Clemson Tigers vs. Florida State Seminoles Pick & Prediction OCTOBER 5th 2024

Preview and Prediction

When the 15th ranked Clemson Tigers travel to Tallahassee, Florida on Saturday night for an Atlantic Coast Conference showdown against Florida State, the anticipated quarterback matchup may not come to fruition as originally expected.

The highly anticipated duel between former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, now the starter at Florida State, and Cade Klubnik, the quarterback who replaced him in the 2022 ACC Championship Game, is reportedly not going to happen. According to ESPN, Florida State (1-4, 1-3) plans to start sophomore Brock Glenn, with Uiagalelei out due to a broken finger on his throwing hand. It is expected that Uiagalelei will miss multiple games, as reported by ESPN.

Uiagalelei has struggled this season, throwing only four touchdown passes and six interceptions while completing just 53.8% of his passes and earning a quarterback rating of 34.4.

"DJ did make a lot of good throws throughout the course of the game and some good decisions," said Seminoles coach Mike Norvell of last week's 42-16 loss to SMU. "He made some poor decisions and a couple bad throws, but you've got to help the quarterback. I don't think we've done a good job of that consistently. At the end of the day, we all have to have ownership in that."

Glenn, who entered the game in relief against SMU, did not complete any of his four pass attempts. Last season, he started for the Seminoles as a true freshman in the ACC title game against Louisville after injuries sidelined Jordan Travis and Tate Rodemaker. In that game, Glenn went 8 for 21 for 55 yards and was sacked four times. He also started in FSU's 63-3 loss to Georgia in the Orange Bowl, completing 9 of 26 passes for 139 yards and throwing two interceptions.

"I don't care who's playing quarterback," Norvell said. "Some of the things that showed up tonight. Playing quarterback, you can have a freshman, you can have whatever talent in the world, we've got to help the quarterback out, too."

On the other side of the field, Klubnik has had a much more successful season than Uiagalelei.

With 12 touchdown passes and only two interceptions, Klubnik has one of the best touchdown-to-interception ratios in the country. He also ranks second in the ACC in quarterback rating (89.1) and is tied for third in the conference for most touchdown passes.

"It's a part of it, but the majority of the credit belongs to him and his growth from last year. He's a really talented football player," said Clemson coach Dabo Swinney. "Sometimes you have to be patient with some guys. Not every guy will show up and no assembly required. He put a ton of work in during the offseason and in every area."

Clemson, coming off a 40-14 win over Stanford, also boasts one of the top running games in the conference. Led by running back Phil Mafah, who averages 8 yards per carry, the Tigers have one of the most efficient rushing attacks in the ACC.

However, the biggest question mark for Clemson this season has been their defense. Allowing an average of 401.8 yards per game, including 183.3 rushing yards, the Tigers rank second-to-last in the ACC in both categories.

Swinney expressed hope that offensive lineman Collin Sadler (calf) and defensive lineman Peter Woods (leg) will return to the lineup after missing the past two games due to injuries.

"(Woods) was close. I think he's right there," Swinney said. "So we're hopeful."

PREDICTION

Clemson Tigers

32

16

Florida State Seminoles

Clemson Tigers vs. Florida State Seminoles Recap OCT 5TH 2024