Citadel at Clemson: Five Things To Watch For In Tigers Home Opener

After a successful season opening win over Wake Forest, the No. 1 Tigers now turn their attention towards their next opponent, The Citadel Bulldogs. Today we take a look at five things to watch in Clemson's home opener.

Coming off of a season opening win over Wake Forest, the top-ranked Tigers come into their home opener against The Citadel as overwhelming 44.5 point favorites.

While the undermanned Bulldogs shouldn't provide much of a challenge on the field, that doesn't mean there won't be some compelling storylines to watch as the game unfolds. 

1. Offensive Line: The starting offensive line played very well in the opener against Wake Forest. It was a great start for a group that had to replace four starters from last season. However, the backups are still a work in progress. A home opener against an FCS opponent should provide the coaching staff ample opportunity to get the reserves plenty of reps. 

PFF's top Offensive Lines in College Football Wk 2 pic.twitter.com/Szg4l8XdFX

— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 15, 2020

2. Defensive Line: Like the offensive line, the retooled defensive front passed its first test of the season in Winston-Salem. Playing the triple option offense the Bulldogs run will present a whole new set of challenges though. It will be interesting to see how the front four responds, especially some of the younger players who are getting their first look at an option offense at the collegiate level. 

3. Wide Receivers: Last weekend against Wake Forest Trevor Lawrence had 351 passing yards, with much of that damage coming across the middle of the field. Amari Rodgers and Braden Galloway were responsible for 150 of those yards, as the Tigers are still waiting for one of the younger, outside receivers to step up and and separate himself from the rest of the pack. 

4. Trevor Lawrence: It would have been difficult for the junior quarterback to have started his Heisman campaign any better than he did against the Demon Deacons. Lawrence hit on 88 percent of his passes and averaged 12.5 yards per attempt. While his day will undoubtedly be over early this weekend, can Lawrence keep up the hot pace in the limited action he does see?

College Football MVP's of the Week

Offense: Trevor Lawrence, Clemson QB
Defense: Shemar Jean-Charles, App State CB pic.twitter.com/u3l7gJRreB

— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 14, 2020

5. Secondary: Not having Derion Kendrick and Mario Goodrich last weekend forced the Tigers into having to rely on some of the more inexperienced players in the secondary and it showed. This game should give those young guys a chance at more playing time. While the Bulldogs aren't known for slinging the ball all over the field, when they do throw, seeing how those young guys respond after being coached up on the mistakes from last weekend will be worth keeping an eye on.

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