CLEMSON – Clemson looks to play hard when it hosts Appalachian State on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

The 25^thThe No. 1 ranked Tigers looked listless and uninspired in their opening loss to top-ranked Georgia last week, and they will look to draw inspiration from a sold-out stadium in Death Valley against the Mountaineers.

The Tigers have lost just three games at Memorial Stadium since late 2013 and have a home record of 65-3 (.956) in the College Football Playoff era.

Clemson will put that mark to the test when it hosts App State for its first home game. The trip home for the first of seven games this season is just what the doctor ordered for a Clemson team that may be doubting itself.

Head coach Dabo Swinney hopes a packed Death Valley will put the Tigers on track.

“That’s how important our audience is. Our audience is great,” he said. “The atmosphere is great. That makes a difference.”

App State at No. 25 Clemson

Start: Saturday, 8 p.m.

Location: Memorial Stadium, Clemson

TV: ACC

Spread: Cleveland -17

Over/Under: 52.5

Series: Clemson leads the series 5-0

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Clemson is looking to avoid its first 0-2 start since the 1975 season. The 1982 Tigers went winless through the first two weeks of that season. However, after losing to Georgia in the season opener, they played a 17-17 tie with Boston College in Week 2. The 1975 Tigers lost their first four games of the season.

KEY GAME

Clemson’s running game needs to get going this week. The Tigers managed just 46 yards on the ground last week, although those numbers can be misleading. Running back Phil Mafah ran for 59 yards on 16 carries, averaging nearly four yards per carry. Keith Adams ran for six yards on his only run. Clemson finished the game with just 23 carries. The Tigers should have stuck to the running game more, which they need to do this week. App State is more powerful up front than in years past and will compete to shut down Clemson’s running game. The Tigers, however, need to stick to the running game and allow Mafah and his big offensive line to wear down the Mountaineers.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

After starting his second consecutive season with a touchdown throw on his first pass attempt of the year, App State quarterback Joey Aguilar finished with 326 yards passing, two touchdown throws and two rushing touchdowns in the Mountaineers’ 38-10 victory over East Tennessee State in last week’s opener. He is the only returning quarterback in the country to throw over 33 touchdown passes and have over 3,700 passing yards in 2023.

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik (3,683) needs 317 passing yards to become the 12th player in Clemson history to reach 4,000 passing yards in his career. He needs (3,987) 239 combined passing and rushing yards to get into the top 15 in Clemson history in terms of total yards. Former Clemson star DeChane Cameron is currently 15th (4,226 from 1988-91). Klubnik also fell 324 yards short of Kelly Bryant (4,311 from 2015-18) for 14^th Location.

THIS AND THAT

Clemson is trying to win its 21st consecutive home game. A win would extend Clemson’s longest home winning streak ever, ahead of the 17 wins from 1944 to 1960. Clemson is trying to improve its home record to 99-17-8.

FINAL ANALYSIS

Clemson can’t let Georgia beat them twice. The Tigers should be able to run the football with Phil Mafah, which will open up the passing game. But can the Clemson receivers get free and put in a better effort than they did against Georgia? The Clemson defense will have its hands full limiting quarterback Joey Aguilar. However, expect the Tigers to go crazy on defense and try to prove that last week’s performance in Atlanta was a fluke.

FORECAST

Clemson 35, App. State 17