Virginia Football vs. Clemson Game Preview, Score Prediction

Aidan Baller | 2 Hours Ago

Virginia Athletic

On Saturday at noon, the Virginia Cavaliers and Clemson Tigers are set to face off in Clemson, South Carolina. The two face off for the first time since the 2020 season, when the Tigers defeated the Cavaliers 41-23. The game is also a rematch of the 2019 ACC Championship Game, which Clemson won in Charlotte. It's also a reunion for Tony Elliott with his alma mater Clemson and his mentor Dabo Swinney, as Elliott played wide receiver for the Tigers from 2000-2003 and served on Swinney's coaching staff from 2011-2021.

Read on for a full preview of Virginia vs. Clemson with everything you need to know, including game details and notes, an opponent scouting report, what to watch for, and a score prediction. 

Virginia vs. Clemson Game Details 

Who: Virginia Cavaliers (4-2, 2-1 ACC) vs. Clemson Tigers  (5-1, 4-0 ACC) 

When: Saturday, October 19th at 12pm ET

Where: Memorial Stadium (81,500) in Clemson, South Carolina

How to listen: SiriusXM 371, SXM App 371 | Virginia Sports Radio Network 

All-time series: Clemson leads 40-8-1

Last meeting: Clemson defeated Virginia 41-23 during the 2020 season in Clemson, South Carolina. 

Virginia vs. Clemson Game Notes 

• Saturday marks Tony Elliott’s return to Memorial Stadium for the first time since he departed the program to become the head coach at Virginia in December of 2021.
• The last time the Cavaliers faced a top-ten opponent on the road was last season against North Carolina, where the Hoos earned a massive 31-27 victory over the Tar Heels, UVA's first road win over a top 10 team in program history.
• There are three former Clemson Tigers on the Virginia football roster, but only one of them - running back Kobe Pace - will play on Saturday, as tight end Sage Ennis went down with a season-ending injury in the Coastal Carolina game and defensive back Malcolm Greene is redshirting the rest of this season.
• UVA is outscoring opponents 45-27 in the fourth quarter this season, while Clemson is getting outscored 48-26 in the fourth quarter (though that has a lot to do with the Tigers building large leads before the fourth quarter of their games).
• Four of UVA’s next five opponents are ranked in the AP Top 25: No. 10 Clemson, No. 12 Notre Dame, No. 20 Pitt, and No. 21 SMU. Three of the four contests against currently ranked foes will take place away from Charlottesville. 
• Clemson leads the all-time series with Virginia 40-8-1 and has a 21-3-1 advantage over the Cavaliers in games played at Memorial Stadium.
• This will be the first meeting between Dabo Swinney and Tony Elliott as head coaches, but Swinney owns a perfect 5-0 record against Virginia as Clemson's head coach.

Read Virginia’s injury report for the Clemson game here: UVA Football Week 8 Injury Report: Trell Harris, Antonio Clary, Chris Tyree

See below for UVA’s Week 8 depth chart for the Clemson game below: 

Virginia Cavaliers week 8 depth chart vs. Clemson / Virginia Athletic

Opponent Scouting Report: Clemson

2023: 9-4, 4-4 ACC
2024: 5-1, 4-0 ACC

After a season-opening brutal loss to Georgia, Clemson has gone on an absolute tear with five straight wins as the Tigers have dominated every opponent besides the Bulldogs. This included a 49-14 victory at Wake Forest, where the Cavaliers defeated the Deacs 31-30 in their second game of the season. The dominant wins have propelled Clemson to back up the AP rankings, landing them at No. 10 in the country heading into this week’s matchup. 

The scouting report for the Tigers starts with quarterback Cade Klubnik, who has been unbelievable for Clemson this season with 1,528 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, and only two interceptions with a 66.8 completion percentage. Klubnik powers an offense that has scored 40 or more points in four games this season. After a mediocre season in 2023, Klubnik has resolved much of his woes, a big reason why many see Clemson as the front-runner in the ACC. 

Virginia Football: ACC Football Week 8 Power Rankings

Antonio Williams is Klubnik’s number-one target in the air, as Williams has 349 yards and five touchdowns in 2024. Alongside Williams, tight end Jake Briningstool is second in receiving yards for the Tigers this season with 289 yards and two touchdowns. With that, Clemson has found its way to be the second-best overall offense statistically in the ACC behind Miami. 

On the ground, Phil Mafah has had a prolific year with 604 yards and four touchdowns rushing in 2024. This includes an 83-yard rushing touchdown against Appalachian State in week two. Behind Mafah, Klubnik is the Tigers second rusher with 198 yards and four touchdowns. 

Defensively, Clemson has dominated opponents, with the Tigers ranking fourth in passing defense in the ACC, only allowing 1,248 yards this season. Clemson has also produced nine interceptions and recorded 13 sacks in 2024. The Clemson defense is led by linebackers Wade Woodaz and Barrett Carter, who have combined to rack up 77 tackles, four sacks, one interception, and two forced fumbles. 

Other notable defensive standouts include safeties R.J. Mickens and Khalil Barnes, who have a combined 52 tackles, locking down the secondary for Clemson. On the defensive line, T.J. Parker is the primary threat for the Tigers with 22 tackles, four sacks, and two forced fumbles. This Clemson defense has threats on all levels of the defense who will look to disrupt Anthony Colandrea and his depleted wide receiver corps all day long in Death Valley. 

What to Watch For in Virginia vs. Louisville 

Red Zone Offense
If Virginia is going to somehow miraculously win against Clemson in Death Valley, the Cavaliers will have to improve their red zone offense. This season, the Cavaliers have scored touchdowns on 10 of 27 trips to the red zone, generating a 37% touchdown rate, which is an extremely disappointing total. If the Cavaliers can string together some drives and make it to the red zone, they'll have to improve their red zone woes against the most formidable defense they will face this season and punctuate those drives with touchdowns. As for the Tigers, they are 15/27 in the red zone in terms of touchdowns scored. 

How Will the Virginia Defense Fare Against Clemson’s Powerhouse Offense
The Virginia run defense struggled last week against Louisville, allowing 192 yards on the ground, which included Isaac Brown rushing for 146 yards, a key reason for the Cavaliers' defeat last Saturday. Now, the Hoos will focus on trying to contain Phil Mafah, who is among the top 20 in rushing in the NCAA. How will Virginia fare against the prolific running back while also having to contain Klubnik on the ground? To add to Clemson’s ground attack, Virginia must contain Klubnik and his wide receiver corps, who will face a Cavalier secondary which will likely not have Antonio Clary for the second week in a row. 

UVA Football Week 8 Injury Report: Trell Harris, Antonio Clary, Chris Tyree

Special Teams
Last week against Louisville, the Virginia special teams were atrocious, with Daniel Sparks getting lucky with a low punt before his second low punt of the day hit a blocker and landed on the Virginia 14-yard line, setting up the Cardinals perfectly, changing the momentum of the game. Virginia's few paths to victory will likely require a flawless game from a special teams standpoint. The question is whether the Cavaliers can flip the script and turn special teams into an asset if they want to earn a victory or, at minimum, keep it close on Saturday.

Virginia vs. Clemson Prediction

Last year's epic victory at North Carolina showed that the Cavaliers were capable of beating highly-ranked teams when they execute to their potential, especially in the clutch. While Virginia struggled to produce late in close games for most of the rest of the season, that victory at UNC was a major breakthrough for a program which had experienced little success under Tony Elliott to that point. With that said, it would be foolish to compare that No. 10-ranked North Carolina team, which went on to lose four of its last six plus its bowl game, with this No. 10-ranked Clemson team, which enters this game on a five-game winning streak and has won those games by an average of 29.4 points. This Virginia team is capable of winning games like this, but it'll take a near-perfect performance from the Cavaliers and a well below par showing from the Tigers for that to happen on Saturday.

Score prediction: Virginia 24, Clemson 42

More Virginia Football News

Stat Comparison: How Virginia Stacks Up Against Clemson on Paper

UVA Football: Players to Watch in Virginia vs. Clemson

Virginia Football Bowl Projections Heading Into Week 8

UVA Football Week 8 Injury Report: Trell Harris, Antonio Clary, Chris Tyree

Virginia Football Depth Chart vs. Clemson | Takeaways, Analysis