At the half, the No. 8 Clemson Tigers are down to the Troy Trojans with a score of 16-3 in Death Valley. Below is an analysis from both sides of the field with 30 minutes of the game to go.

Offense:

— The Tigers’ offense started the opening drive right where they left off against LSU: a 3rd and long situation that resulted in a quick three-and-out.

— Following the defensive interception, Clemson was put into a fourth-and-short situation where the team handed the ball off to Adam Randall, ending in a fumble. Troy returned it for 53 yards. Offensive coordinator Garrett Riley decided to go with the gutsy call rather than taking the points with a field goal, and it backfired.

— At the end of the first quarter, Clemson’s offense has yet to find its identity. The run or pass game has been established, and Troy has been winning the battle in the trenches. This is a very unexpected performance from a team that was expected to come out motivated after a tough Week 1 loss.

— The offense has been extremely sloppy, drawing penalties on first down and forcing long yard situations. This has only put more pressure on quarterback Cade Klubnik to convert on expected passing downs. Klubnik has completed 11-of-16 for 97 yards.

— Klubnik ran onto the field and immediately threw a pick six after the ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage, which helped put the Trojans up by double digits.

— The Tigers settled for a field goal to achieve their first points of the afternoon. Transfer receiver Tristan Smith’s first Clemson touchdown was overturned after his knee was ruled down once he had possession of the ball.

— Clemson closes out the first half with only 17 rushing yards. In order to win this game, they will have to establish a strong ground game. It’s difficult to win a football game with few rushing yards, especially when the opponent has a total of 45 more yards.

Defense:

— The Clemson defense started the game shocked as Troy scored on the opening drive.
A five-play drive was all the Trojans needed, scoring a 44-yard touchdown through the air with only three minutes taken off the clock.

— Defensive coordinator Tom Allen has a weekly goal for the team to achieve three takeaways, and the Tigers contributed to it in the first quarter. Troy quarterback Goose Crowder’s pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by cornerback Ashton Hampton. Clemson took over in dangerous territory.

— On Troy’s final drive of the first half, the unit was unable to stop the run, allowing the Trojans to go deep into Clemson territory. Running back Tae Meadows recorded 50 yards on the drive to give the team an opportunity to put points on the board.

— The defense has allowed over 200 total yards over the course of the half. The team will look to close that gap if the Tigers want to mount a second-half comeback.