|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
by ERIN PARROTT
***
For the first time since their clash in New Orleans for the national championship, Clemson will square off against LSU this weekend – only this time the Tigers from Baton Rouge will play in South Carolina’s version of Death Valley.
Thirsty for redemption after losing 45-25 to the Joe Burrow-led Bayou Bengals on January 13, 2020 – a game which settled the 2019 national title – head coach Dabo Swinney‘s team is hoping to start this campaign with a season-opening win, something they failed to secure last year.
Posting a 19-9 mark as Clemson’s starting quarterback, Cade Klubnik enters his senior season under the white hot glare of the national spotlight – aiming to guide the No. 4 Tigers back to championship contention.
Klubnik – already making national noise as a Heisman Trophy contender and Maxwell Award candidate – guided Clemson to a 10-4 finish in 2024, and for his career now has 659 completions on 1,040 attempts (63.3%) for 7,180 yards, 57 touchdowns and only eighteen interceptions.
***
RELATED | TOP QUARTERBACKS FUEL HEISMAN HYPE
***
As Klubnik looks to build on those numbers, star offensive teammates Antonio Williams and highly touted freshman Bryant Wesco Jr. are both expected to play pivotal roles in Clemson’s passing attack.
Williams – Klubnik’s go-to wide receiver – has also drawn national attention via his preseason Maxwell nod. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound junior from Irmo, S.C. caught 75 passes for 904 yards and 11 touchdowns last season – giving him 153 receptions, 1,732 yards and 17 touchdowns in thirty-three games over his Clemson career.
Projected to make his debut as a starter, sophomore Wesco Jr. is considered to be a rising talent for the Tigers – catching 41 passes for 708 yards and five touchdowns during his freshman All-America season in 2024.
At running back, Clemson will rely on converted wide receiver Adam Randall to try and replace Phil Mafah, a 1,000-yard rusher drafted in the seventh round by the Dallas Cowboys.
***
RELATED | THREE S.C. STARS ON MAXWELL AWARD LIST
***
While Clemson’s offense boasts these proven playmakers, No. 9 LSU’s offense is likewise packed with plenty of firepower – headlined by a stacked backfield and a receiving corps more than capable of lighting up the scoreboard.
Returning quarterback Garrett Nussmeier – who, like Klubnik, is a preseason Heisman contender – enjoyed a standout 2024 season in which he completed 337 of 525 passes (64.2%) for 4,052 yards with 29 touchdowns and just twelve interceptions. Nussmeier also scored three rushing touchdowns – and was reportedly clocked this offseason at a top speed of 21.4 miles per hour.
In the passing game, Nussmeier will rely on his top returning target – wideout Aaron Anderson – who caught 61 passes for 884 yards last year, seventh-best in the SEC. Anderson will be joined by Kentucky transfer Barion Brown – who is expected to provide a spark for the Tigers’ special teams, having amassed 1,550 career return yards during his three seasons with the Wildcats.
LSU will rely on returning starter Caden Durham and five-star recruit Harlem Berry – the No. 1 running back of the 2025 recruiting class – to pace its ground game.
***
The freshman to the ?@HarlemBerry25 pic.twitter.com/o3FKsUAllL
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) August 22, 2025
***
While both offenses are stacked, Clemson is considered to be the stronger of the two Tigers on defense – led by Peter Woods and T.J. Parker, both of whom are expected to be top ten picks in the 2026 NFL draft.
Woods and Parker anchor arguably the best defensive line in all of college football, while senior Wade Woodaz anchors the Tigers’ linebacking corp. In the defensive backfield, Avieon Terrell – younger brother of former Tiger (and current Atlanta Falcons) cornerback A.J. Terrell – leads an experienced secondary.
Despite struggling to consistently match its offense last season, LSU’s defense could show improvement with the addition of Florida transfer Jack Pyburn and TaMarcus Cooley – a former N.C. State defensive back who picked off three passes and forced a pair of fumbles in 2024.
Saturday’s showdown at Death Valley is scheduled to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. EDT. The game will be televised nationally on ABC, with the network’s top broadcasting crew – play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler and color analyst Kirk Herbstreit – calling the action. Holly Rowe and Molly McGrath will report from the sidelines.
Clemson and LSU have met just four times, with the Tigers’ lone win coming in the 2012 Peach Bowl.
Clemson is currently listed as a 4.5-point favorite with ESPN’s matchup predictor giving the Tigers a 53.8% chance of victory.
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2025 with a bachelor degree in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.
***
WANNA SOUND OFF?
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.
