Clemson football joined a list no top 10 program wants to join. Falling in week one of the college football season. The No 4 ranked Tigers' loss to LSU Saturday left many fans in dismay.
Clemson sparked early energy with its famed entrance leading into “Howard's Rock.” Which players rub before jogging down the field. New defensive coordinator Tom Allen (the former Indiana head coach) then put on a clinic against Garrett Nussmeier.
But the high-profile returning quarterback willed his Tigers to the 17-10 win. Nussmeier fired off the early warning that LSU would be different this year.
Clemson, meanwhile, hit this new low: Falling to 0-4 against SEC opponents. That became among the notable reactions following the seven-point defeat in South Carolina.
Clemson reactions after disappointing loss to LSU
Fans trolled the Tigers — including one claiming the real Death Valley is in Baton Rouge. But a Clemson fan asked online after the loss “why don't we have a running game?”
Another Tigers fan shared a similar sentiment. Saying how Clemson has become ineffective in the backfield since the days of one notable star.
“Clemson is just not Clemson without a running game and it hasn’t been the same since [Travis] Etienne was there. [Cade] Klubnik and the receivers didn’t impress me,” the fan said.
Even former ESPN personality Stan Verrett threw shade at Clemson. By ridiculing the Tigers' pregame ritual.
“So do the Clemson players have to go up the hill and then get back on those busses to get back to their locker room? Police escort again?” Verrett asked, who's now a New Orleans Saints team reporter.
Brian Kelly called Clemson “predictable” with reporters when asked how LSU shut down the run. Clemson handled 20 total handoffs, but mustered just 31 yards and averaged a dismal 1.6 yards per carry.
Klubnik entered the game at the Atlantic Coast Conference's top QB. He even earned this stirring prediction: Klubnik would outduel Nussmeier. But he went 19-of-38 for 230 yards and never tossed one touchdown pass.
Clemson entered 2025 with hype and belief another college football playoff run was under construction. LSU left its fans up in arms.
