Nothing is worse for a college football team than to go into a game against an inferior opponent expecting to come away with a shoo-in victory but ultimately scrape by with a nail-biting win or even fall short at the end.
Clemson experienced that phenomenon nearly every week last season, as seven of the Tigers’ 13 games ended in one-score victory margins.
As for the 2022 season, Athlon Sports’ Steven Lassan recently compiled a list of each contender’s biggest trap games.
For Clemson, Lassan believes the Tigers’ Oct. 15 matchup with Florida State on the road is a game to keep an eye on.
Here’s his reasoning behind the selection.
The Seminoles led 20-17 in the fourth quarter of last year’s 30-20 loss in Death Valley and should be improved in ’22. Also, this game marks the end of a key three-game stretch for coach Dabo Swinney’s team: NC State, at Boston College and at Florida State.
In last year’s matchup with the Seminoles, Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei completed 61.3% of his passes for 189 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
While Uiagalelei didn’t have the most productive game, then-freshman running back Will Shipley led the way on the ground with 128 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 25 attempts.
Clemson has won the previous six matchups with the Seminoles, so history is on the Tigers’ side.
To Lassan’s point, however, Clemson will have a three-game stretch against Wake Forest, NC State and Boston College before taking on Florida State.
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