Clemson football plays Florida Atlantic today: Kickoff time, TV channel, score
The Clemson football team is back in prime time this weekend and trying to get over .500 for the first time this season in Death Valley.
Here’s everything you need to know leading into the Tigers’ Saturday game against Florida Atlantic, the second of two “buy game” opponents for Clemson.
Clemson vs. FAU game, TV info
Who: Clemson (1-1, 0-1 ACC) vs. Florida Atlantic (1-1, 0-0 American)
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Memorial Stadium, Clemson
TV: ACC Network
Broadcast crew: Wes Durham, Tim Hasselbeck, Taylor Tannebaum
Stream: Via ESPN or the ESPN app
Radio: 105.5 FM in the Clemson area (see all Clemson radio affiliates here)
Satellite radio: SiriusXM 158 or 193
Series history: Clemson leads 1-0 and won only meeting in 2006
Clemson vs. FAU Vegas odds
Clemson is a 24.5-point betting favorite against Florida Atlantic, according to Thursday’s VegasInsider consensus line. The over/under for the game is 51.5 points.
Weather forecast for Clemson, SC
Partly to mostly cloudy with light winds and a low of 63 degrees, according to Weather.com. As of Thursday, there’s also a 24% chance of rain. Sunset is roughly 7:37 p.m.
Top storylines for the game
Turnover margin is the name of the game for Clemson this weekend. The Tigers are one of only two teams to rank top 10 in total offense and total defense nationally, but silly mistakes have limited their potential and been the key issue in a 21-point loss to Duke and an early deficit to Charleston Southern. Clemson has lost the turnover margin in three straight games dating back to the Orange Bowl against Tennessee. Quarterback Cade Klubnik was efficient last week, but he’s still seeking his first truly clean start since the 2022 ACC championship game. Remember: No. 3 Florida State is up next.
On the injury front, coach Dabo Swinney said one starter who missed the Charleston Southern game will return against FAU and another remains “day to day.” Wide receiver Cole Turner is back after a one-game absence, but nickelback Andrew Mukuba’s status is TBD. True freshman wide receiver/defensive back Misun Kelley (undisclosed) and defensive tackle Vic Burley (knee) could also make their season debuts Saturday. Burley, when healthy, should immediately hop into the DT rotation.
A resounding performance Saturday could elevate Clemson back into the AP Top 25 poll after the Tigers dropped out last week. Clemson was the preseason No. 9 team, fell to No. 25 after losing to Duke and was the first team out in the Week 3 poll after struggling early against Charleston Southern. It marked the first time Clemson has been unranked since November 2021 – before that, the Tigers had gone 107 straight polls without being unranked, dating back to 2014.
Florida Atlantic has some Power Five juice within its program, but Saturday’s game should help determine how much of a boost that really gives the Owls in 2023. FAU is coached by Tom Herman, former Ohio State offensive coordinator and head coach at Houston and – most notably – Texas from 2017-20. And their starting quarterback is Casey Thompson, formerly of Texas (where he played for Herman) and Nebraska. Thompson tied a school record with five touchdown passes against FCS Monmouth in Week 1, but he was picked off twice in a home loss to Ohio last week, a game in which the offense at large struggled heavily 185 total yards, five rushing yards, zero touchdowns).
Clemson vs. FAU players to watch
Clemson RB Will Shipley: Shipley’s so consistent and efficient he sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. Clemson’s starting running back and offensive linchpin is averaging 7.2 yards per carry in two games and seeing an uptick in targets and catches, too.
Clemson DT Tyler Davis: The most statistically decorated returner on Clemson’s defensive line, Davis played minimally against Charleston Southern for obvious reasons. After recording seven tackles against Duke, he could be in for another big game.
FAU QB Casey Thompson: Thompson brings big-game experience to FAU, as he appeared in 31 games (20 starts) for Texas and Nebraska before transferring. The results, so far, have been middling. But this isn’t your standard Group of Five QB.
FAU WR LaJohntay Wester: Swinney identified Wester this week as a speedster worth knowing on offense and special teams alike. The junior had 132 all-purpose yards in FAU’s season opener and 12 catches for 101 yards (16 targets) last weekend.
Clemson 2023 football schedule
- Sept. 4: at Duke, 28-7 L
- Sept. 9: vs. Charleston Southern, 66-17 W
- Sept. 16: vs. Florida Atlantic, 8 p.m., ACC Network
- Sept. 23: vs. Florida State, noon, ABC
- Sept. 30: at Syracuse
- Oct. 7: vs. Wake Forest
- Oct. 14: OPEN
- Oct. 21: at Miami
- Oct. 28: at N.C. State
- Nov. 4: vs. Notre Dame
- Nov. 11: vs. Georgia Tech
- Nov. 18: vs. North Carolina
- Nov. 25: vs. South Carolina
Clemson 2023 depth chart
Offense
- QB: Cade Klubnik (Hunter Helms)
- RB: Will Shipley OR Phil Mafah (Domonique Thomas)
- Outside WR: Beaux Collins (Brannon Spector OR Troy Stellato)
- Outside WR: Adam Randall OR Cole Turner (Hampton Earle)
- Slot WR: Antonio Williams (Tyler Brown)
- TE: Jake Briningstool (Sage Ennis)
- LT: Tristan Leigh OR Collin Sadler
- LG: Marcus Tate (Trent Howard)
- C: Will Putnam (Ryan Linthicum OR Trent Howard)
- RG: Walker Parks (Mitchell Mayes)
- RT: Blake Miller (Mitchell Mayes)
Defense
- DE: Xavier Thomas (T.J. Parker)
- DT: Tyler Davis OR Peter Woods (Payton Page)
- DT: Ruke Orhorhoro OR Peter Woods (DeMonte Capehart)
- DE: Justin Mascoll (Cade Denhoff)
- Strongside LB: Wade Woodaz (Jamal Anderson)
- Middle LB: Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (Kobe McCloud OR Dee Crayton)
- Weakside LB: Barrett Carter (Wade Woodaz)
- CB: Sheridan Jones (Toriano Pride Jr.)
- SS: R.J. Mickens (Sherrod Covil Jr.)
- FS: Jalyn Phillips (Kylon Griffin)
- Nickelback: Andrew Mukuba (Khalil Barnes)
- CB: Nate Wiggins (Jeadyn Lukus)
Special teams
- PK: Robert Gunn III (Quinn Castner)
- P: Aidan Swanson (Jack Smith)
- KO: Robert Gunn III (Aidan Swanson)
- LS (PK): Holden Caspersen (Philip Florenzo)
- LS (P): Philip Florenzo (Holden Caspersen)
- H: Clay Swinney
- PR: Antonio Williams OR Tyler Brown
- KOR: Will Shipley (Tyler Brown)
This story was originally published September 15, 2023 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Clemson football plays Florida Atlantic today: Kickoff time, TV channel, score."
