College Football Week 1 is set to be huge. One marquee matchup will feature a battle of top-10 teams when No. 9 LSU visits No. 4 Clemson.
If it wasn’t obvious enough by their rankings, both teams have high expectations this season that go well beyond just a College Football Playoff berth. These are national championship contenders, which means this weekend’s game could either be a preview of a potential rematch or an early decider of which program is a true contender and which is a pretender.
As far as pressure goes, both coaches are feeling it. Dabo Swinney has at least quieted some of his skeptics after bringing an ACC title and a playoff berth back to Clemson last year. For Brian Kelly, though, every game carries massive implications for his future. This opener — which has been a detriment for LSU the last several years — is no exception.
LSU takes advantage of Clemson run defense
Clemson’s run defense was a massive problem last season, ranking 84th in the country while allowing 160.6 yards per game and 4.7 yards per carry. In five games, they surrendered at least 200 rushing yards, with three of those ending in losses.
This is why Clemson brought in Tom Allen from Penn State to revamp the defense. But expecting an overnight turnaround in his first game may be asking too much.
LSU has to be able to take advantage of this. Last year, the Tigers finished 107th in the nation in rushing yards (116.4 per game). Needless to say, the backfield still comes with some question marks.
“You have to trust it and be confident in it. And trust and confidence can’t be built if you don’t do it. And so you have to be committed to it. I think it’s like anything else. We have to be committed to those situations where everybody knows you’re going to run the ball, and you still have to run the ball. That, to me, is the…
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Publish date : 2025-08-28 05:38:00
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