Rapid Reaction: Clemson thumps FAU, all eyes now on Florida State

Well, Dabo Swinney got his preseason, it just came one week too late. Since falling to Duke in week one, Clemson has played eight quarters against Charleston Southern and FAU, working out some of their ailments. FAU, their most recent victim, provided Clemson some much-needed reps before the Tigers play host to Florida State next weekend.

Clemson got the big 48-14 win over the Owls, but it was once again a mixed bag for the Tigers. After a dominating first half, the Tigers sputtered in the third quarter and then emptied the benches in the fourth. Not quite the perfect four quarters of football Swinney was hoping for.

The defense was stellar all night for Clemson, not surrendering any points until three minutes into the fourth quarter. By then, Clemson was fielding mostly backups. The Tigers' first-team defense forced five three-and-outs, intercepted three passes and forced a turnover on downs. Barrett Carter led the way with seven tackles and freshman defensive lineman T.J. Parker tallied 1.5 sacks.

Offensively, it was a tale of two halves. Cade Klubnik looked strong in the first half, but completed just two passes for four yards and a score in the third quarter. Klubnik finished the night 16-27 for 169 yards and three scores. Even more importantly, he didn't throw an interception for the first time this year.

More than ten Tigers hauled in a pass, but it was freshman Tyler Brown who had the biggest game. Brown hauled in three passes for 49 yards and two scores.

Again, it was a great two quarters, a scarily bad third quarter, and a fourth quarter that featured mainly backups. Was it enough to get this Clemson team ready for No. 3 Florida State? We'll see. The Seminoles struggled on the road against Boston College on Saturday, sneaking out a 31-29 win. Clemson's survival depends on that matchup. One more loss and Clemson's postseason aspirations are done. If the Tigers play like they did to start tonight, they have a great shot. If they play like the team we say in the third quarter, Florida State might hang 50 on them.