3 Keys to Victory in Clemson's Contest With Florida State

Clemson football heads to a hostile environment this Saturday, traveling to Doak Campbell Stadium to face the Florida State Seminoles.

The Tigers are looking to bounce back following a frustrating offensive performance that led to the loss to the Virginia Tech Hokies at home last weekend. Now, head coach Dabo Swinney will look to remain in contention for the conference championship, with a two-loss ACC team still having a chance of making it to Charlotte in December.

For Clemson to get an away win in Tallahassee on Saturday, these three things will need to happen.

Rushing Success

Florida State’s last three losses, Alabama, Louisville and Miami, have had one absurd number defensively that have led to the opposing wins: the Seminoles allowed an enormous amount of rushing yards.

The Crimson Tide had 247, the Cardinals poured 397 and Miami had 257 ground yards to all lead to the wins. That’s the game script for Clemson if it wants to win, which has been beneficial to head coach Dabo Swinney when his team is able to run the ball.

Clemson’s been able to do that against ACC opponents already this season. The Tigers had 186 in the win over North Carolina, and 254 in the Cal victory. If the offense has a similar amount against Florida State, the Tigers’ chances of winning rise immensely.

The Seminoles rank fourth in the conference in rushing yards per game in the conference, averaging 178.6 per contest.

Moving the Chains

Last weekend, Clemson only converted three of its 14 third downs, struggling to move the chains on late downs. That has to change on Saturday, especially on the road, where teams that can’t do that will be punished.

Overall, the Tigers have the third-least amount of first downs in the ACC, as well as the lowest amount of third down conversions in the entire conference. So, the question is simple: can Clemson change that on Saturday?

Fortunately, Florida State give up the fifth-most first downs in the conference, as well as fourth-most third down conversions so far this season. If the Tigers can combine a successful rushing attack with clinical conversions on these downs to get points on the board, there will be a greater trust for Clemson to be able to leave Doak with a win.

Slow Down The Seminole Tandem

Florida State’s identity on offense is through the ground game, where the Seminoles rank fifth with 180.1 yards per game. Most of their wins have come through the rushing attack, being led by two standout running backs. Quarterback Ashton Daniels is also prone to using his legs, running for 11 touchdowns already this season.

One of them will be out: sophomore running back Ousmane Kromah, who is out for the remainder of the season with an ankle injury. He led the Seminoles in ground yards with 609 yards and five touchdowns. However, Clemson has seen the other running back, and he hurt the Tigers a lot in his only appearance against them.

That player was Texas transfer Quintrevion Wisner, who ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns in the Longhorns’ College Football Playoff victory over Swinney in 2024. Clemson will look to eliminate that this weekend.

If the Tigers can limit that attack from either of those two players, they will be able to get off the field defensively to make way for more time on offense. Clemson will look to continue the recent success that it has had in Tallahassee, and there’s certainly a path to winning.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.

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