Clemson Tigers Restart Their Climb Up Rankings With Latest Win

The Clemson Tigers still have a long way to go, but their path is not as challenging now after week 11.

Nov 9, 2024; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Clemson Tigers running back Phil Mafah (7) runs down the sideline as Virginia Tech Hokies safety Mose Phillips III (18) looks to force him out of bounds during the third quarter at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images / Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers bounced back from their disappointing loss at home to the Louisville Cardinals last Saturday with a 24-14 road win against the Virginia Tech Hokies this Saturday.

It was a struggle out of the gates for the Tigers, as they went into halftime down 7-0, but they came back out on the field strong in the second half, outscoring the Hokies 24-7 on their way to their seventh win of the year.

Now holding a 7-2 record overall, and a 6-1 record in Atlantic Coast Conference play, the path ahead still holds challenges as Clemson is set to face the 18th-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday in their second road contest in as many weeks.

The Tigers' win over Virginia Tech put the team back in the right direction in the eyes of the voters, moving up two spots in the AP Poll to 17th, and one spot in the Coaches Poll to 16th, while they remain 23rd in the College Football Playoff Rankings as those are not updated until Tuesday.

Clemson saw their stock rise in another poll this week, as well, as Chris Vannini of The Athletic dropped his weekly college football power rankings Monday morning, and the team climbed one spot into 24th.

While junior quarterback Cade Klubnik did tally three passing touchdowns on Saturday, it was still not his best performance, throwing for only 211 yards on 16 of 34 passing and adding one interception.

Senior running back Phil Mafah carried the load, rushing for 128 yards on 26 carries, an average of 4.9 yards per attempt.

The senior is now just 19 yards away from 1,000 on the season, and should he reach that mark it would be the first time in his career that he has done so.

Mafah has tallied 100 or more rushing yards in six separate contests this year and has averaged 109 yards per game on the ground while adding a total of 70 receiving yards on 14 catches.

The Tigers' defense played a big part in the victory as well, allowing only 228 total yards, with 188 coming through the air and only 40 on the ground.

It was a massive turnaround from their last effort that saw them allow 366 total yards to the Cardinals, with 210 coming on the ground.

For Clemson to climb back into College Football Playoff contention, they must win out down the stretch.

The Miami Hurricanes helped the Tigers with their loss on Saturday to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, but Clemson still has a long way to go to stake their claim on a playoff berth.