Halftime Analysis: Clemson vs. Iowa State

ORLANDO, FL— Iowa State will be the 107th different opponent faced by Clemson all-time. Clemson holds a 64-38-4 all-time record when facing an opponent for the first time.

The Tigers currently lead at halftime with the Cyclones by a score of 6-3, as they look to notch their 65th win all-time and their 10th win of the season.

Here are our observations from the first half:

Tigers show creativity on the opening drive. The Tigers showed a glimpse of creativity under Brandon Streeter, mainly using running back Will Shipley in the passing game—which is very smart considering the Tigers' numbers at that position are woefully low.
Wes Goodwin's defense came to play. Much was made about Dabo Swinney's decision to promote Wes Goodwin to DC after the departure of Brent Venables, but at least in the first half, it is looking like a good choice. Goodwin's Tiger defense allowed only 153 yards.
Tigers continue to miss the layups. Missed passes, dropped balls and poor blocking continued to plague the Tigers as they missed the layups that Swinney has harped on all season.
DJ Uiagalelei has his best half of the season. Even though the Tigers managed only six points, Uiagalelei completed 15-25 passes for 145 yards and no interceptions. Not helping him out were his receivers who amassed four drops.
Clemson is attempting to improve to 6-4 all-time against teams in the Big 12 Conference at the time of the game, including winning its two most recent meetings in 2014 and 2015, both against Oklahoma in postseason play. Six of Clemson's nine previous games against the Big 12 have come against teams no longer in the conference (two against Missouri, two against Texas A&M and one each against Colorado and Nebraska).
Clemson is attempting to even its all-time record against schools currently in the Big 12 Conference at 7-7.
Clemson is attempting to improve to 26-22 all-time in bowl contests. A 26th bowl win would tie Nebraska and Ohio State for 10th-most in FBS history.

Want to join in on the discussion? 100% FREE! Interact with fellow Tiger fans and hear directly from publisher Zach Lentz, deputy editor Brad Senkiw, recruiting analyst Jason Priester and staff writer Will Vandervort on any subject. Click here to become a member of the ALL CLEMSON message board community today!