BATON ROUGE, La. — Clemson’s season opener turned into an unmitigated disaster at Tiger Stadium, falling 51-10 to LSU in a game where virtually nothing went right for Dabo Swinney’s squad. Despite an early Ashton Hampton interception setting up a field goal, Clemson managed just 145 total offensive yards, converted 1 of 13 third downs, and surrendered 632 total yards.
Here is the full positional report card for Clemson following Saturday night’s demoralizing setback in Death Valley:
Quarterbacks: F
Starting quarterback Christopher Vizzina completed 10 of 16 passes for 83 yards with 1 interception, which was returned 30 yards for an LSU touchdown in the first quarter. Backup Tait Reynolds entered the game and completed 4 of 6 passes for 22 yards, but struggled behind a porous offensive line, taking 3 sacks for 18 lost yards. Vizzina finished with 4 rushing yards on 5 carries and was sacked once.
“The start of the game was great for us, but we couldn’t truly capitalize on it,” Vizzina said. “We’re not helping our defense at all.”
Running Backs: F
Clemson’s ground attack was virtually non-existent, averaging 1.5 yards per carry and totaling 40 net rushing yards on 26 attempts. Jarvis Green provided a late spark with 21 yards on 4 carries (5.3 average), while Gideon Davidson earned 20 yards on 7 attempts. David Eziomume scored Clemson’s lone touchdown on an 11-yard run late in the fourth quarter. Chris Johnson Jr. managed 0 yards on 3 attempts.
Wide Receivers & Tight Ends: D-
Clemson’s pass catchers struggled to generate consistent separation. T.J. Moore led the receiving corps with 4 catches for 31 yards on 16 targets. Bryant Wesco Jr. caught 2 passes for 29 yards, including a team-long 22-yard reception, but lost 7 yards on his single rushing attempt. JuJu Preston logged a 25-yard catch, Tyler Brown caught 2 passes for 11 yards, and Tristan Smith, Gordon Sellars III, Naeem Burroughs, Olsen Patt-Henry, and Christian Bentancur combined for 5 catches totaling 9 yards.
Defensive Front & Linebackers: F
Clemson failed to generate a single sack against LSU’s three quarterbacks and recorded just 2.0 tackles for loss across 93 opponent plays. The unit surrendered 297 net rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns. Linebacker Sammy Brown registered 10 tackles (6 solo), while Jeremiah Alexander added 7 tackles and 1 pass breakup. Will Heldt (4 tackles, 1.0 TFL) and Fletcher Cothran (3 tackles, 1.0 TFL) accounted for Clemson’s only tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
“The best thing about that game is it’s over,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Just really poor performance, not what we worked for or expected.”
“You’re not going to win if you can’t stop the run,” Swinney added. “We just did a really poor job of setting the edge, especially versus the quarterback run, which really killed us.”
Secondary: D
Cornerback Ashton Hampton provided Clemson’s lone highlight of the night, intercepting Sam Leavitt on LSU’s second offensive play. However, the secondary was systematically picked apart as LSU threw for 335 yards and 2 touchdowns. Safety Jerome Carter III led all defenders with 11 tackles and added a pass breakup. Safety Corey Myrick tallied 10 tackles, while cornerback Elliot Washington II logged 7 tackles and 2 pass breakups. Corian Gipson added 7 tackles.
Special Teams: C+
Punter Jack Smith was repeatedly summoned, launching 10 punts for 404 yards (40.4 average) with a long of 47 yards. Kicker Nolan Hauser converted his only field goal attempt from 49 yards out in the first quarter and hit his sole PAT attempt. Kick returners Chris Johnson Jr. (2 returns, 45 yards) and Tyler Brown (1 return, 20 yards) provided modest return yards.
| Category / Stat | Clemson Performance |
| Final Score | 10 |
| First Downs | 8 (4 Rush, 3 Pass, 1 Penalty) |
| Rushing Yards | 40 yards on 26 attempts (1.5 avg, 1 TD) |
| Passing Yards | 105 yards (14-22-1, 0 TD) |
| Total Offensive Yards | 145 yards on 48 plays (3.0 avg) |
| 3rd Down Conversions | 1 of 13 (7.7%) |
| Sacks Allowed / Yards Lost | 4 sacks / 19 yards |
| Turnovers | 1 (Interception) |
| Penalties | 5 for 41 yards |
| Time of Possession | 23:51 |
