The No. 12-seeded Clemson Tigers (10-3) are set to check out the No. 5-seeded Texas Longhorns (11-2) in the 3rd video game of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoffs on Saturday.
The Tigers, who simply squeezed their method into the playoffs after removing No. 8 SMU in the ACC Championship, will need to perform practically completely on both sides of the ball if they wish to beat the Longhorns.
Here are 3 secrets to a first-round upset win for Clemson:
Run the ball
Senior running back Phil Mafah, who was granted an area on the 2024 third-team All-ACC list, has actually seen less snaps just recently as he has actually been fighting a continuous shoulder injury.
Mafah, among the primary pieces to the Clemson offense, has actually amounted to 8 goals and 1,106 overall hurrying lawns on 214 brings this season.
In spite of the bothersome injury, the Tigers will require all he can summon versus the Texas defense, among the nation's finest run stoppers.
Mafah will require to take advantage of every run versus the Longhorns considering that Texas' defense has actually just quit 4 passing goals all season.
Find Antonio Williams
When the Tigers aren't trying to power through with their run video game, they must want to target Williams, a 5-foot-11 redshirt sophomore receiver.
The home-grown South Carolina native leads the Tigers in goals this season with 10 while likewise leading all receivers in total-yards with 838 on 71 receptions.
In 6 out of the 10 video games that Clemson has actually won this season, Williams has actually scored a minimum of one goal. And in 3 of those 6 wins, Williams had the ability to discover completion zone two times.
Head coach Dabo Swinney and Garrett Riley, Clemson's offending planner, must certainly have Williams circled around as a primary target in their match as he will show to be vital en path to a first-round win for the Tigers.
Stay calm
As this is the first-ever College Football Playoff video game in Austin, we can anticipate to see the Longhorn crowd rowdier than ever.
This is just Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik's 2nd season as the main starter after supporting previous Tiger DJ Uiagalelei in 2022. And the 2 Clemson receivers who are leading the getting corps in backyards behind Williams– Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore– are both real freshmen.
If the Tigers wish to stay with their strategies and perform, they can not be frightened by the crowd and get overwhelmed by the minute.
Kick-off is set for 4:00 p.m. ET, and the video game can be seen on TNT/Max.
