3 Clemson players to watch against Kentucky

Bowl week has arrived. Kentucky has a huge opportunity awaiting against No. 22 Clemson in the Gator Bowl on Friday afternoon. Mark Stoops and his team have a chance to close what has been a tough season with a statement win.

On Sunday, we touched on the Kentucky players that will need to play well in Jacksonville for the Big Blue to pull an outright upset. Now let’s take a look at the Clemson players that will be worth paying close attention to when ball meets leather in Trevor Lawrence’s house.

Lack of passing game pop

Cade Klubnik entered his sophomore season at Clemson with extremely high expectations. The former five-star recruit and Elite 11 MVP out of Austin (Texas) Westlake and was reunited with a Texas offensive coordinator (Garrett Riley) after taking over for DJ Uiagalelei in last year’s ACC Championship Game.

However, the former blue-chip recruit has had a disappointing season.

Klubnik is averaging 34.4 passing attempts per game for this spread tempo offense but is not creating explosive plays (6.2 yards per attempt, 12.1% explosive rate). Kentucky’s defense has been good — most of the time — at taking away big plays in the passing game. However, efficiency has given this defense a ton of problems all year.

The sophomore enters the postseason with a modest but not necessarily good passing success rate (43.2%). Kentucky has struggled with passing games that have been able to consistently play ahead of the chains. Clemson is more efficient than explosive but this is not a passing game that is super efficient.

Klubnik also provides a run element (338 non-sack rushing yards, 3.7 yards per rush, 44% success rate) in Clemson’s RPO-heavy attack. On paper, Clemson should struggle to create consistent rushing room against a good Kentucky front seven. Can Klubnik take advantage of what has been a porous Kentucky passing defense?

During Clemson’s four-game winning streak in November, Klubnik never reached 210 passing yards. The Tigers’ passing game is struggling. If it gets going against Kentucky that will be a bad sign for the Big Blue.

New starting cornerback

Clemson will have little to no depth at cornerback this week. The Tigers are dealing with opt-outs, injuries, and some unfortunate transfer portal departures. That will lead to two true freshmen earning starts in the Gator Bowl.

Avieon Terrell has played 300-plus defensive snaps this season and the former four-star recruit looks like this program’s next start in the secondary. Shelton Lewis is not nearly as proven.

The mid three-star recruit has played only 99 defensive snaps this season, but did perform well when given some extended playing time against Georgia Tech. Clemson has talent, but they will be unproven at cornerback this weekend in Jacksonville.

Will Kentucky take advantage of that inexperience?

Disruptive front

Starting defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro and All-American linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. this week at the Gator Bowl. Clemson will still be one of the better defensive fronts that Kentucky has seen this season. The Tigers have size, power, and speed all throughout the front seven. A true freshman might be this group’s most dangerous player with Trotter out of the lineup.

T.J. Parker was a top-100 recruiting win for Clemson out of Phenix City (Ala.) Central. The former Penn State commit has made a huge impact in year one.

At 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds, Parker ranks second on the team in tackles for loss (11), sacks (five), and pressures (33). With great length and a good motor, Parker will be one of the numerous players that could give Kentucky some problems.

With USC transfer Courtland Ford replacing Jeremy Flax at right tackle in this game, how Kentucky’s offensive line matches up with a talented and physical Clemson front is one of the biggest matchups of the Gator Bowl.