Fresh out of the bye week, now is a perfect time for the Clemson Tigers to get back into form. This may not be the most talented Clemson team in recent memory, but this team does try so incredibly hard for its head coach, Dabo Swinney. Clemson will host the FCS Charleston Southern Buccaneers for an early kickoff on Saturday, hoping to truly get right as a program before ACC play is in full swing.
For that to happen, a handful of role players will need to rise to the occasion in this game to help set the team up for success in the second half. While it would be great to see stars like Sammy Brown, Gideon Davidson, Ashton Hampton, Will Heldt, TJ Moore, and Bryant Wesco Jr. take off in this one, it is not about them. Going up against lesser competition, this is where contributors gain confidence.
Look for any of these five Clemson players to take full advantage of the situation at hand on Saturday.
Christian Bentancur has to become a larger part of the passing attack
Despite being on the receiving end of Tait Reynolds' lone touchdown pass of the season, tight end Christian Bentancur has largely disappeared from this offense. While Reynolds looks to his trio of strong wide receivers in Moore, Wesco, and Tyler Brown, he has also thrown the ball more to Olsen Patt-Henry at tight end. A tight end should be a young quarterback's safety valve to gain confidence.
On the year, Bentancur only has six catches for 53 yards and a touchdown. The bulk of his production came on that incredible play versus the North Carolina Tar Heels defense. For as amazing as that play was, it occurred nearly a month ago. Since Bentancur will not be going up against the best defenders this week, look for him to pad his stats a bit to be better prepared for the next level up in competition.
If Bentancur is once again not a factor in the receiving game, then that could prove quite problematic.
Chris Johnson Jr. has to show Clemson is more than a one-man backfield
Although he has been a positive contributor for Clemson in the return game, SMU transfer Chris Johnson Jr. has been the antithesis of that in the backfield. On the season, he only has 22 carries for 101 yards and two catches for 12 yards out of the backfield. While Davidson has emerged as the lead back that everyone was hoping for, Clemson is in dire need of a change-of-pace back going forward.
Simply put, Clemson's offense cannot be solely dependent on one player producing for them. When Davidson gets his touches, Clemson usually wins. When Chad Morris has to give way to the passing game, it is usually game over for the Tigers in a matter of minutes. Johnson was supposed to be a movable chess piece in the backfield for Clemson. Only five games in, and he has fallen out of favor.
For the sake of Clemson's offense, we can only hope that Johnson can make the most of his touches.
Darien Mayo must take advantage of being named a co-defensive starter
Let us be real. We may have to make do with the guys we got along the defensive line for Clemson. This was not a deep unit coming into this season, far from it, in fact. Although Kourtney Kelly could be making his season debut on Saturday, look for someone like Darien Mayo to take advantage of this situation. Along with Champ Thompson, he was recently named a co-starter on this defensive line.
With Vic Burley still prominently in the doghouse, it shall be up to Kelly, Mayo, Thompson, Amare Adams, Andy Burburija and the rest of Clemson's unheralded defensive line to make an impact. The good news is Charleston Southern may not have the players along the offensive line to contain any of them. If that is the case, look for Mayo to gain some much-needed confidence ahead of Virginia Tech.
The best pathway forward for Clemson is for players like Mayo to sharpen iron the rest of the season.
Tait Reynolds needs to show he can grow in the second half of the season
Among the most burning questions for Clemson after the bye week, when will Reynolds stop looking like a true freshman? Although he did not ask to be thrust out there this soon, Reynolds is trying his best to make the most of it. While he is completing 64.8 percent of his passes, he only has one touchdown to three interceptions on the year. He is also only averaging a dismal 1.1 yards per carry.
This may be due in part to Clemson's offensive line regularly resembling a wet paper bag. It should be noted that this is only Morris' first season back at Clemson as offensive coordinator. Regardless, the only way Clemson's low ceiling as an offense for this year elevates is by Reynolds taking a gigantic leap forward coming out of the bye. He is getting better with every start, but he has a long way to go.
Reynolds needs to provide the Clemson Family confidence that he is the starter ahead of 2027-28.
Donovan Starr has a tremendous opportunity filling in for Corian Gipson
The last player we need to mention here would be defensive back Donovan Starr. With Corian Gipson now out for the season, somebody has to step up in nickel and dime packages. While Hampton could play some in the slot, and Ronan Hanafin is being moved as well, this is Starr's time to shine. He now gets to play an even bigger role in Clemson's best overall unit. Look for him to rise to the occasion.
Because Hampton can shut down half the field, Elliot Washington II can pick the ball off on the regular, and safeties Jerome Carter III and Corey Myrick have the back end locked down, opposing offenses are looking for any way to exploit this secondary. Frankly, more balls may come Starr's way in Gipson's extended absence. If he can make a big play or two versus Charleston Southern, that would be great.
The last thing Clemson needs is for the best part of its defense to develop any glaring weaknesses.
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