2024 Clemson schedule: Tigers' home opener is no pushover

Aguilar threw for over 3,700 yards and 33 touchdowns to only ten interceptions last season. (Photo: Nathan Seeback / USATODAY)

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Friday, July 19 2024

Clemson’s home opener will be no pushover.

Following a highly anticipated matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs, the Tigers will have to turn around and face one of the most formidable Group of 5 conference teams in the country.

Appalachian State travels to Death Valley for an 8 p.m. kickoff on September 7th to open the home season (ACCN). The last time these two squads faced off was in 2015 when the Tigers won 41-10 on their way to a national championship appearance. Clemson and Appalachian State have met five times, with the Tigers winning each matchup.

The Mountaineers will start their season at home against East Tennesee State, a team they likely won’t have many issues with. After facing Clemson on the road, App State will duel East Carolina and South Alabama to close September.

The Mountaineers added reinforcements on the offensive and defensive lines through the transfer portal, adding Nick Campbell (NC State) and Luke Burgess (Louisville).

App State’s offense was one of the 30 best units in the country in 2023, and it starts with quarterback Joey Aguilar, who did nothing but set records in his first year in the black and yellow.

Aguilar threw for over 3,700 yards and 33 touchdowns to only ten interceptions. He set the single-season mark for almost everything offensively in 2023, with passing yards, touchdowns, and total offense being the most notable. He also took home Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year, throwing for the third most passing touchdowns in Sun Belt history.

The Mountaineers' rushing attack was led by a dynamic duo of Nate Noel and Kanye Roberts. The pair combined for nearly 2,000 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns. Both averaged five yards per play from scrimmage.

When it comes to receiving corps, senior Kaedin Robinson leads the charge for the passing attack. Robinson tallied 63 catches for 905 yards and ten touchdowns, becoming Aguilar’s go-to target. Robinson’s electric campaign earned him All-Sun Belt Honors.

Defensively, App State lost its top two contributors. Andrew Parker Jr. and Nick Ross have moved on to the NFL, and each registered over 100 tackles in the 2023 season. For the Mountaineers, the vacuum left by their two stars turned pro will now turn to new leadership.

Redshirt Junior Caden Sullivan, who was third on the team in tackles, will assume the role his former teammates once carried. Cornerback Ethan Johnson, who was fourth on the team in tackles, was a second-team All-Sun Belt recipient. Johnson was sixth in the conference in pass breakups with 11.

This group and those who have moved on to the NFL helped the Mountaineers reach a 9-5 overall record last season, going 6-2 in the Sun Belt Conference. App State closed it out with a 13-9 win over Miami (OH) in the Cure Bowl.

Players and records aside, Appalachian State is a uniquely challenging home opener for the Tigers. Clemson’s last three openers in Death Valley have been against Furman, Charleston Southern, and South Carolina State.

Not only is Appalachian State a level above the South Carolina FCS schools, but also the Mountaineers hold a history of upsetting power four opponents.

In 2007, App State famously took down Michigan on the road in the Big House 34-32, topping a Wolverines team that was ranked fifth in the country then.

For over a decade, that was the Mountaineers' only calling card for historic upsets, but another team would join the Wolverines’ despair. Led by former Clemson QB Chase Brice in 2022, they did it again, this time in the SEC. Texas A&M fell to App State 17-14, ranked sixth in the country.

Does this mean Clemson is in perilous danger in front of its home crowd? Not necessarily. However, this home opener will likely carry more stakes than usual.

The Tigers might be entering their home opener already 0-1, in danger of falling 0-2. Clemson last dropped its first two games against FBS opponents in 1998, when the Tigers finished 3-8.

Will the Tigers take care of business against what should be an inferior opponent, or will Dabo Swinney’s 2024 unit fall victim to a team that’s no stranger to significant upsets?

Only time will tell, but it is safe to say Clemson’s first two games will present a unique test.

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