Keys to Victory: No. 15 Clemson vs. Stanford

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

The Match-Up:

No. 17/15 Clemson (2-1, 1-0 ACC) vs. Stanford (2-1, 1-0 ACC)

The Clemson Tigers will face the Stanford Cardinal for the second time in history and for the first time as ACC colleagues on Sept. 28 on Homecoming at Death Valley. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium in Clemson is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

Clemson is also attempting to win its 22nd consecutive night game in Death Valley, a streak that dates to the middle of the 2013 season. Clemson's active 21-game home winning streak in night games is the second-longest active streak in the country

Series History:

• OVERALL: Clemson leads series, 1-0
• HOME: N/A
• ROAD: N/A
• NEUTRAL: Clemson leads series, 1-0
• LAST MEETING: Dec. 27, 1986 (27-21, W)
• STREAK: Clemson, Won 1

Roster:

Rosters will be released by Clemson two hours before kickoff.

Stat of the Week:

Clemson has won its last 21 night games in Death Valley, a streak that dates to the middle of the 2013 season. Overall, Clemson is 24-3 under the Death Valley lights in Dabo Swinney’s tenure.

Chasing History:

Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney will be chasing ACC history on Saturday. He enters the contest with a career head coaching record of 172-44 and is one victory shy of Bobby Bowden's conference record for career total victories leading an ACC program. Of Bowden's 377 NCAA-recognized career head coaching victories, 173 of his wins came during Florida State's membership in the ACC.

Swinney will also be chasing his 100th career win at Memorial Stadium. The Tigers are 99-9 at home under his leadership, including a national-best-tying 67-3 mark at home in the College Football Playoff era.

Memorable Moments: 

1986: Clemson held off a second-half Stanford rally to defeat the 17th-ranked Cardinal, 27-21, in the 1986 Gator Bowl and earn the Tigers their first bowl win since the Orange Bowl to end Clemson's 1981 national championship season.

The Tigers scored 27 unanswered points in the first half and appeared to be on the way to a rout. But the second half was a different story, as Stanford scored 21 unanswered points of its own. Gator Bowl MVP Rodney Williams completed 8-of-11 passes in the first half, but it was his execution of the option that helped Clemson gain a 27-0 halftime lead.

After punting on their first possession, the Tigers scored on their next five. With the score 17-0 in the second quarter, Reggie Harris knocked the ball loose on a Stanford kickoff return and the Tigers recovered on Stanford’s 16-yard line. Two plays later, Ray Williams took a reverse in for a 14-yard touchdown, his first of the season. David Treadwell added his longest field goal of the year (46 yards) on Clemson’s next possession, putting the Tigers up 27-0 at the intermission.

In the second half, All-American tailback Brad Muster rushed for a touchdown and caught two scoring passes for Stanford while the Clemson offense came to a standstill. With 1:43 left to play in the game Clemson was forced to punt to the Cardinal with only a six-point lead. But the Tiger defense rose to the occasion, as Stanford gained only six yards on the next four downs and turned the ball back to Clemson.

Tailbacks Terrence Flagler and Kenny Flowers combined for 149 yards. Sophomore Ricardo Hooper led the receiving corps with two catches for 44 yards. Terrance Roulhac and Flagler each had three catches with 22 and 23 yards, respectively. Rodney Williams rushed 16 times for 18 yards and one touchdown.

Defensively, the Tigers were led by linebacker Henry Carter, who recorded a career-high 13 tackles. Gene Beasley added seven tackles and broke up two passes. The game also marked Michael Dean Perry’s offensive debut, as he was put in as a blocking back on a goal-line situation in the first half.

Key 1: Eliminate Elic 

Stanford sophomore wideout Elic Ayomanor is a phenom. The 6’2, 210-pound wideout isn’t just spectacular on the field; he’s also a heady ball player. So far, he’s racked up 17 receptions for 234 yards and a touchdown with a spectacular grab at Syracuse. Last season, as a freshman, Ayomanor pulled in 63 grabs for 1,013 yards with seven scores. 

If Avieon Terrell and Company are up to the task, Clemson’s odds of covering the nearly three-touchdown spread improve massively. If the secondary struggles, Ayomanor could become a huge problem under Death Valley’s lights.

Key 2: Keep Contain of the Quarterback

Cardinal quarterback Ashton Daniels has completed 61.5 percent of his passes but has only tossed four touchdowns, offset by three interceptions through the first three games. Daniels doesn’t exactly light it up through the air, but he’s an athletic kid who will be playing back home on the East Coast in front of several fans. Daniels led Buford High School to the Georgia AAAAAA state title a few years ago and was named the MVP of the game. 

If he can keep plays alive or convert third downs with his legs, the Tigers' defense could find itself wearing down. One way to avoid that fate is to keep Daniels in the pocket and force him to look downfield if he’s able to wiggle free or get the edge on Clemson’s defense; that would serve the Cardinal well this evening and would be a huge issue for Wes Goodwin’s defense.

Key 3: Deep Route Dominance

Clemson’s offense has looked next-level the past two home games against App State and NC State. The Tigers look confident and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley seems more confident in the entire group—specifically quarterback Cade Klubnik—has taken huge strides forward. 

Clemson has scored touchdowns on 15 of their last 17 drives with Klubnik at quarterback. It’s been a remarkable shift, so much so that the Tigers have put together a better start (128 points) offensively to the season than all but three teams in program history, bested only by the 1901 team putting up 157 points, the 2000 team scoring 155, and the 1900 squad hitting 136 through three games.

If this team can continue to win down the field, the Tigers will be tough to beat.

Prediction:

The Clemson offense has been humming, and I don’t see that slowing down this evening against Stanford. The Cardinal likely represents the second-best team the Tigers have faced, given NC State had to start their backup against the Tigers. Stanford could present some issues for sure, but Clemson has too much on both sides of the ball.

I expect this contest to go about like I’ve thought the other wins would go this season. Clemson won’t look invincible, but they will look—and be the best team on the field for all sixty minutes. This Tiger team is better than everyone gave them credit for after being pushed around in the second half by Georgia, but only a handful of teams would be able to do that to Dabo Swinney’s squad. It’s a talented group, and you will see evidence of that again in Death Valley tonight.

Clemson 38, Stanford 13

Swanny’s Record: 3-0

Swanny’s Predictions: 

✅ = Correct Prediction

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