The No. 12 Clemson Tigers (1-2, 0-1 ACC) felt the bitter feeling of defeat again on Saturday afternoon, losing a 24-21 decision in Bobby Dodd Stadium to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-0, 1-0 ACC). Dabo Swinney’s squad lost to their conference rival for the first time since 2014. Though Tigers fans everywhere are dissatisfied and disappointed with the team’s play through three games, there were some obvious takeaways that presented themselves during the loss.
1) 2025 Clemson has earned a reputation as a volatile team
The Tigers are one of the most talented teams in college football. That is clear.
What is also clear is that Clemson continues to struggle with inconsistency. One series, they look like a top-five program that’s poised for a national championship push. The next, they look like a 7-5 team who is just average. Missed tackles, dropped passes, and missed reads by the quarterback plagued them at the wrong times against the Yellow Jackets, and have persisted in their other two games as well.
Quarterback Cade Klubnik had moments of brilliance against Georgia Tech. Early on, he struggled to identify what coverage defensive coordinator Blake Gideon was throwing at him. During other portions of the game, he threw with conviction and strong pocket presence.
His lone touchdown came when he stayed calm against the pressure of a free Yellow Jacket blitzer and found Bryant Wesco Jr., who scampered 73 yards to the house. On the other hand, Wesco dropped a potential first down during a critical 3rd-quarter possession. Clemson had just stopped Tech on downs, but wasn’t able to play complimentary football.
“It’s frustrating,” Swinney said postgame. “That’s what it takes to win close games. You’ve got to make the critical plays at the critical times. They made them, we didn’t, and they deserved it. They earned it. We had every opportunity [to win the game]. The critical plays define the game.”
2) Garrett Riley’s playcalling is the not the only issue facing Clemson
Sure, some oddball playcalling has plagued the Tigers’ offense in 2025, but there are bigger issues facing 2025 Clemson. On defense, they struggled to stop the fierce Georgia Tech running game down the stretch. Undoubtedly, the Yellow Jackets possess one of the best ground games on Clemson’s schedule, but it’s still a unit that the Tiger front could contain.
Starting with a battle against the Syracuse Orange on Saturday, CU will have the chance to respond. Swinney remains confident that they will.
“We’ve won a bunch around here,” he said. “You do it long enough, you’re going to have some long days. This is one of them. But we’ll respond. That’s all you can do.”
3) Syracuse must have Clemson’s full attention
Looking ahead, the Tigers must remain focused on their next week’s opponent. It sounds simple, but it eluded them last season. This loss might have eliminated them from College Football Playoff contention, but they can’t think like that.
“They give you eight [games] for a reason,” Swinney lamented when asked about his team’s ACC odds. “I mean, we’ve got no room for error. We’re uphill and the wind’s at our face. That’s for sure. We’ve got to do it the hard way. If we’re going to do it, we ain’t going to be able to do it the easy way.”
As previously discussed, Clemson could ill afford to drop Saturday’s game to the Yellow Jackets. They now effectively sit two games behind Georgia Tech in the standings, with a more difficult slate to come. Business starts next week against Syracuse, which is the most important game of Clemson’s season to date.
