College football analysts and pundits are never short on opinions. What that in mind, here’s a look at what some of “the cream of the national sporting press” (to borrow from the late Hunter S. Thompson) are saying about Clemson after the Tigers’ 66-20 shellacking of Appalachian State over the weekend.
Over at ESPN, Bill Connelly put Clemson’s victory on his list of the five most surprising results ($) from Week 2.
Said Connelly:
“What’s the best way to respond to a dreadful loss to Georgia in your first game? By going touchdown-touchdown-touchdown-touchdown-touchdown-touchdown-touchdown-touchdown on your first eight drives.”
Connelly also gave his weekly Heisman Trophy award to Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik for his record-setting night.
“Cade Klubnik, Clemson (24-of-26 passing for 378 yards and 5 touchdowns, plus 2 rushing touchdowns against Appalachian State). After an utterly atrocious performance against Georgia in Week 1, Klubnik and the Tigers were almost perfect in Week 2. In two games, they have underachieved against their projection by 15.6 points and overachieved by 30.3.”
Separately, Clemson moved up five spots from No. 24 to No. 19 in ESPN’s weekly power rankings. Dabo Swinney’s team was ranked one spot behind ACC rival Louisville and one spot ahead of LSU.
David Hale said of Clemson:
“What a difference a week makes. Or, perhaps, what a difference not playing Georgia makes. All those concerns about Clemson’s offense might have been well founded, but for at least a week, there was little cause for continued concern. Quarterback Cade Klubnik threw for five touchdowns and ran for two more, all before halftime in a 66-20 win over Appalachian State. So, which is the real Clemson — the one that was shut don by the best team in the country or the one that dominated a good Group of 5 squad? The answer is probably somewhere in between, but a showdown with NC State in two weeks should be telling.”
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Over at CBS Sports, Clemson’s lopsided victory was enough to move the Tigers up six spots to No. 18 in Brandon Marcello’s weekly college football power rankings.
Marcelo writes:
“Clemson was on fire against a top-tier Group of Five team, breaking school records (525 yards in first half) as it attempted to wash away the disappointing loss to Georgia in the opener. Klubnik scored seven total touchdowns in the first half against Appalachian State. We’ll need to monitor star defensive tackle Peter Woods, who was injured on a chop block.”
Finally, The Athletic’s Justin Williams ($) highlighted Clemson’s bounce-back win in his list of five things learned about the College Football Playoff race after Week 2.
“The knives were out for Dabo and the Tigers after last week’s flop against Georgia, but Saturday’s 66-20 plastering of Appalachian State was a reminder not to put them in the ground just yet. As Notre Dame can attest, one week doesn’t make a season. Clemson looked completely overmatched against the Dawgs, but so do most teams. Maybe the Tigers don’t have the goods to win a national title, but with Florida State’s disastrous start and Georgia Tech and NC State losing, Clemson absolutely looks capable of making the ACC championship.”
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