Preview and Prediction: Tigers and Terriers

The No. 3/ 4 Clemson Tigers will host its annual Military Appreciation Day and Purple Out contest when the Tigers host in-state foe Wofford in a non-conference game on Saturday, Nov. 2. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.

The Tigers enter November on the cusp of a number of school records.

The Tigers are already in the midst of a school-record 23- game winning streak, and last week, Clemson won its 20th consecutive home game. With another victory at Death Valley this week, Clemson can tie the school record for its longest home winning streak, matching the 21 consecutive Memorial Stadium victories posted across the 2013-16 seasons.

In addition to the impressive streaks that the Tigers have collectively, Saturday's game could be historic for head coach Dabo Swinney.

Swinney enters this week in search of his 125th career victory. Per records maintained by Sports Reference, he would become the 10th coach in major college football history to reach 125 wins in 155 or fewer games.

Who to watch when Clemson has the ball:

Trevor Lawrence (QB): Clemson's balance and its willingness to take what defenses offer on the ground or through the air sometimes limits opportunities for quarterback Trevor Lawrence to accrue some of the passing numbers put up around the country. But even playing in an offense that values balance and for a coach who values spreading playing time throughout the roster, Lawrence has been able to light up defenses in his young career.

Lawrence posted five 300-yard games in his freshman campaign in 2018, including 300-yard efforts in both College Football Playoff games. He posted his sixth career 300-yard game in Week 3 of the 2019 season, throwing for a career-high 395 yards in a win at Syracuse.

Facing a Terrier defense that will likely try to challenge the Tigers with press-man coverage, look for Lawrence to have his seventh 300-yard game Saturday — if he plays past the second quarter.

Travis Etienne (RB): The Louisiana native has provided the spark for the Tigers' offensive explosion in the last three games.

He amassed 127 rushing yards on 17 carries, a 23-yard pass completion and a three-yard receiving touchdown versus Florida State, earning ACC Running Back of the Week and sharing team offensive player of the game honors. He also eclipsed the 3,000-yard rushing mark for his career against Florida State, becoming the seventh player in school history to reach the milestone.

He rushed 14 times for 192 yards with one touchdown to share team offensive player of the game honors at Louisville, marking the 11th time in his career he averaged 10.0 yards per carry in a game on at least five attempts to tie Colin Kaepernick for the most by any FBS player since 2000. Then he tied his career high with three rushing touchdowns among his 16 carries for 109 yards vs. Boston College and also contributed three catches for 33 yards.

Jireh Wilson (LB; Wofford): Wilson was named the Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Week presented by GEICO on September 23. Wilson recorded a team-best eight tackles that included three sacks for 24 lost yards in the Terriers’ 49-10 win over Gardner-Webb on Saturday, September 21. The senior from Calhoun, Georgia, led a Wofford defense that held the Runnin’ Bulldogs to just 246 yards of total offense, including just 9 rushing yards on the day on 34 attempts. It is the first Player of the Week honor in his career.

Who to watch when Wofford has the ball:

Defensive Line: Clemson held Texas A&M to 2.0 yards per carry on 27 carries in Week 2, the lowest yards-per-carry average allowed by Clemson since holding Boston College to 0.3 yards per carry on Nov. 10, 2018. A week after the Texas A&M game, Clemson then held Syracuse to 0.4 yards per carry in prime time. The games represented the 18th and 19th times since 2014 that Clemson has held an opponent to 2.0 or fewer yards per carry, fourth-most in the country. Clemson is 18-1 in those contests.

Prior to facing Louisville on Oct. 19, Clemson had gone 27 consecutive games without allowing opponents to produce a 100-yard rusher, which had been the longest active streak in the country and the school's longest since at least 1980. Clemson's lone 100-yard rusher allowed since 2018 is tied for the fewest in the country.

When facing a run-first, triple-option attack, the Tigers' defensive line will be asked to play one of their most challenging games of the season.

Isaiah Simmons (LB): In addition to being Clemson's most prolific tackler, Simmons leads Clemson this season in sacks (6.0) and tackles for loss (11.5) while also contributing five pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Presently, Simmons is one of only two FBS players — and the only one in the Power Five — credited with at least 60 tackles, 5.0 sacks and 10.0 tackles for loss this season.

Joe Newman (QB; Wofford): Newman was named the Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Week presented by GEICO on Monday, for games Oct. 17-19.

Playing just three quarters in Wofford’s 59-7 win over Western Carolina on Saturday, Newman ran for 104 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 162 yards and two scores, completing seven of his 11 attempts. It is the first Player of the Week honor for the senior from Riverdale, Georgia

Preview:

Entering this week's contest, Clemson is a perfect 33-0 against Football Championship Subdivision teams since the NCAA formed the division prior to the 1978 season (Southern Conference schools became I-AA in 1982.)

Clemson has outscored FCS teams by a 1363-225 margin all-time, an average victory margin of 34.5 points. Clemson has won 32 of the 33 games by double digits, including each of the last seven by at least 34 points. Only one FCS squad has stayed within double digits of Clemson, a distinction held by this week's opponent, Wofford.

Clemson defeated Wofford, 35-27, in 2011, with Wofford’s 27 points standing as the most by an FCS school against Clemson. However, with Las Vegas pegging the Tigers as 47.5-point favorites this week, few see the Tigers struggling this week.

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Prediction:

Zach Lentz: Clemson-62. Wofford-7
Susan Lloyd: Clemson-63 Wofford-0
Jeremy Styron: Clemson- 59 Wofford-3