Clemson Tigers Continue to Fall in AP Poll

Although the Tigers defeated Troy, they entered halftime trailing 16-3 after a rocky offensive start, managing just 114 total yards and committing two turnovers in the first half.

While the close nature of the game raised some concern, head coach Dabo Swinney emphasized that his team proved their ability to handle adversity during what became the third-largest home comeback in program history.

"There's a lot of things that win football games, but two of the things that you've got to have... resilience and you've got to have some courage. You've got to have some freaking courage," Swinney said. "About everything that could go wrong was going wrong for these guys. And obviously, you're coming off a really disappointing week and a lot of noise for these kids managing disappointment. Then you step in there and all of a sudden it's like craziness."

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik connected with Bryant Wesco Jr. for two touchdowns, though he got off to a rough start with just 74 passing yards and an interception in the first half.

Antonio Williams, Clemson’s top returning receiver and a projected first-round pick, has missed the past two games, but his return should give the Tigers an extra offensive spark after a sluggish first two weeks

Klubnik ultimately finished with strong numbers, completing 18 of 24 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns.

Another encouraging sign for Clemson fans was the play of newly converted running back Adam Randall. After a quiet debut against LSU, Randall carried the ball 21 times for 112 yards and a touchdown, showing newfound comfort as a ball-carrier while logging the most rushing attempts of his career.

Wesco Jr. led the way with seven catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns while fellow receiver Tyler Brown added four catches for 45 yards.

Defensively, the Tigers held strong while the offense took time to settle in. Troy quarterback Goose Crowder completed 61.2% of his passes but was picked off by Ricardo Jones, Ronan Hanafin and Ashton Hampton.

Linebacker Wade Woodaz led the way with 11 tackles, while the defense piled up four sacks from T.J. Parker, Aveion Terrell, Will Heldt and DeMonte Capehart.

Next up, Clemson hosts Georgia Tech on Saturday, Sept. 13, with kickoff set for 12 p.m. on ESPN.

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