Weather Delay Sees Clemson Tigers Down Early Against Troy

The Clemson Tigers are currently in a weather delay at Memorial Stadium due to lightning in the area, but that’s not the worst news. 

Clemson is losing to Troy by a score of 7-0 with 10:43 in the first quarter remaining. Both teams have had one offensive drive, and the Trojans have made the most of it. 

Troy began with the ball and only needed less than three minutes to capitalize. The Trojans used a five-play drive that went 75 yards for a touchdown, shocking the Clemson home crowd early. 

The Troy Trojans went ahead from a Goose Crowder passing touchdown, hitting receiver Tray Taylor to score the first points of the game. Taylor was open on the left side of the field, taking it 44 yards to take the early lead. 

Clemson, on the other hand, started sloppily. The team struggled to field the kickoff and was only able to get to the team’s 13-yard line. 

Then, a 3-and-out. A run play and a screen pass saw a 3rd-and-5 chance to extend the drive. On the next play, quarterback Cade Klubnik missed receiver T.J. Moore on a slant that would force Clemson to punt the ball away. 

On offense, head coach Dabo Swinney's team only had five total yards, with three coming on the ground and the other two through the air. A point of emphasis this week to improve on, the Tigers will hope to come out of the delay strong to take this game back. 

Weather is expected in the area until about 6 p.m., meaning that this game could take much longer than many expected. About an hour before the game, there was another lightning warning, resulting in the team’s warmups being cut short. Fans were told to leave the premises, but didn’t change the starting time of the game. 

The play was halted at 3:51 p.m. and fans and players were told to leave the playing and seating area to move to a safe location. The Trojans will have the ball on their own 32-yard line when play resumes and weather passes. 

The delay will last at least 30 minutes, but if lightning is still in an eight-mile radius of Memorial Stadium, it will remain delayed.