No. 23 Clemson seeking to rebound vs. SC State

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is looking for the 23rd-ranked Tigers to gain some confidence against FCS opponent South Carolina State — to put last week’s loss at Georgia behind them and for their next game at Florida State.

Clemson is in the midst of a difficult opening stretch with the Bulldogs of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference the middle leg of a three-game start that began with a 45-21 loss at Georgia and will conclude, after a bye week, at the top-ranked and Atlantic Coast Conference favorite Seminoles on Sept. 20.

The Tigers (0-1) were tied at half time and trailed 24-21 entering the fourth quarter until Georgia’s ground game took control. Clemson’s usually high-paced offense struggled, too, managing 15 yards, one first down and zero points the final 30 minutes.