn’t hold up. The only narrative that held up was Tom Allen,” Swinney said. “The rest of them? Everybody can just start throwing mud. Say we suck again. Tell everybody we suck. Coaches suck. Cade stinks. Y’all start writing that again. Maybe y’all will write that stuff.”
Swinney’s sarcastic irritation aside, he’s not wrong. For all the offensive struggles, the defense was the bright spot.
After being gashed repeatedly last year, the Tigers under Allen looked physical, fast and disciplined.
LSU came in with one of the nation’s most explosive attacks, and Clemson held them to 2.8 yards per carry for nearly the entire game.
The linebackers swarmed. The line was disrupted. That’s progress you can measure.
And Swinney knows it: “No. No. Heck no,” he said when asked if this loss shook his confidence.
“I’ve got confirmation now. I know what I’m looking at. We played tough and physical defensively. If we make one of those touchdowns, a field goal, it’s a three-point game at the end. The last play is wide open to tie the game. Wide open. Cade just took off running. It’s disappointing … but there was a lot more good than bad.”
Swinney’s is the perspective fans need to keep. This wasn’t Georgia 34, Clemson 3. This wasn’t a program unraveling. This was a flawed but competitive effort against another top-10 team.
The Tigers still have questions on offense, from Klubnik’s decision-making to the offensive line’s protection, but unlike last year, the defense looks ready to give them a chance in big games.
If Week 1 was the exam, Clemson didn’t ace it. But the team collected enough answers on paper to know what has to change, and enough proof to believe they can still make the grade when it counts.
