Orange Bowl Preview and Prediction: Clemson-Tennessee

The 2022 Orange Bowl will be the 20th all-time meeting between Clemson and Tennessee. Though the teams met 16 times from 1901-44, including 10 times in a 16-season span from 1901-16, this year’s postseason contest will be only the fourth meeting between the Tigers and Volunteers since Clemson joined the ACC as a charter member in 1953. 

Clemson won the only postseason contest between the two teams in the programs’ most recent meeting, a 27-14 Clemson victory in the Peach Bowl to end the 2003 season. Clemson entered that contest unranked after a 5-4 start to the season but finished the year 9-4 including the 13-point win against sixth-ranked Tennessee. The game marked Dabo Swinney’s first bowl game as an assistant at Clemson, as he was in his first season as the team’s wide receivers coach under Head Coach Tommy Bowden

Prediction:

Zach Lentz:  Quarterback Cade Klubnik is expected to make his first career start in the contest after earning ACC Championship Game Most Valuable Player honors for his sterling performance in reserve against North Carolina. Klubnik will become the first Clemson quarterback to make his starting debut in a postseason game since Clemson abandoned the single-wing offense in favor of the T-formation in 1953. Since 2022, Clemson quarterbacks are 9-2 in the first career starts with wins by Charlie Whitehurst, Will Proctor, Cullen Harper, Kyle Parker, Tajh Boyd, Deshaun Watson, Kelly Bryant, Trevor Lawrence and DJ Uiagalelei.

As much as this game will be predicated on the Tiger defense, and their ability to stop the potent Volunteer offense, I believe that the play of Klubnik will be even more important. Can he follow up his performance in the ACC Championship? Will the stage be too big for his first start? What will the offense look like after having a month to put together a game plan specifically for him?

Honestly, I expect him to answer all of the above questions in a positive way, and lead the Tigers to a victory, and set the stage for a return to the playoffs next season.

Clemson 38, Tennessee 27

Will Vandervort: We are going to found out soon what Tennessee is made of.

Are the Volunteers mature enough to handle being in a game of this magnitude? Is their success based off its offensive scheme or its playmakers?

Tennessee will be without starting quarterback Hendon Hooker, who is out with an ACL injury. Jalin Hyatt, who won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver, opted out of the Orange Bowl earlier this month, as did 2021 All-SEC receiver Cedric Tillman.

Michigan transfer Joe Milton will take over for Hooker at quarterback, while Ramel Keyton hopes to pick up the slack for Hyatt and Tillman’s departure.

Clemson will also have a new quarterback in Cade Klubnik, who will be making his first career start. But the question is can the Tigers stop the Volunteers' No. 1 rank scoring and total offensive scheme?

The Tigers did well in slowing down a good North Carolina offense in the ACC Championship Game, a game in which they got a lot pressure on UNC quarterback Drake Maye.

If Clemson is going to beat the Vols, they have to pressure Milton.

On offense, the Tigers should be able to move the football on a Tennessee defense that ranks 127th nationally in passing defense, yielding better than 287 yards a game.

I see this game being one of the more exciting ones of the bowl season, and maybe a B.T. Potter field goal will be the difference in the game.

Clemson 34, Tennessee 31

Jason Priester: With Cade Klubnik making his first career start and Tennessee missing so many key pieces on the offensive side of the ball, there are some unknowns heading into this game. 

How will the freshman Klubnik respond when faced with some adversity? Everything went right for the Tigers after he was inserted into the ACC Championship win over North Carolina. This is Klubnik's team now and how he fares when things aren't going so well could go a long way toward deciding this game.

The Volunteers' pass defense has been horrendous all season, so there should be some opportunities down the field, especially if the Tigers can get the running game going early on.

However, this game is going to be won in the trenches. Tennessee only wins if Joe Milton has time in the pocket, and he won't. Not consistently anyway. Clemson wins a close one.

Clemson 31 Tennessee 27

Brad Senkiw: Both teams have plenty of reasons to care about this bowl game. Clemson is getting a look at Klubnik at QB and can use this game as a reason to believe the Tigers can be a national contender in 2023. Tennessee isn't a regular in the big bowls, so this is a great experience and a way to build on a successful turnaround by Josh Heupel. 

At the end of the day, though, it's more about Xs and Os than levels of motivation. The Tigers are more fully funded and have a defense that should be able to slow Tennessee's high-powered offense without Vols stars Hendon Hooker, Jailin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman. The key is to not get caught up in Heupel's tricky offense and keep everything in front of them. Offensively, Klubnik doesn't need to be perfect. He needs to protect the football and keep the chains moving. This feels like a big Will Shipley game, and if Clemson can avoid the turnovers that plagued them in the second half of the season, the Tigers have more talent on the field than the Vols.

Clemson 27, Tennessee 21