Clemson's quick starts display another sign of growth

Cade Klubnik has helped engineer some strong starts for the Tigers this season.

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Tuesday, October 08 2024

At the beginning of fall camp, Dabo Swinney donned a shirt with one message across his shirt: finish.

Maybe he had another item of clothing that read “start.”

Swinney’s recent units have lacked a particular punch that teams in the past used to their advantage. Those quick jolts may have returned.

Following the brutal Georgia opener, Clemson’s last four games have all had something in common: fast starts. The first quarter has been marked by simple dominance in the Tigers' four wins, and that stretch has helped them in different ways.

Against App State and North Carolina State, multi-touchdown leads snuffed out any semblance of hope for the opposition.

Facing off against a feisty pairing of Stanford and Florida State, those sudden bursts gave Clemson enough cushion to hold on. Mike Norvell’s Seminoles were reeling entering a matchup against the Tigers, following another disappointing result against SMU. Despite that, Swinney reiterated that this was a team that had plenty of NFL talent on the field, regardless of what any record would indicate.

That assertion was mostly true.

The Seminoles gave Clemson a fight reminiscent of a defensive effort weeks prior against Cal. Unfortunately for FSU, the Tigers did just enough early to ensure any extra punches were in vain.

In the first quarter, Cade Klubnik and the Tiger offense recorded 17 points. That included two touchdown throws from Klubnik, one coming 57 yards down the field to Antonio Williams, showing flashes from the offense that rolled through the previous month.

Florida State had its moments, but it was never going to be enough for an offense that has only scored 20 points once through six games.

Those fast starts at home can be one thing, but doing it on the road is an entirely different beast.

Clemson outscored its opponents 90-0 in the first quarter in those four wins, showing another sign of growth from previous Tiger iterations.

Looking at 2023 alone, the first four games on the Tigers’ schedule only saw them outscore opponents 37-17 in the first quarters. Clemson lost to Duke and Florida State while also facing G5 FAU and FCS Charleston Southern.

For Swinney and his staff, they can only control what’s in front of them. Remove the blemish in Atlanta, and this team is finding different ways to win. Maybe it won’t always be the fireworks shows against the Mountaineers. Sometimes, you have to control the game on the road.

When you don’t feel the need to air it out in the fourth quarter, it is usually a sign that you feel comfortable with where the game is.

With only five games played, Swinney’s message to finish still reigns supreme over everything else. Still, he has to like how his team is coming out of the gate.

His overarching message may point to the finish line, but Clemson is doing themselves plenty of favors with several headstarts.