Preview and Prediction: Clemson vs. Furman
In this story:
CLEMSON—After a short turnaround following a Labor Day night victory in their season opener, the Clemson Tigers will return to Death Valley for their 2022 home opener when they host the Furman Paladins on Saturday, Sept. 10. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m. ET.
On Monday, Clemson opened the season by rattling off 27 unanswered second-half points to earn a 41-10 win against Georgia Tech. Clemson has now won 12 of its last 14 season openers. Clemson's special teams were truly special in the contest. Clemson blocked two punts in the game, the Tigers' first time doing so since Nelson Faerber and La'Donte Harris both recorded blocks against South Carolina in 2007. Clemson followed both punt blocks against Georgia Tech with four-play scoring drives capped by Will Shipley rushing touchdowns.
"I'm really, really proud of the special teams and what we were able to do," Head Coach Dabo Swinney said following the game. "Again, it's just a good start. The goal was to win the opener and create some momentum, something we didn't do last year. Every championship team I've had we won the opener, so it's a big game. And, again, a lot we can build on and correct. Good teams keep getting better, and I think that's what we'll do."
Saturday’s contest against Furman will represent the 1,290th game in Clemson history but will be a rematch of the program's very first. Clemson played its first game in program history on Oct. 31, 1896, with Coach Walter Riggs’ Clemson squad collecting a 14-6 road victory against Furman in Greenville, S.C. Clemson is 43-10-4 all-time against Furman including an active streak of 31 consecutive wins, Clemson's longest winning streak against any opponent.
Predictions:
Zach Lentz: a short week is generally no Bueno, however, this week could not be a better situation against the Furman Paladins. The Tigers should be able to rest key players this week ahead of a massive stretch--starting in two weeks with NC State. This week will be key however for the offense, namely DJ Uiagalelei to show that he is a better version of himself than last year and continue his solid play. The Tigers will need to be sharp to put the negative Nellies away for at least another week.
Clemson 41, Furman 6
Brad Senkiw: Coming off short rest, this is about as good a situation as Clemson could ask for early in the season. Furman is a proud program looking to make a run at the Southern Conference title and an FCS playoff berth, but the Paladins will be too overmatched physically up front. If the offensive line puts together a better week, expect a few big plays to follow with Clemson's more superior skill position players. The defense is going to play everybody on the bench so it might give up a late touchdown. Furman got one in 2018 and 2012 in Death Valley.
Clemson 49, Furman 7
Will Vandervort: It will be interesting to see how Clemson plays early against the Paladins. The Tigers will likely be sluggish considering their short rest from Monday night's win against Georgia Tech. I don't expect things to look crisp either way. Clemson's offense will score some points, but likely not what fans will expect. The defense will give up a score or two, with at least one coming against the second team as Dabo Swinney tries to play as men guys as he can. Regardless, Tigers still win easy, but probably not the kind of win the 80,000 in Death Valley will want to see.
Clemson 38, Furman 14
Jason Priester: The offense, which is no doubt still a bit of a work in progress, takes that next step, and it's a big one. DJ Uiagalelei looks sharp, Cade Klubnik gets more playing time and builds off of his strong debut, and the offensive line builds off the momentum that started to build in the second half against Georgia Tech. The overmatched Paladins have trouble moving the ball against the stingy Clemson defense and the Tigers, as expected, roll to an easy win.
Clemson 52 Furman 3
