LSU football meets Clemson for the fifth time in program history on Saturday night. The Tigers will be tested right away as they open the 2025 season vs. another top-10 opponent. Making the task even harder, LSU must go on the road.
The last time LSU and Clemson met was the 2019 national title game. Joe Burrow led LSU to victory over Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence. Both Burrow and Lawrence went on to be No. 1 overall picks, but that day belonged to Burrow.
Before that, LSU and Clemson capped off the 2013 season at the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta. Clemson nailed a game-winning field goal as Dabo Swinney’s program continued its climb towards national relevance.
The school’s first meeting came in 1958, when LSU shut out Clemson for a 7-0 win in the Sugar Bowl. The Tigers lead the all-time series 3-1 and hope to build on that this Saturday.
It’s been five years since LSU and Clemson last played. For LSU fans unfamiliar with this Clemson team, here are five things to know about the Clemson Tigers.
1. Clemson has a star at quarterback
Clemson QB Cade Klubnik is one of the best in the country as he enters year three as a starter. The former five-star recruit took a massive step forward in 2024 and looks to build on it in 2025. Klubnik’s 87.7 PFF passing grade ranked No. 3 among ACC QBs and he’s a threat to create with his legs, too, running for 588 yards in 2024. Against a strong South Carolina defense, Klubnik carried it nine times for 64 yards.
LSU struggled vs. running quarterbacks last year and Klubnik has the tools to take advantage.
Klubnik wasn’t terribly efficient last year, averaging 7.4 yards per attempt, but he throws a strong deep ball. Clemson’s WRs should be even better this year and they’ll give Klubnik chances to push the ball down the field.
2. Clemson has a new defensive coordinator
Clemson played below its standard on defense last year, leading head coach Dabo Swinney to make a change at defensive coordinator. Swinney tabbed Tom Allen to lead the unit. Allen was most recently the DC at Penn State, where he called a playoff-caliber defense in 2024.
Allen will look to simplify things for a Clemson unit that struggled to stop the run in 2024. Clemson created tackles for loss, but the Tigers were poor run defenders from down to down.
Allen’s defense is your typical modern 4-2-5 look. Clemson will be aggressive with twists and stunts up front and hopes to confuse LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier with different blitz looks. That could create trouble for LSU’s young offensive line playing its first game together.
3. Clemson leads college football in returning production
According to ESPN’s Bill Connelly, Clemson leads the nation in returning production. The Tigers hardly lost any talent from their 2024 playoff squad. We’ve seen what experienced Dabo Swinney teams look like — they usually compete for national titles. It’s why the expectations are so high again in 2025.
LSU returns a lot, too, ranking No. 24 nationally in returning production, but that’s not to the level of Clemson, which brings back 80% of its production.
From a unit perspective, Clemson’s offense ranks No. 1 in returning production with the defense at No. 6.
4. Clemson has star power
We talked about QB Cade Klubnik, but Clemson has star power across the roster.
On defense, lineman Peter Woods might be the best defensive tackle in the country. He plays next to defensive end TJ Parker, who also has a chance to be a top-10 pick. Rushing on the other side of Parker is Will Heldt, one of the top-ranked transfers of the cycle.
In the secondary, Corner Aveion Terrell is an All-American candidate and potential first-round pick.
Back on the offensive side, Clemson has three starting wide receivers with NFL futures. Antonio Williams nearly breached 1,000 yards in 2024 and looks to have another big year this fall.
5. Where are Clemson’s question marks?
We’ve stuck to good things for the first four notes of this preview. Rightfully so — there’s a lot to like about this Clemson team. But it’s not perfect and you can find faults if you look hard enough.
If LSU is going to take advantage of Clemson, it starts with LSU’s defensive line. Clemson’s offensive line is good, but far from elite. Clemson has questions at both guard spots, and LSU has a group of talented defensive tackles who can win on the inside. If LSU can get interior pressure on Klubnik, the Tigers’ defense will have a good day.
As for LSU’s offense, the Tigers can attack Clemson’s safeties. Again, the safety group is solid but Clemson lost RJ Mickens, one of the ACC’s best defensive backs in 2024.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Five things LSU football fans need to know about Clemson