Clemson Football leads Stanford 17-7 at the half, but it has been a mixed bag of good and bad for the Tigers. Once again, Clemson got off to a fast start, but several mistakes have plagued the Tigers’ offense and defense. While it has not been the complete domination we saw in the previous two games, Clemson Football is still on course to win its third game in a row. Here are five things we saw from the first half of action here at Death Valley.
Another fast start
Clemson Football started fast for the third straight game, and once again it was Cade Klubnik finding the endzone first. Just like last week against N.C State, the Tigers’ junior quarterback found paydirt on a QB run on Clemson’s first drive, this time from 34 yards away on 3rd and 10. The Tigers added a field goal on their second possession and found themselves up 10-0 just halfway through the first quarter. These fast starts, if they can be sustained, will serve Clemson well as we get deeper into the season.
Trouble Against the Run
Surprisingly, the Tigers’ run defense has been gashed at times in the first half. The Cardinal racked up 102 yards on the ground in the first period with no points to show for it, but a Clemson football team known for its fearsome front seven does not often get exposed by weaker opponents. Thankfully the secondary has picked them up, and we will get to that in a moment. Quarterback Ashton Daniels has 54 rushing yards in the first half and running back Micah Ford as put up 103 to lead all ball carriers.
The Cardinal have 162 rushing yards total through two quarters. Expect defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin to make some halftime adjustments to cut out the Stanford ground game.
Gimme That!
While the Tigers’ defensive front seven has given up some yards, the back end of the defense has been rock-solid. Clemson has recorded two interceptions in the first half with picks from Avieon Terrell and Jaedyn Lukas turning away what looked to be sure-fire scoring drives for The Cardinal inside the red zone. The Tigers’ secondary feasted regularly in big games down the stretch in 2023 and are having their best game of 2024 tonight.
Get the run game going
Stanford is selling out everyone on defense to take Phil Mafah out of the game and it is working. The Tigers’ bruising senior running back has found yards hard to come by, rushing for just 32 in the first half. The Cardinal are playing their safeties up in the box for run support and daring Klubnik to beat their corners one on one through the air, with mixed results. Clemson football prides itself on running the ball and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley will need to scheme ways to get Mafah in space in the second half to give the Tigers a better chance to pull away.
Give Cade time
Surprisingly, the unit which Dabo Swinney called the MVP of the team through the Tigers’ first three games has been a weak spot in the first half. The Stanford offensive line has gotten consistent pressure on Klubnik during the first half and sacking him X times. Multiple times Clemson’s quarterback has had to scramble to gain yards himself or throw on the run. As a result, Cade has not been as accurate as he was against App. State and N.C. State. Clemson receivers are running open down the field, but a hurried Klubnik is having trouble connecting with them due to the constant pressure.
