Three Offensive Stars to Watch for Clemson Tigers vs. Stanford Cardinal

Here are the three offensive players that could help either Clemson or Stanford win Saturday’s ACC contest.

Aug 31, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Clemson Tigers running back Phil Mafah (7) runs behind offensive lineman Ryan Linthicum (53) against the Georgia Bulldogs during the third quarter of the 2024 Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. / Ken Ruinard - Imagn Images

The No. 17 Clemson Tigers moved up the AP Top 25 poll for the third straight week and their offense is flying high going into their matchup with the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

The Tigers (2-1, 1-0 in ACC) have gone from scoring just three points in their opening loss to Georgia to a super-charged offense that has blown out its last two opponents.

The offense is among the leaders in players of 50 or more yards, yards per carry, points per game, yards per play, completion percentage, yards per game and has a +21-point differential in the first quarter, which is the best in college football.

Stanford (2-1, 1-0) enters the contest averaging 31.3 points per game and an ultra-efficient red zone offense, which has scored 13 of 15 times inside the opponent’s 20-yard-line. The Cardinal, like the Tigers, are adept at getting off to a good start with a +14-point differential.

Here are three offensive players to watch for each team going into Saturday’s contest.

Clemson

QB Cade Klubnik

Remember just a couple of weeks ago when many Tigers fans wanted to run him out of town? Now they may want to name a burger for the guy down at The Esso Club.

Entering Saturday’s game Klubnik has 4,270 career passing yards and needs 377 more to catch Rodney Williams (4,647) and enter the Top 10 in the category in program history.

Nationally, he has bounced back from his rough outing against Georgia and now ranks tied for ninth in completion percentage (73.4) and 12th in passer rating (181.83). The only quarterback in the ACC that may be better than him right now is Miami’s Cam Ward.

RB Phil Mafah

Stanford has a great run defense, so the yardage may be hard to come by for the Tigers star. But, he’ll get a solid workload and he has shown a feel for getting tough yards throughout his career.

Mafah has rushed for 284 yards on 33 carries with two touchdowns. That 8.6 yards per carry is giving the Tigers a big-play boost. He hasn’t been much of a factor in the pass game yet, with just five catches. But he can be and that makes him a player the Cardinal defense must account for every play.

WR Antonio Williams

Williams has some new company at the top of the depth chart, as talented true freshman Bryant Wesco Jr. no longer has an “or” next to his name. But the downfield passing game is still Williams’ domain.

He’s tied for the team lead with 12 receptions (along with tight end Jake Briningstool) but leads the team with 159 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Wesco may have a higher per-catch average, but Williams has trust built up with Klubnik.

Stanford

QB Ashton Daniels

If Clemson wants to slow down Stanford, it will have to slow down Daniels, who is the teams’ rushing and passing leader.

He has 163 yards on 39 carries on the ground while he’s thrown for 562 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. He’s completed 61.5 percent of his passes. He’s also from Buford, Ga., so this is as close to a homecoming as he’s liable to get.

RB Chris Davis Jr.

If Daniels isn’t carrying the ball, Davis is the likely choice and he has the ability to break off chunks of yardage.

He has only carried the ball 15 times in three games, thanks mostly to Daniels’ workload. But he has 132 yards and averages nearly nine yards per carry.

WR Elic Ayomanor

The Cardinal has another talented wide receiver in Ismael Cisse. But when Stanford wants to move the ball downfield, Ayomanor is going to be the player Daniels looks for.

He has 17 receptions for a team-high 234 yards, giving him 13.8 yards per catch. He has one touchdown and averages 78 yards per game. He’ll be a tough player for Clemson’s secondary to defend.