The 2020 Clemson football home opener is finally here!
We get it, Citadel isn’t a big name and is usually a game that most Clemson football fans would skip – which has always been dumb, to begin with. When you only get seven chances a year to see the Tigers run down the hill and seven chances to create the best atmosphere in college football you take advantage of all of them.
There are several reasons to look forward to today’s home opener. The weather is going to be absolutely perfect – the temperature will be right around 69 degrees at kickoff. This is usually something that we do not get to experience until October.
We get a chance to see a firsthand look at the 2020 freshman class. Sure, we saw them on TV last Saturday in Winston Salem, but that isn’t the same as seeing them live and in color. They are just as excited to play at home as we are to see them play at home.
The first opportunity for the greatest field entrance in college football. While the most exciting 25 seconds in college football will be a lot different this year than it has ever been, we will still get the opportunity to witness Clemson football touch Howard’s Rock and run down the hill. There is no better way to start a college football game.
What about in past years? What are the best home openers under head coach Dabo Swinney? We have decided to answer that question for you starting with number four.
2018 Furman – September 1, 2018
Most Clemson football home openers aren’t against great opponents and while Furman certainly lacks the luster of a Power five opponent, this was special for a different reason.
This was our first look at phenom freshman Trevor Lawrence. We all saw the high school highlights, the wins, and the state of Georgia passing records. We knew he had the long flowing locks and the great smile but what would he look like in the field in his first college game?
Trevor Lawrence certainly did not disappoint. He ended the day 9/14 for 137 yards and three touchdowns. The quarterback controversy hype machine would get kicked into first gear after this game.
As we know Trevor would eventually supplant Kelly Bryant and would go onto become just the second true freshman quarterback in college football history to lead a team a national title when he curb-stomped both Notre Dame and Alabama in the College Football Playoff.
2014 South Carolina State – September 6, 2014
Like 2020, despite being the home opener, Clemson football started the season on the road.
The week before, Clemson was in Athens battling UGA with starting quarterback Cole Stoudt. Todd Gurley took over late in the second half and the Dawgs beat Clemson 45-21. However, lost in the midst of that beating, Clemson football got its first look at a freshman quarterback Deshaun Watson.
I still maintain to this day that UGA had no answer for Deshaun and had Dabo gotten out of his own way and simply let the freshman play start from the jump, Clemson runs the table and makes the first-ever College Football Playoff.
I digress.
September 6th gave us a chance to Deshaun Watson at home for the first time. Like we said with Trevor, Deshaun did not disappoint. He ended the game 8/9 154 yards and three touchdowns through the air. He also added five carries for 20 yards on the ground.
2019 Georgia Tech – August 29, 2019
Clemson football’s first home game of the season in 2019, they took the field as the defending national champions.
This is also just the second Power 5 opponent Clemson has faced as a home opener under Dabo Swinney. This was also the first game ever on the new ACC Network.
Clemson would win the game 52-14 but there were a lot of unknowns coming into the game. Georgia Tech replaced Paul Johnson with Geoff Collins and there was no game tape on what Tech would look like. Clemson football defensive coordinator Brent Venables had shut down the triple option in recent years, but they would come into this blind with no expectations of what Collins and Co would run.
Clemson football put up more than 600 yards of offense and won their 16th straight game.
2013 University of Georgia – August 31, 2013
The biggest home opener under head coach Dabo Swinney and arguably it was Tajh Boyd’s biggest regular-season win as the starting Clemson football quarterback. The Tigers left the field that day a 38-35 winner.
Boyd would battle Aaron Murray for 60 minutes and they put on quite the duel. Boyd would end the day 18/30 for 270 yards and three touchdowns, more importantly, he had zero interceptions. He also added 42 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Much like 2014, Todd Gurley was an absolute beast. He averaged almost 13 yards a carry and ended the day with 154 yards rushing and two touchdowns. While UGA quarterback Aaron Murray would throw for 323 yards, he didn’t throw a single touchdown that afternoon.