Clemson football has experienced many missteps during the 2026 season.
No matter what lens you view the Tigers’ first eight games through, at best it has been a mixed bag of results that are underwhelming in more ways than it has been inspiring. Last Saturday, though, seemed to be a step in the right direction for Clemson football as they defeated Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium, 36-24.
Teams strive to play complementary football, and for the first time this season, the offense did much more to back up the Tigers’ fantastic defense.
Once again, Clemson forced its opponent into multiple miscues, turning Florida State quarterback Ashton Daniels over four times, including three interceptions. Unlike in previous games, however, the Tigers actually cashed in on some of those takeaways.
More than that, freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds had his best game passing the ball. Clemson football entered the game with just two touchdowns passes to their name all season, the worst mark in all of college football. Against the Seminoles, Reynolds passed for two in the same game on red zone strikes to tight ends Christian Bentancur and Olsen Patt-Henry.
While the Tigers’ run game never fully broke loose, it was in step with the passing game and showed a balanced attack. Clemson and Reynolds finished the game with 189 passing yards and 162 rushing yards. Tait broke Florida State’s back with a 79-yard keeper on third and long with the game still in the balance.
None of this is to say that Clemson football has fixed all that is wrong with it. It has not. The offense was better, but it was not great. It was, though, the most creative in terms of offensive play calling we have seen this year. The point is, it was a small step in the right direction. To get to where the Tigers want to be, they must put together each step until it manifests into a complete, complementary game each time out.
The Tigers took a step closer to that reality on Saturday.
Clemson football has five wins with four games remaining. Three of those games, at least on paper, present solid opportunities for wins against Syracuse this week, the Georgia Tech and Duke. A win against the Orange this Saturday would once again make the Tigers bowl eligible.
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The frustration among the fan base has been understandable and justified, but Clemson’s win at Florida State at least serves as a small beacon of hope that better times could be ahead for the Tigers. For now, Clemson football can only take one game at a time and work on getting better step by step.
