The Clemson Tigers and Furman Paladins square off Saturday in week 2 college football action from Clemson Memorial Stadium. Furman is coming off their opener versus North Greenville. In that matchup, the Paladins took a blowout win. As for Clemson, they played Georgia Tech on Monday. The Tigers posted a blowout victory in that matchup. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.
Furman had a mediocre season in 2021. The Paladins would ultimately finish 6-5 overall and 4-4 in Southern Conference play. That result would put Furman in fifth place in the conference standings alongside Western Carolina and VMI.
In their first game of the 2022 season versus North Greenville, Furman jumped out to a wild 45-0 lead at halftime and cruised to the 52-0 win. QB Tyler Huff managed 189 yards and two scores while also leading the rush with five carries for 94 yards and another TD.
Over on the Clemson side, they managed a 10-3 run overall last season with a 6-2 mark in ACC play. The Tigers finished in third place in the Atlantic Division. Clemson got an invite to the Cheez-It Bowl, where they took out Iowa 20-13.
The Tigers played Georgia Tech in their first game this year. In that one Clemson scored double-digit points in each of the final three quarters during a 41-10 victory. QB DJ Uiagalelei posted 209 yards, one pass score and a rush TD. Will Shipley added 42 yards on the ground and two touchdowns from 10 totes.
PICK: I may try Furman in this one. Granted, the Paladins have very little hope of winning this game. That said, Furman got some solid reps in against overmatched competition in their opener and should have some confidence heading into week two. The Paladins managed 589 total yards (323 rushing) with 27 first downs, zero turnovers and just two penalties.
As for Clemson, they had a relatively tepid 14-3 lead at halftime in Week 1 but scored 27 more points after the break in a nice overall performance. The Tigers weren’t great on third downs (7-of-16) but otherwise there wasn’t much to complain about in the opener. That said, the line may be thick enough for the Paladins to sneak in there during this next matchup.