The Clemson Tigers have a lot of work to do if they want to keep their 2024 season and dreams of a national championship alive. At halftime in Austin, Clemson trails Texas 28-10 and are just 30 minutes away from seeing their season come to a disappointing end.
It was a terrific start for the Clemson Tigers who jumped out on top 7-0 after taking the opening drive 75 yards in 12 plays. Cade Klubnik connected with Antonio Williams for a 22-yard touchdown on 3rd and 7. But after that the Longhorns would take over and reel off the next 21 points.
The fact of the matter is, the Clemson Tigers cannot stop the run and Texas, a team that has struggled to run it all season, gashed the Tigers’ front seven with impunity for the better part of the first half until Clemson finally found something that worked and was able to keep Texas at bay for two possessions. But even that was short lived.
The Tigers’ defense forced a turnover, as R.J. Mickens returned a tipped Quin Ewers pass for a touchdown, but Tre Williams was called for a phantom blindside block that negated the score, and Clemson had to settle for a 31-yard Nolan Houser field goal that briefly trimmed the deficit to 21-10.
That little dollop of momentum would evaporate quickly, however, as Texas took over at the 35 after an errant kick-off, and the Clemson Tigers found themselves once again getting pushed around as the Longhorns took their final drive of the half 65 yards for another score.
At the end of the day, the same issues that plagued Clemson so many times this season have all reared their ugly heads at once in a must-win game. Texas is a good football team. They are not 28-10 in one half better than the Tigers. But when you cannot stop the run on defense, nor run the ball yourself or sustain drives on offense, then this is often the result.
Here’s hoping that the Clemson Tigers can turn things around in the second half and mount a charge, but right now, things are not looking good here deep in the heart of Texas.
