Clemson football plays App State today: Kickoff time, TV channel, score
The Clemson football team is back in the Valley this weekend and seeking its first win of the season after getting blown out in its opener by No. 1 Georgia in Atlanta.
Here’s your gameday guide for the No. 25 Tigers’ home opener against App State, considered one of the best Group of Five programs in the country.
Clemson vs. App State game, TV info
Who: No. 25 Clemson (0-1) vs. App State (1-0)
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Memorial Stadium in Clemson
TV: ACC Network
Broadcast crew: Wes Durham, Tom Luginbill, Dana Boyle
Stream: Via ESPN or the ESPN app
Radio: 105.5 FM in the Clemson area (see all Clemson radio affiliates here)
Satellite radio: SiriusXM Channel 161 or 193
Series history: Clemson leads 5-0
Clemson vs. App State Vegas odds
The Tigers are a 17-point betting favorite against the Mountaineers on Saturday, according to the VegasInsider.com consensus line that factors in multiple sportsbooks. It’s quite the shift in point spreads for Clemson, which closed as a 10.5-point underdog to UGA last week.
Weather forecast for Clemson SC
The forecast is for 85 degrees during the day with sunset expected around 7:48 p.m., according to the Weather.com 10-day forecast. Temperatures will eventually drop to 60 degrees overnight with an overcast sky, light winds and a 13% chance of rain.
Top storylines for the game
There’s a lot on the line perception-wise for Clemson entering this game. The Tigers failed their first big test last Saturday and looked a lot like the team that went 8-4 in the 2023 regular season — not the revamped, smarter, faster team that players and coaches promised fans would see this offseason. Under particular scrutiny: The offense. Clemson had just three points and 188 total yards against UGA. As a 17-point favorite against a perceived lesser opponent, offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and quarterback Cade Klubnik will be expected to get things going in a hurry.
At the same time, App State has proven to often be the opposite of a “get-right game” for power conference teams. The Mountaineers of Boone, North Carolina, who will collect $1.25 million for their Saturday visit, have a ranked win each of the past three seasons. Their last eight games against Power 4 teams have all been decided by seven points or fewer. And this Boone program is known for its historic road upsets: Michigan, UNC, USC, Texas A&M.
History is on the Tigers’ side for this one, though. Clemson beat App State 41-10 in the teams’ last meeting in 2015 and 12-0 all time against Sun Belt Conference teams. Clemson is also 40-4 in non-conference home games under coach Dabo Swinney and 29-1 in such games since 2013 (with zero losses to G5 teams); 24-3 in home night games; and 35-9 in games following a loss in the Swinney era.
Swinney said one silver lining of the Georgia loss was health: Clemson entered the game without major injuries and got out clean, too. It’s worth watching how much cornerback Shelton Lewis (knee) plays after dressing but playing zero snaps against UGA. Cornerback Jeadyn Lukus (shoulder) played every defensive snap last week. Swinney says LG Marcus Tate (undisclosed) “should be OK,” while backup offensive lineman Trent Howard (leg) is getting close but his status is TBD.
Clemson vs. App State players to watch
Clemson WR Antonio Williams: A lone bright spot for the offense, Williams led the team with six catches for 76 yards (long of 36) in the Georgia loss and displayed some impressive chemistry with QB Cade Klubnik.
Clemson DE Peter Woods: What a day for Woods, who debuted at a new position after playing defensive line last year and promptly had six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack against Georgia while only playing 70% of the defensive snaps.
App State QB Joey Aguilar: The preseason conference player of the year, Aguilar set App State’s single-season total offense record in 2023 and had 326 passing yards and four total touchdowns in the 2024 opener. Not bad for a community college transfer.
App State LB Nate Johnson: The Mountaineers got Johnson, a Gaffney native, out of the state of South Carolina and he’s been lights out ever since. Johnson was a freshman All American with 7.5 sacks in 2023 and had five tackles last week.
Clemson football 2024 schedule
Aug. 31: vs. Georgia in Atlanta, L 34-3
Sept. 7: vs. App State, 8 p.m. (ACC Network)
Sept. 14: OPEN
Sept. 21: vs. NC State
Sept. 28: vs. Stanford
Oct. 5: at Florida State
Oct. 12: at Wake Forest
Oct. 19: vs. Virginia
Oct. 26: OPEN
Nov. 2: vs. Louisville
Nov. 9: at Virginia Tech
Nov. 16: at Pitt
Nov. 23: vs. The Citadel
Nov. 30: vs. South Carolina
Clemson football 2024 depth chart
As of Sept. 2
Offense
QB: Cade Klubnik (Christopher Vizzina)
RB: Phil Mafah (Keith Adams Jr. OR Jay Haynes)
Outside WR: Antonio Williams OR Bryant Wesco Jr. (Hampton Earle)
Slot WR: Tyler Brown OR Troy Stellato (Misun Kelley)
Outside WR: Adam Randall OR Cole Turner (T.J. Moore OR Noble Johnson)
TE: Jake Briningstool (Josh Sapp)
LT: Tristan Leigh OR Collin Sadler (Elyjah Thurmon)
LG: Marcus Tate OR Collin Sadler (Dietrick Pennington)
C: Ryan Linthicum (Harris Sewell)
RG: Walker Parks (Trent Howard)
RT: Blake Miller (Collin Sadler)
Defense
DE: Peter Woods (Jaheim Lawson)
DT: Payton Page OR Tré Williams (Vic Burley)
DT: DeMonte Capehart OR Tré Williams (Stephiylan Green)
DE: T.J. Parker (Cade Denhoff)
Strongside LB: Wade Woodaz (Jamal Anderson)
Middle LB: Wade Woodaz (Sammy Brown)
Weakside LB: Barrett Carter (Kobe McCloud)
CB: Avieon Terrell (Shelton Lewis)
SS: Kylon Griffin OR Tyler Venables (Ricardo Jones)
FS: R.J. Mickens (Rob Billings)
Nickelback: Khalil Barnes (Shelton Lewis)
CB: Jeadyn Lukus (Ashton Hampton)
Special teams
PK: Nolan Hauser (Robert Gunn III)
P: Aidan Swanson (Jack Smith)
KO: Robert Gunn III
LS (PK): Holden Caspersen
LS (P): Philip Florenzo
H: Clay Swinney
PR: Antonio Williams
KOR: Phil Mafah (Tyler Brown)
