Clemson vs. Kent State Fearless Prediction & Game Preview

Check out the Clemson vs. Kent State fearless prediction and game preview.

Broadcast, TV, Game Time

Date: Saturday, Sept. 2nd
Game Time:12:00 pm ET
Venue: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC
Network: ESPN

– 2017 CFN Preview

Clemson (0-0) vs. Kent State (0-0) Game Preview

– Week 1 Fearless Predictions & Game Previews
– Week 1 Expert Picks

The defending national champs get a game to try something, anything, to replace the irreplaceable.

With all the talent lost from the magical team that one a College Football Playoff national championship and came close to another, this is when Clemson gets to show that it’s business as usual before having to deal with Auburn and then Louisville.

This is the game to start showing that it’s not quite time to assume the Tigers are potentially good enough to repeat.

The big storyline, though, revolves around concern for Kent State head coach Paul Haynes, who was forced to take a temporary leave of absence with an undisclosed medical condition.

For a program that hasn’t had a whole lot of fun on or off the field over the last few seasons, not having the head man – and dealing with Death Valley – isn’t exactly a fun way to kick things off.

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One Reason Why Kent State Will Win

For all the problems and the lack of wins, the Kent State defense has been solid over the years, and now it appears to have reloaded.

It struggled late after the loss of star safety Nate Holley with an off-the-field issue, but it should be just fine with an outstanding secondary and a good group of tacklers.

Holley is done, but almost all of the top tacklers are back, and against a Clemson team that – while talented – might need a little while to get the new parts in sync, there’s a chance the Golden Flash D can hold up just enough to keep this from getting out of hand early.

One Reason Why Clemson Will Win

Consider it a shocker if the Kent State O can go on any sort of long, sustained drive.

125th in the nation in total offense last season, the Golden Flashes now have to figure out how to get a young group of running backs going against a line full of future NFL starters.

The talent just isn’t there to match up with a national championship-caliber D.

The tackle combination of Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins will eat up the Kent State offensive front up alive.

Expect a whole slew of big plays in the backfield, third down stops after third down stops, and the Golden Flash running game to have a hard time finishing with positive rushing yards.

What’s Going To Happen

The Clemson offense won’t miss a beat.

All the new guys will be fantastic, new starting QB Kelly Bryant will be razor-sharp, and the Tigers will be able to do whatever they’d like before calling off the dogs in the second half.

This will be over after a few drives.