College Football Preview: Auburn vs. Clemson

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September 6, 2017

With one week of college football under our belts, all eyes are on this weekend’s matchup between the No. 13 Auburn Tigers and No. 3 Clemson Tigers. Saturday’s game should prove to be an exciting one, but which Tigers will prevail?

Auburn took on Georgia Southern last weekend in its season opener in Jordan-Hare. In an incredible defensive performance, the Tigers allowed just 70 rushing yards and only four pass completions for 8 yards, winning the match 41-7. The offense put on a show as well, despite a couple of hiccups (including a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown). According to Bleacher Report, Auburn racked up 354 rushing yards, and new QB Jarret Stidham threw for two touchdowns and ran for another.

Clemson opened their season with a 56-3 pummeling of Kent State. The Tigers scored touchdowns on their first three drives, and led the Golden Flashes 35-3 at halftime. Clemson rushed for 353 yards and threw for 312. Dabo Sweeney proved that he has found his replacement for Deshaun Watson in Kelly Bryant. Bryant accounted for 312 yards and two touchdowns. The Clemson defense showed its strength as well, holding Kent State to just 2.4 yards per play and only one pass completion for one yard.

With equally dominating performances over two smaller teams, it will be interesting to see how each team stacks up against each other this weekend. Will Auburn’s defense be able to contain Kelly Bryant and Clemson’s powerful offense? Will Jarret Stidham rise to the occasion and find the vulnerabilities in Clemson’s daunting defense? Who will win?

Last year, Auburn gave Clemson one of its hardest fought games of the season. The national champions’ season was nearly put in jeopardy from the very beginning as they were barely able to escape the Auburn defense, winning just 19-13. Auburn’s defense is poised to be even more successful this season, and Kevin Steele’s boys hope to give the national champions another run for their money. Jarret Stidham returned to college football this weekend in full-force, showing that he is both accurate and agile inside and outside of the pocket. With the return of starting running back Kamryn Pettway, Auburn’s offense is a much more menacing force than the one Clemson faced last season.

The underdog Tigers are in as good a position as ever to topple the reigning national champions. If Auburn shows up for a dog fight on Saturday, there’s a good chance they may leave Death Valley 2-0.