The first game of the year is always the hardest.
There are no preseason games to go off. Information is mostly limited to what comes from the mouths of coaches and players. Last year’s film can only tell you so much.
That said, there’s enough on paper to know what it’ll take for No. 4 Clemson to beat No. 9 LSU on Saturday night inside Memorial Stadium. It won’t be easy. The SEC Tigers have a ton of talent, even though a bevy of transfers and major changes at the line of scrimmage lessen the continuity.
Clemson has that in spades with one of the most experienced returning rosters in college football. While there might not be as much on the line with a massive top-10 opener like this as in past years, because of the 12-team playoff, it’s still a super-hyped game with a lot at stake.
Here are three factors that will determine whether or not Clemson comes out on top:
Win the battle in the trenches
Yes, this is so cliché, but it’s an area of the field Clemson should have a decisive advantage. Clemson basically has the same offensive line from last year, complete with even more depth and competition. LSU is talented on the other side, with returning D-linemen Ahmad Breaux and Dominick McKinley and transfers Patrick Payton (FSU) and Bernard Gooden (USF). But a new position coach and a lack of continuity there mean Clemson should keep QB Cade Klubnik fairly clean.
Dabo Swinney’s squad also has two of the most talented defensive linemen in the country in Peter Woods and T.J. Parker. LSU’s rebuilt O-line will have a tough time keeping them off of QB Garrett Nussmeier, who was prone to making bad reads last year. New Clemson defensive coordinator Tom Allen will have some wrinkles LSU hasn’t seen before from this personnel, strengthening the ACC Tigers’ chances of getting off the field quickly more times than not.
Get them the ball
Declaring Clemson’s receiving corps the most talented in the country is another trope that’s been tossed around a lot this offseason, and this is the kind of game where Garrett Riley’s offensive playmakers must show it. One of the reasons Clemson fell out of the national scene for a few years earlier this decade was because of the lack of NFL talent at receiver.
That’s no longer the case. Antonio Williams, T.J. Moore, and Bryant Wesco Jr. are all likely headed to the league over the next year or two. Tristan Smith was a coveted portal receiver. Other returning pieces are a year better.
Utilizing them is critical to winning. Klubnik has to get the ball out on time and take advantage of a receiving corps that should be better than LSU’s secondary. It isn’t one of the worst power conference defensive backfields like it was a couple of years ago, but it’s still got something to prove. Clemson’s speedy playmakers can create the biggest difference on the field, especially with Clemson showcasing a new starting running back.
Cut out the costly errors
Swinney summed up his team’s recent struggles against SEC teams by saying sometimes the opponent is just better, and sometimes Clemson has shot itself in the foot with bad execution at the wrong times or critical turnovers. The former is debatable this time, and the latter can’t happen.
The season opener and a long layoff can spring the ball loose. Turnovers are hard to predict, but not as much in Week 1. They will happen. It’s on Clemson to make sure those don’t occur late in the game or when they’re close to the opponent’s goal line. That killed them last year against South Carolina. The experience on this offensive roster should be able to handle these moments. If they don’t and the costly mistakes continue, there will be a lot of handwringing the rest of the season.