ESPN analyst Booger McFarland weighed in on Clemson’s 38-24 loss to Texas in the College Football Playoff, focusing on the Tigers’ inability to stop the Longhorns’ rushing attack and their struggles to establish their own ground game.
“Clemson couldn’t take it away,” McFarland said of Texas’ dominant run game, which piled up 292 rushing yards and four touchdowns. “Whether it was (Jaydon) Blue, (Quintrevion) Wisner – left, right, inside, outside. It was like Burger King – have it any way you want to.”
Clemson’s defense, which had allowed 150.5 rushing yards per game during the season, struggled to contain Texas from the start. The Longhorns tallied 148 yards on the ground in the first half alone. Blue’s 77-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter came just after Clemson had rallied to cut the deficit to seven points, effectively putting the game out of reach.
“It was almost as if the Clemson defenders didn’t understand how fast he was,” McFarland said of Blue. “They took bad angles, they did not know how to tackle him.”
Clemson’s rushing attack was ineffective on the other side of the ball, finishing with just 76 yards on 24 carries. Phil Mafah, hampered by a shoulder injury, was limited to only nine yards on two carries, leaving quarterback Cade Klubnik to shoulder the offensive load.
“Clemson wanted to run the football with Phil Mafah. The Texas defense took that away,” McFarland explained. “They put too much on Klubnik. His stats will say he had a good game, but Clemson’s inability to run the football hurt them.”
Klubnik delivered an effort that should have fans excited for next season, completing 26 of 43 passes for 336 yards and three touchdowns, but Clemson’s one-dimensional offense ultimately fell short. “Good defenses take away what you want to do – and Texas did just that,” McFarland added.
Despite the loss, Clemson will aim to use this experience as a learning opportunity as they turn their attention to the 2025 season.