Tag: NCAAF

Clemson Tigers Struggling

By: Burns Bateman

The Clemson Tigers are facing a rough stretch this season, and several factors make this losing run particularly striking. After years of dominance, the Tigers’ offense has noticeably declined: they’ve shifted from elite quarterback play and strong offensive line protection to a unit marked by inconsistency, particularly in the passing game and receiver development. Meanwhile, the defense once a consistent strength has suffered lapses in execution, discipline and energy, with multiple observers noting a startling loss of hunger and edge. Turnovers have emerged as another worrisome trend; the Tigers are among the worst in their conference in lost fumbles and turnover margin, which has translated into opponents gaining hundreds of points off mistakes.  Add in coaching and schematic issues analysts describe the offense as at times obsolete the line as overmatched, and the system as improperly aligned with the players at hand. Perhaps most damaging is the mismatch between expectations and reality: this program entered the season as a national title contender, predators of top talent and storied success, yet they now find themselves staring at their worst start in decades, forced to “reset goals” rather than chase championships.  Ultimately, Clemson’s current losing season isn’t the result of one isolated problem it’s the cumulative effect of fading culture, systemic breakdowns on both offense and defense, and uncharacteristic mistakes that have turned once-routine wins into questionable performances. The talent remains, but the cohesion, urgency and execution do not—and until those intangible elements are restored, the Tigers are going to struggle to reclaim their elite status.

Is South Carolina Football in Trouble?

By: Cooper Hill

After a rough game against Vanderbilt, South Carolina needs a serious bounceback game against Missouri. The Gamecocks fell 31-7. It definitely felt worse than that score. Injuries definitely affected the outcome, but I do not believe it was by much. The Carolina offense looked very weak and did not show many signs of life. After Lanorris Sellers went down with a head injury after a targeting call is where it began to go downhill. Although he went down, a bright side was Luke Doty stepping up and taking command. He completed some tough passes and led a few drives. The Gamecocks do have pretty good quarterback depth this year with Cutter Woods, Air Noland, and Brandon Cunningham. All were very highly rated recruits in their respective classes. So if the Doty experiment does not work out, we have some help. Just like me, most Gamecock fans will be praying that Lanorris will be back so we do not have to worry about the quarterback situation. Also, Carolina does not have an easy schedule from here on out so they need to get the ship on the right path. The running game really needs to step up this week, especially with Lanorris being questionable as of the Wednesday injury report. Rashul Faison has rushed for 135 yards on 27 attempts and one touchdown. Oscar Adaway III has 86 yards for one touchdown on 22 attempts. These two need to have big rushing games if Sellers is out this week. As of right now, I think the Gamecocks are fine. They just need to win a big game this weekend. If not, I do believe that Carolina football will be in a bad spot, especially if they have playoff hopes like they did last year.

My thoughts on football this weekend

By: Milling Galloway

What a great weekend to sit on our butts and watch some football.

There were a ton of great games and great moments in college and the NFL. I will just go ahead and name some of my top players. Justin Fields is the best quarterback in the NFL right now. He was electric and somehow lost. Plays that in the past he would never have made, he did. I will also have to say Aaron Rodgers is still that guy.  My next great take is that Josh Allen is seriously going to win the MVP again. He played the best fourth quarter of all time.

On the college level, Clemson and South Carolina both looked terrible. While teams like FSU and USF are balling out right now. Byrum Brown is a man among little boys, the way he is killing it right now.

The main takeaway we could talk about is that the Cowboys’ letting Micah Parsons leave was a horrible idea. He is the best defensive player in the league. Dak was also pretty good, making great plays. The Eagles are very good, so the Cowboys ’ loss wasn’t terrible.

Taking things back to college, let’s look at Bryce Underwood. He only had around 140 passing yards and didn’t play great. He is only a true freeshmen, so I wouldn’t freak out. His arm talent is amazing. Justice Haynes is the best player on that team. If they can’t find a pass game,  it’s gonna be a long year for the Wolverines. John Mateer and that Oklahoma offense looks strong. He has been really solid and made great throws. Although I don’t think they have really faced a challenge yet. Michigan is not amazing. Football in general looked great this weekend. I am excited to see what happens going forward. The Clemson and Georgia Tech game is going to be a great one. This upcoming weekend. Also, Carolina and Vandy will be rocking. Some exciting things are coming this next week.

Clemson vs LSU Postgame Breakdown

By: Griffin Jones

On Saturday August 30th, 2025 the number 8 ranked LSU Tigers traveled to Memorial Stadium to take on the number 4 ranked Clemson Tigers in a highly anticipated matchup. There was an unbelievable amount of hype coming into this game as this was the first time the 2 teams faced off since January 13th, 2019 where LSU topped Clemson 42-25 in the National Championship. While the two teams have played formerly, LSU leading 4-1, this was the first game inside of either team’s stadium which are both labeled as “Death Valley”. The high rankings along with the possible revenge lead fans to call this game the battle to be the “Real Death Valley”. 

Coming into the game the spread was Clemson favored by -4.5 as they returned 81% of their offensive talent and 75% of their defensive talent, this combined with a great offseason and a home field advantage led many to believe this was Clemson’s game to win. LSU however returned 65% of offensive production and 59% of defensive production losing much of their offensive line and receiving core. However, using the transfer portal LSU was able to instantly replace their positions of need with equal or similar talent.

Despite both teams returning diverse numbers of talent, they each came into the season labeled to have a top five skilled rosters in the country. All of this skill along with a Heisman hopeful quarterback on each team excited some to the point where they were saying this would be the “Game of the Year”. 

Entering the game LSU players were greeted by 80,000+ Clemson fans who were starving for a big win. A 7:30 kickoff time only fed into the excitement of the roaring fans. Clemson won the coin toss and decided to defer and the game was under way.

The first play from scrimmage LSU’s star sophomore running back Caden Durham shook off a tackle and ran for a gain of  24 yards leaving them just shy of Clemson territory. The Tigers gained 1 more first down getting to the Clemson 40 but after that stalled, leaving out at a 3 & 11. As this was the biggest play of the game at this point the fans were deafening during a huge third down on the first drive. This caused Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to call a timeout due to the screams. The rest of the first half was filled with many unsuccessful with LSU’s offense looking superior throughout. Despite this, Clemson’s lead in the turnover battle along with a strong drive in the second quarter helped them head into the half with a 10-3 lead over LSU.

However, this lead would be short lived as LSU’s dominance of time of possession, Clemson’s inability to establish the run game, and an interception thrown in the second half turned things LSU’s way. As they tied the game 10-10 with a Caden Durham touchdown and took the lead with a 1on1 endzone ball to 6 ‘7 receiver Trey’dez Green. Once LSU claimed the lead they never let it go, despite Clemson’s best effort on their final drive they came up just short of forcing overtime. As Klubnik was pressured into a poor throw on 4th down from LSU’s 15 with just under a minute left. 

I believe that these are two playoff teams who have a lot of potential this year if they reach their full ability. Although Clemson lost, I think Troy will help them get some confidence and hopefully bounce back in the future and figure things out in what seems like a strong ACC this year.

Why Lanorris Sellers Could Win the Heisman

By: Cooper Hill

Going into his second year as a starter for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, Sellers is a serious contender for the Heisman. As a redshirt freshman, he threw for 2,534 yards, 18 touchdowns, while rushing for 674 yards and 7 more touchdowns. Lanorris proved himself early on last year taking Carolina to a bowl game and going 9-4. With receiver weapons, Nyck Harbor, Mazeo Bennett Jr. and true freshman Donovan Murph, Sellers could see a lot of success. All receivers have extremely good potential to have breakout seasons due to Sellers. Not only can Sellers sling the rock, but he is a serious weapon on the ground. Defensive coordinators are going to have a time trying to prepare their team for the dual threat passing and running. Lanorris also has a connection with the new offensive coordinator, Mike Shula, due to the fact that he was the offensive analyst for the Gamecocks last year. In the week one game where the Gamecocks beat the Virginia Tech Hokies 24-11, Lanorris completed 12 of his 19 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown. He rushed for 25 yards and another touchdown. These stats are not eye catching, but the 25 yards on the ground are physical, hard runs that got the Gamecocks first downs to win the game. He also had a huge touchdown pass to the former track star, Nyck Harbor. Also, with many quarterbacks, such as Arch Manning and Cade Kulb Klubnik, who were in the preseason Heisman watch, not performing well week one, it gives Sellers an edge to win it. Lanorris just needs to be himself the rest of the year, and keep the mistakes to a minimum. Sellers is for sure a dark horse to win the Heisman trophy this year.

Why Clemson lost to LSU

By: Ben McLaurin

To begin, Clemson was favored going into the game, but for some reason Clemson decides to the game. We were not expecting our star receiver to get hurt on the 2nd drive of the game. LSU does not breed star players, they get them in the portal like Mansoor Delane was a locksmith all night for LSU as a Virginia Tech transfer. Antiono Williams fell with a hamstring injury and he was expected to be Cade’s number one target all night. Clemson’s corner Ashton Hampton played a disappointing game with 3 Pass Interferences, but one was a horrendous call around the fifty-yard line which not only led to a first down on 3rd and 11 but led to a touchdown that put them ahead 17-10. Clemson’s 2nd half and run game was pathetic with 31 total rush yards all night with constant costly penalties that led to drive killers for the Tigers and extenders for LSU. Clemson  had a hot start to the 2nd half with a drive until Hauser missed an important kick to extend the lead which fell wide right. The Clemson o-line was experienced and failed to execute unlike LSU’s young o-line that had an effective run game with well over 100 yards.  Tj Parker and Demonta Capehart, two projected first round picks, put up 2 total tackles made by Tj Parker which led to 1st year starters like Ronan Hanfan to step up with 12 tackles followed by Sammyn Brown’s 11. In all, Clemson did play a poor game and the ref’s were no help for Clemson. Even without the bad calls, Clemson just played a bad game and were not prepared especially on Garrett Riley’s part with a sorry game plan. Especially in the beginning, instead of getting Cade easy completions he tried to have him read deep concepts against a star studded secondary.

NCAA Top 5 Week 1

By: Burns Bateman

To start off with, I will be ranking my top five for the 2025 NCAA college football season. Starting at number one, I have Texas. All eyes for Texas are on Arch Manning. I feel like he will have a breakout season with having a top receiver core in the country. Also having the star running backs like CJ Baxter and Quintrevion Wisner. On the defensive side, they have the top returning defensive unit in the nation. Their defense allowed the third fewest points and yards per game in division one. Coming in second is the Ohio State. With first year quarterback Julian Sayin leading the team, they will have some struggles but he will work it out to lead his team to a top spot in the season. With top receivers like Jerimiah Smith and Quincy Porter, it is going to be hard for other teams to keep up with the Buckeye offense. Number three is the Clemson Tigers. Top defense in the country with players like Sammy Brown, Ashton Hampton, Peter Woods, and TJ Parker. With a defense as strong as Clemson’s, opposing quarterbacks are going to scrambling for their life. They tiger offense is also top tier. Cade Klubnik is going to have a heisman run this year. With Adam Randall running the ball there will be some major rushing yards put up on the board this year. Coming in at number four is Georgia. Kirby Smart always has a strong team and you can never go wrong with putting Georgia in the top five. Gunner Stockton will be a demon on the field this year and with the strong defense backing them up.

Another championship run incoming for the Georgia football team. Lastly, at number five is Notre Dame. Jeremiyah Love is going to be the reason this team stays in the top five all year. The Irish always have a standout defense. That will be the top five for the first week of college football.

South Carolina v Virginia Tech Preview

By: Benson Elmore

On Sunday, August 31, The Gamecocks travel to Mercedes Benz stadium to play the Virginia Tech Hokies, so here is a breakdown of how I think this game will end up going. 

In this game, Carolina is the heavy favorite here by seven and a half points, which I think is pretty valid. I think that Carolina’s offense will be very hard to stop with Heisman candidate Lanorris Sellers, stud wide receivers Nyck Harbor and Mazeo Bennet, and new transfer Rahsul Faison. Also defensive studs like sophomore Dylan Stewart, Jalon Killgore, and Brandon Cisse are going to give Virginia Tech a very hard time moving the ball. 

With Mercedez Benz stadium being closer to South Carolina then Virginia, I think that more Carolina fans will be in attendance than Virginia tech. I think the energy will not be as high as a normal college football game, since the location is at a neutral site, and I do not think that this game will be entertaining at all if you are a Virginia Tech Hokies fan. I seriously think that Carolina is going to light Virginia Tech’s defense up and I do not think that Virginia Tech will move the ball well against Carolina either. 

Now, a little bit about why Carolina’s stud QB Lanorris Sellers could win the Heisman this year. Lanorris Sellers has a real shot at winning the Heisman this year. He’s got everything you need like crazy arm strength, fast legs, and the ability to make big plays when it counts. Sellers can make all the throws, but what sets him apart is how he moves in the pocket, avoiding pressure and creating chances out of nowhere. He’s a dual-threat QB, so defenses can’t just focus on one thing. If he keeps putting up big numbers and leads his team to wins, he could definitely be in the mix for the Heisman this season. He’s got the tools to be special.

Who Will Win the CFP?

By: Henry Jones

This year, with the introduction of the twelve team playoffs, the race to the beloved National Championship is more exciting than ever. The favorites to win right now are Oregon and Ohio State. They each have a sixteen percent chance to win. While this isn’t very high, it adds a sense of suspense between the race. Other teams like Clemson, Arizona State, and SMU are seen as dark horses to make a run. This new playoff format is almost comparable to College Basketball during March Madness. Meaning that any team has a chance to upset anybody because all of these teams have very strong teams. A team I am looking forward to making it all the way to the chip are the Boise State Broncos. With their stud running back, Ashton Jeanty, and their strong fanbase I believe they have a chance to go all the way. The only doubt I have is whenever they go against an extremely strong defense such as Oregon or Georgia. Each team has a very elite run defense and it will be interesting to see how Boise State’s run heavy offense performs against us. Another thing that may prove to be a problem is their quarterback. Maddox Madsen is a very mid level quarterback who piggybacks off of Jeanty all season long. Another matchup I will be waiting to watch is Arizona State versus Penn State. Penn State is one of the most overrated teams every year and I will be watching to see how they try to stop Arizona State’s breakout star running back Cam Skatebbo. To end, in my opinion I think that if Carson Beck stays out of the quarterback position and their stud sophomore backup stays in the game, there is no team that will beat a locked in Georgia team.

Should South Carolina make the CFP?

By: Milling Galloway

If you take a look at the big picture, the committee is going to put Alabama in over South Carolina. Alabama has the bigger name, brand , and just the fact that they are Alabama. That’s not what I am here to talk about. I am here to tell you why South Carolina should make it. LaNorris Sellers is the best quarterback in the nation. There is no debating that, also no team can put him on the ground. Clemson felt his wrath as he would rush and pass for over 150 yards. No other quarterback in the nation is doing that. Our receivers are finally coming out of their shells and are starting to thrive. Guys like Nyck Harbor and Dalevon Campbell are breakout future stars. The team itself is starting to fully come together for the first time in ten years. Just because Alabama beat us in the head to head at their home by two, does not prove anything. Our quarterback was still learning. Now, he has turned into a Heisman contender. The most recent comparison would be Alabama going into Norman, Oklahoma and Oklahoma beating them 24 to 3, An absolute blowout. South Carolina went into Norman and won 35 to 9. Those clearly show the better team. Alabama just can not play well on the road and this last team to get in has to play all away games. I just think it is so dumb Alabama will get in after having two unranked losses and USC has all three unranked losses. The CFP really needs to take a look at all these factors and who is playing better now and not in the past. The truth is Milroe is just not a great quarterback he is way too inconsistent compared to the superstar Sellers. All these factors need to be in play but to answer again, Alabama is going to get in just because of their name.