Clemson Gets Ugly Home Win Against Troy

Clemson avoids dropping two straight games at home with a 27-16 win over Troy. It was not a very impressive win by the Tigers, who were down by two scores at halftime. Even before the weather delay that occurred four minutes into the first quarter, Clemson looked sluggish, especially on offense. The first half gave Tiger fans plenty to be upset about. Meanwhile, the second half showed some bright spots that the staff can look towards for the upcoming conference slate.

Clemson vs Troy Analysis

First Half Struggles

Clemson did not come into this game fired up from the week one loss at all. The game started with the Troy offense scoring a touchdown on the fourth play of the game. It was a great play call by the Trojans, set up by a couple of quick passes that the Tigers did not defend well. On Clemson’s first offensive possession, the Tigers went three and out. It was an awful start for the Tigers, who needed to show some fire coming out of the LSU loss. Things got so bad in the first half that the Death Valley crowd was silent or booing for most of it. Coming out of the weather delay, when many thought there would be some adjustments, much of the same was put on display. The defense began to find its footing, but the offense did them no favors. They had trouble putting any kind of drive together in the first 30 minutes. To make matters worse, Cade Klubnik had a pass batted at the line of scrimmage that was intercepted on the two-yard line and walked in for a Troy touchdown. Clemson finished the first half with 114 total yards, 17 rushing and 97 passing by Klubnik, and just three points. Troy finished the half with 206 total yards, 62 rushing and 144 passing by Goose Crowder, and 16 points.

Second-Half Comeback

In the second half, the Tigers began to turn it on. Clemson was able to finally put a run game together, putting the offense on Adam Randall’s back for the first drive of the third quarter. Randall took a handoff and ran for 30 yards, a direct snap to move the sticks in the red zone, and then finished the drive with a two-yard touchdown run. The defense came alive too, coming up with interceptions in Trojans’ territory on two straight drives. The two safeties, Ricardo Jones and Ronan Hanifin, got the interceptions. Klubnuik was able to get himself going as well, throwing two touchdown passes to Bryant Wesco, Jr, who had a great day. Wesco finished the game with seven receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns. He also got involved in the run game on a couple of jet sweeps. Klubnik ended his day completing 18 of his 24 pass attempts for 197 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception after the improved second-half performance. The Tigers were able to rack up 202 more total yards, largely thanks to a focus on running the ball. Clemson finished with 120 rushing yards on the day, with Randall having 112 of those yards himself. Defensively, the Tigers pitched a shutout in the second half after picking off three Crowder passes. The second half looked more like the Clemson team we expected to see.

Cade Klubnik’s Rough Start Continues

For the second week in a row, Klubnik struggled pretty badly. Week one, there will be jitters and rust to shake off, and doing it against a team like LSU isn’t easy. Against a team like Troy, though, it is expected for Klubnik to get himself back on track. He looked much better in the second half than he did in the first, but some of his old habits seem to be creeping back. The senior quarterback looks flustered to start the season. He’s speeding up his reads and his mechanics. This is making him miss what should be easy layups for a quarterback of his caliber. Klubnik, over the first two weeks, has looked more like his 2023 self than how he did in 2024. Whether it is the pressure from this past offseason or something else entirely, Klubnik needs to figure out how to regain his confidence. He needs to trust himself and his teammates to make plays when it counts. Much of the Heisman talk has died down for Klubnik, and maybe that’s a good thing. All focus for Klubnik needs to be on getting back to form in order to put his team in the best position to win the ACC.

Moving Forward

Moving forward, Clemson still has everything right in front of them with the win. It was ugly, but a program like Troy can’t be taken lightly. Now the Tigers will begin their conference slate, starting with a road trip to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech. It will be a tough road matchup that will begin to shape the ACC for the 2025 season. Starting conference play with a win against one of the toughest opponents in the ACC is what this Clemson team needs to get momentum back on its side. Main Photo: Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images