3 Storylines I'm Watching Most in Clemson's Week 2 Matchup Against Georgia Southern

The Clemson Tigers have the opportunity to turn the page on what was a Week 1 to forget, returning home to face Georgia Southern in the first contest inside Memorial Stadium this season.

Clemson’s 51-10 loss to No. 11 LSU raised eyebrows of both fans and the outside world alike, and the Tigers will look to change that perception with a strong win to open their home slate. For that to happen, there would need to be some changes in the eyes of head coach Dabo Swinney on Saturday night.

Here are three storylines that I’ll be keeping a close eye on while being inside Death Valley this weekend.

Who Steps Up At Quarterback?

I’ve already said that Clemson’s quarterback play in Week 1 wasn’t able to be judged due to the poor offensive line play, but that shouldn’t be the case this weekend.

Although Georgia Southern is a Sun Belt team and the Tigers have had their hands full with teams from that conference in recent seasons, I fully expect both redshirt junior Christopher Vizzina and true freshman Tait Reynolds to have clean enough pockets to make important throws. In an opportunity like this, who is going to stand out the most?

Swinney doesn’t have a set plan for this weekend’s quarterbacks, let alone announce a starter ahead of the game. We weren’t able to see the full potential of Clemson’s wide receiver room against LSU either, but I expect that to change as well.

Especially with the Tigers starting ACC play next weekend with North Carolina, at least one of the quarterbacks should have a standout performance against the Eagles on Saturday. We have 60 minutes to figure out who that eventually ends up being.

Chad Morris’s Offense Clicking

Clemson fans have seen how good offensive coordinator Chad Morris has been in the past, but Week 1 began his second stint in a disappointing manner.

The Tigers only amassed 145 yards across four quarters, with most of those yards coming in while LSU had its second and third-string players in the game. Morris never had an answer for defensive coordinator Blake Baker, and most of his plays were read early.

We saw the tempo-style offense, though, with Vizzina and Reynolds moving quick through plays when they were moving the ball. I expect a lot more of that on Saturday, and I think Clemson will end up having more explosive plays that Morris pledged to bring to the unit when he was hired in January.

With names like T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco Jr., at the helm, I expect them to be hungry to make a statement to help kick off their first games as juniors.

Does the Line of Scrimmage Improve?

Whether if it was the noise or the difference in talent, Clemson was manhandled on the line of scrimmage last weekend. It was also a new group, with center Harris Sewell having the most starts in the position group while also moving to the middle of the line.

However, a home environment, as well as a game under most of the line’s belt, we will be able to know a lot more about the bright spots on both the offensive and defensive line.

Saturday will also bring some scrutiny on the defensive side of the ball. Clemson lost Oklahoma transfer Markus Strong to a lower-leg injury for the entire season, Swinney confirmed at the start of the week. While Vic Burley will return for the North Carolina game, this weekend’s contest will have the others competing to stand out before the team begins ACC play.

Of course, Clemson’s main goal will be to win on Saturday evening while the Memorial Stadium crowd will stripe out the stadium, but seeing how the Tigers respond will tell us a lot about this year’s team.

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