Once projected to be one of the top college football teams in the nation this season, Dabo Swinney's Clemson squad has not looked good in the first two weeks of the season. They dropped their season opener against rivals LSU two weeks ago. Then, against Troy, the Tigers had to mount a comeback from 16-0 to beat the Trojans. Facing off against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Clemson has one more headache to deal with.
Heading into their Week 3 game, Dabo Swinney said that Clemson is preparing for two quarterbacks against Georgia Tech. With Aaron Philo stepping in wonderfully for the injured Haynes King, it's possible that the Yellow Jackets could field both QBs during the game. Swinney said that Philo's masterful performance in Week 2 has put him on their radar.
“Their backup is a good player and threw for a ton of yards last week,” Swinney told the media on Tuesday, per On3.com. “You have to be prepared for that. Any time you see something like that on tape, it puts your antenna up a little bit. We just have to have our eyes in the right place and we have to communicate well.”
After King got injured in their Week 1 win, the Yellow Jackets turned to Philo to start against Gardner-Webb. Philo was phenomenal, completing 21 of his 28 attempts for 373 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. With King's status still uncertain, Clemson is preparing for the possibility that they face either quarterback… or both.
Clemson has been struggling to start the year, thanks in large part to their offense struggling to get into a rhythm. They are missing their star wide receiver Antonio Williams, who's out due to injury. That being said, their struggles extend beyond missing their top wide receiver. Cade Klubnik is struggling, and his offense is also struggling to stay afloat.
Clemson's defense has looked solid, which is encouraging against a white-hot Georgia Tech offense that just blew their last opponent out. However, unless Swinney and Klubnik figure out how to fix their offense, the Tigers are in serious danger of getting upset.
