Keys to Victory: No. 17 Clemson vs. The Citadel

Each week, we review the game’s history, three keys to success, and Swanny’s prediction.

The Match-Up:

No. 20 Clemson (8-2, 7-1 ACC) vs. The Citadel (5-6, 3-5 Southern Conference)

After a thrilling 24-20 win at Pitt last week, Clemson returns to Death Valley to face off with The Citadel Bulldogs in an intrastate matchup. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium in Clemson is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.

To steal a turn of phrase from the golfing world, Clemson is "in the clubhouse," so to speak, after wrapping up ACC regular season play with a late comeback win at Pitt last week. The Tigers finished ACC regular season play at 7-1 but will now await results from across the conference to determine whether or not the Tigers will qualify for the ACC Championship Game for a conference-leading 10th time.

Series History:

• OVERALL: Clemson leads series, 33-5-1
• HOME: Clemson leads series, 15-1
• ROAD: Clemson leads series, 13-1
• NEUTRAL: Clemson leads series, 5-3-1
• LAST MEETING: Sept. 19, 2020 (49-0, W)
• STREAK: Clemson, Won 18

Roster:

Rosters will be released by Clemson two hours before kickoff.

Stat of the Week:

Clemson is attempting to win a 19th consecutive game against The Citadel. Clemson's active 18-game winning streak in the series since 1932 is Clemson's third-longest winning streak against a single opponent in school history.

1. Furman 32 1938-Present
2. Virginia 29 1955-89
3. The Citadel 18 1932-Present
4. Wake Forest 16 2009-Present
5. Wake Forest 15 1977-91
6. Presbyterian 15 1944-Present
7. Boston College 11 2011-Present
8. Wake Forest 10 1940-50

Chasing History:

A ninth win of the season this Saturday would extend Clemson's streak of consecutive seasons with nine or more wins to 14. With its ninth victory of the 2024 campaign, Clemson would tie the 1987-2000 Florida State Seminoles for the third-longest streak of nine-win seasons in major college football history.

1. Nebraska 1969-2001 33
2. Alabama 2008-23 *16
3. Florida State 1987-2000 14
4. Clemson 2011-23 *13
5. Yale 1886-98 13
6. Florida 1990-2001 12
7. Texas 1998-2009 12

* - streak active entering 2024

Memorable Moments: 

1918: Clemson and The Citadel played at the University of South Carolina, as military officials from both schools would not allow players to be absent from any military duties due to athletic events. Since the game was played in Columbia, both schools’ cadets and football teams would be able to make the trip to Columbia and return to duty on time. Clemson’s John O’Dell scored the game’s only touchdown, as the Tigers won 7-0. Both teams made it back to their campuses before their passes expired.

1931: The Citadel’s most recent win in the series came in a 6-0 victory in Florence, S.C. in 1931. After the game, Head Coach Jess Neely, captain Frank Jervey and others met in a car outside the stadium to discuss ways Clemson could help its football program get back on track. The meeting started the ball rolling towards the establishment of IPTAY.

1948: Clemson closed out a perfect regular season with a 20-0 December win over The Citadel in Charleston. The 10th-ranked Tigers did not allow The Citadel to make a first down in the game, the only recorded time in Clemson history that the Tigers have not allowed a first down. The Bulldogs also failed to complete a pass in the contest.

1954: Defensive end Walt Laraway had one of the great defensive games in Clemson history against The Citadel, recording a 30-yard interception return for a score and a 39-yard blocked punt return for a score. Laraway is one of just three Clemson players in history to score two touchdowns on returns in a single game, including Justin Miller (two kickoff returns at Florida State in 2004) and Kourtnei Brown (fumble return and interception return against North Carolina in 2011).

1973: Coach Red Parker coached his first game as the Tigers’ head coach and faced his former team in his debut. Clemson won the game, 14-12.

1978: Clemson won its season opener of an 11-1 season in 1978 against The Citadel by a 58-3 score. Quarterback Steve Fuller went 9-for-9 passing in that game, the most attempts with a perfect completion percentage by a Tiger quarterback. Billy Lott was 6-for8 off the bench, giving the two a combined 15-for-17 passing day. The .882 team completion percentage is still a single-game Clemson record (minimum 15 attempts).

2013: It was Senior Day in Death Valley, and quarterback Tajh Boyd put on one final show for the Memorial Stadium crowd. Boyd threw five touchdown passes to five different receivers, all before halftime, as No. 6 Clemson defeated The Citadel, 52-6. Boyd completed 21-of-28 passes for 288 yards and tied the then-school record with his five touchdown passes. The game was Clemson’s annual Military Appreciation Day, and Daniel Rodriguez, a five-year Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient turned Clemson wide receiver, scored his first career touchdown on a two-yard reception.

2017: Clemson played a season-high 94 players, providing several young players with an opportunity to receive extended playing time. Among those who took advantage were two freshmen, one a running back by the name of Travis Etienne, who rushed eight times for 62 yards and two scores, and another a wide receiver named Tee Higgins, who recorded 178 yards and two highlight-reel touchdowns on six receptions. As their careers progressed, Etienne would become the ACC’s all-time rushing leader and touchdown leader and Higgins would tie Clemson legends Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins’ school record for career touchdown receptions.

2020: Clemson’s 49-0 shutout of The Citadel was as notable for off-field developments as it was for the on-field product. The game was Clemson’s first home game under COVID-19 protocols during the pandemic-impacted 2020 season, and official attendance for the contest was 18,609, a sellout under capacity restrictions. Previously, Clemson’s last game attended by fewer than 20,000 at any location came at Duke on Nov. 2, 2002 (16,479), and the last time Clemson had played at Memorial Stadium in front of a crowd of fewer than 20,000 people was on Oct. 31, 1964 against Virginia (17,000).

Key 1: Get Right Game

The Tigers are banged up—most specifically on the offensive line and with a matchup with South Carolina on the horizon, getting healthy is key. I don’t know how the two-deep will “actually” shake out this week against the Bulldogs, but I’d guess the game plan is to get up big and get every mission-critical offensive lineman out of the game. 

The Tigers also need to get some rest for Phil Mafah, and it would be ideal not to even see him hit the field, but I imagine the coaching staff will get him to 1,000 yards, as he needs just two yards to hit that milestone. My guess is that after that recognition and an ovation from the crowd, his day will end.

Key 2: CV on The CW

Cade Klubnik has grown immensely this year, but every once in a while, we see him flash back to the inconsistent player he was a year ago. Fortunately for the Tigers, he has stayed relatively healthy this season, and with a sharp Gamecock defense up next week, the best bet is to treat Klubnik like Mafah. One drive—two at the max and get him on the shelf for Christopher Vizzina. 

As CV gets plenty of snaps on The CW, Tiger fans can get a glimpse of what the future at quarterback might look like in the next year or so. Vizzina is just 13-20 this season for 128 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. If I had to guess, he will at least double his passing attempts in today’s game against The Citadel.

Key 3: Defensive Depth

The Tigers aren’t just banged up on the offensive side of the football. The defense has also dealt with a fair share of injuries to several key contributors this season. At this point in the year, we still have seen plenty of issues once the Clemson starters are off the field—and when the defense hits the third level of subs—it’s been “close your eyes” bad at times. 

Some would say that is directly correlated to the Tigers not utilizing the portal to backfill positions and players who moved on—I don’t disagree. The transfer portal is often seen as the spot to hit a home run, but a few solid base hits wouldn’t have hurt this team in 2024. Unfortunately, as Swinney always points out, the players have to “want” you too. 

Without that level of depth, the deep parts of the roster are inexperienced and can get exposed by better competition. Hopefully, today’s opponent will not be able to exploit that weakness, and Wes Goodwin can get some live reps with eyeballs on those guys.

Prediction:

These are the games that I hate to have to predict. Given how late it is in the season and South Carolina’s resumé this year, I don’t think the Tigers really want to risk any key players a week out from the Palmetto Bowl. Looking at the game, I think it will be a wide margin in Clemson’s favor, but I recognize that playing backups could shift this thing slightly closer than my number. I don’t think The Citadel will score more than 24 points. 

Clemson 53, The Citadel 16

Swanny’s Record: 9-1

Swanny’s Predictions: 

✅ = Correct Prediction

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