ClemsonVOCFB Episode Notes

LSU Week | Clemson Tigers LIVE 211 | All-In Show 191 Hosts: Jordan Bowman & Edward “Tiger Paw” Craven (TPC) Presented by FanDuel | Game week: Clemson at LSU, Baton Rouge (Sat. night, ~7:38 p.m., College GameDay on site)

0:02:40–0:07:15 | Open, chat, game-week energy

  • Jordan opens All-In on Clemson Football Voice of College Football. Tigers vs. Tigers in Baton Rouge.
  • Live time is now “8-ish” Tuesdays — they admit 8:00 was a lie.
  • Chat: KB (Tate Reynolds snaps), John (mod), Air Mike, Tigers KD, CJ, Carl, Arthur Moss.
  • TPC joins after a chipmunk-mic false start; he’s under the weather but “would not miss this show.”
  • Frame: long offseason of roster/portal talk is over. Time for breakdown + predictions.

0:07:15–0:21:30 | News: Christopher Vazina named starter

Announcement: Dabo formally named Christopher Vazina the Week 1 starter vs. LSU. Not a surprise — better fall camp. Tate Reynolds was competitive; tape will decide the job long-term.

TPC on the program

  • Likes Chad Morris back at OC and Tom Allen in Year 2.
  • Defense longer/faster via portal. High on Ashton Hampton debut vs. LSU’s WR room.
  • Week 1 in Death Valley Jr. is the season’s biggest test / gauge. LSU: 40+ transfers, Lane Kiffin offense, ultra-talented roster. Clemson secondary gets thrown in the deep end immediately.
  • Question isn’t just W/L — it’s how they look. Close and competitive vs. getting steamrolled.

Jordan’s posture (don’t overreact)

  • Won’t crown or bury the team after one game, even if Baton Rouge gets ugly.
  • Holes/question marks have to all hit at once to win on the road. That’s a lot to ask of new faces.
  • Likes the group. Can still win the ACC after a loss. Opener is a goal, but not a season-killer.
  • LSU has questions too; he’s not crowning them.

Vazina vs. Reynolds

  • Dabo leans veteran in hostile openers (Georgia freshman WR precedent).
  • Vazina: years in the program, better camp, calmer profile for a loud road start.
  • Both expect Tate Reynolds to play — Dabo said it’s a likelihood. Not a Will Wilson / NC State “QB draw package then sit” role; staff thinks he can run the full offense.
  • Reynolds: more erratic, true-freshman decision-making at times, but has learned the offense faster than expected.
  • Historical parallel: first Morris era + Taj Boyd vs. Troy — ugly early. Vazina is older than Taj was.
  • Plan: quick game, get the ball out, establish the run, survive crowd noise / false starts.
  • Jordan: Vazina is an easy root — stuck behind a veteran, never jumped ship, excellent in pressers. A strong year helps Tate’s development and the program.

Audio plug: Clemson Football Live on Apple/Spotify/Amazon. Don’t take your phone in the shower.

0:23:26–0:28:45 | Availability / injuries

Do not expect Saturday

  • Vic Burley — both say he does not play. No sign the suspension is lifted. Dabo listed top DTs and omitted him. Internal discipline; Dabo doesn’t lift it because it’s a big game. TPC: maybe Week 3–4; likely not on the travel squad.
  • Cole Turner — still not with the team.
  • Known out: Courtney Kelly, Heaven Brown-Schuler, Adam Guthrie (and similar season-enders).

Jordan has heard other injury rumblings but won’t put them on air. Preview assumes everyone else is available.

0:28:45–0:40:00 | LSU big picture + Kiffin offense

LSU snapshot

  • “$50 million roster,” five-stars and high-end transfers everywhere. First Kiffin season = statement game after the Brian Kelly divorce (“Notre Dame fans told you”).
  • Top-10 on paper. Not a finished product: Sam Leavitt coming off a down/injured year after Heisman/first-round talk; new pieces at WR, OL, QB.
  • Outside noise (SEC/NFL court stuff) + brand-new staff/roster = possible gelling issues Week 1.
  • TPC: still one of the most talented rosters in the country. Growing pains possible, or they put CFB on notice immediately.

Don’t sleep on Clemson

  • 7–6 last year was inexcusable; nine NFL draftees left. Talent remains + portal help on D.
  • National “steamroll” narrative is overcooked. TPC does not expect a double-digit LSU win.
  • FanDuel: LSU –10.5. Jordan: line is more program perception than real data — both teams are new.

Kiffin style Clemson will see

  • Same concepts, many formations. Fast / up-tempo (Ole Miss was ~13th in time-to-snap). Limited subbing; defense must stay on the field.
  • Dennis Love S&C hire matters — no more “I didn’t feel in shape” (Barrett Carter / Duke 2023 energy). Have to run with this offense.

Sam Leavitt

  • Arm talent to hit every throw. Worst tape when flustered / out of the pocket (Jordan: “felt like watching Cade Klubnik” on decisions, stronger arm).
  • If he’s comfortable, Clemson doesn’t win. Front four must get home; Tom Allen will blitz a lot anyway. Secondary is better (Hampton, Elliot Washington, Corey Gibson) but cannot cover 4–5 seconds.

~0:40:00–1:02:00 | Clemson defense vs. LSU

Keys

  • Speed Leavitt up with the front four, not just blitzes.
  • Limit the run, make LSU one-dimensional.
  • Rebuilt secondary gets tested early and often. Hampton must be lights-out Week 1.
  • Safeties: Corey Myrick, Jerome Carter. Hurts not having Polo Anderson as a third.
  • DT rotation without Burley is the biggest question. Need three-man interior rotation; Burley would have been the fourth. Concerns the room isn’t where they wanted it for Week 1 vs. this OL/run game.
  • Year 2 Tom Allen: everybody in the run fits. Cohesive unit or it leaks.

TPC: if Clemson holds LSU to ~20 or less, DT room + secondary have to “come through in a big way.”

~1:02:00–1:25:00 | Clemson offense vs. LSU defense

Context

  • Last year’s offense had sprinkles, died vs. good teams. Morris back = Dabo and OC on the same page.
  • Vazina: start vs. SMU last year, never an environment like Saturday night. “Unhinged / can’t hear yourself think.”

How Morris can help Vazina

  • Early easy completions: quick game, swings, screens.
  • Get him on the perimeter / hit early to settle him.
  • Establish the run; stay ahead of the chains.
  • Extra blockers / 12 personnel (Morris loves it). Don’t assume they can run 11-personnel vs. this DL.
  • Play-action shots when LSU bites. Force LSU to defend the whole field (jet, screens, not just dropbacks).
  • Slow the game if needed — fewer possessions = more variance for a road underdog. Jordan does not want a track meet given OL questions.

OL / LSU DL

  • LSU DL = best Clemson will see all year, Week 1, vs. a rebuilt line that’s essentially five new starters.
  • Must win the point of attack. If they can’t, they don’t win.
  • LSU more talented on paper. Little things and LOS decide it.
  • Taj Boyd in the building is a plus for Vazina/Reynolds/Brock Bradley navigating Morris’s evolved scheme (Virginia influence noted via Dustin Black / Inside the Valley).

Skill names in the conversation: TJ Moore, Bryant Wesco, Chris Johnson Jr., Juju Preston. Cole Turner out.

1:25:00–1:31:00 | Special teams

  • Philosophy: the less you notice them, the better. Don’t negatively impact the game.
  • New ST coordinator (Rich Pisania / Pisaki in the transcript) hired to be more than status quo catch-and-fair-catch.
  • Return options: Chris Johnson Jr., Juju Preston. Do not put Bryant Wesco or TJ Moore back there — TPC is “vehemently opposed” to star playmakers on kick/punt return (injury risk).
  • Nolan has to convert his chances; missed kicks would be loud in this environment.
  • Last Clemson kick/punt-return TD: Amari Rodgers, 2018 (~eight years).

1:31:00–1:38:00 | Keys to the game

TPC

  • D: backend holds; Hampton lights-out; DL pressure with four, limited extra blitzing needed.
  • O: hogs establish the run; quick game to playmakers early and often.
  • Tallest test of the year (Miami is at home). Night, GameDay, more talented roster in their building.

Jordan

  • O: do whatever it takes to run it and stay on schedule — extra blockers, chew clock, PA when it’s there. Get the ball to playmakers even if Vazina doesn’t throw 35 times.
  • D: make Leavitt uncomfortable. Don’t let LSU’s best players beat you. Win interior run fits so it’s not 2nd-and-5 all night. DBs have to win 1-on-1s.

1:38:00–1:48:00 | Official All-In score predictions Host Prediction Notes TPC LSU 27, Clemson 24 Ugly-ish, lower scoring, fourth-quarter drive. Cannot pick the upset but expects Clemson to make it a game. Not double-digit. Jordan LSU 27, Clemson 17 Defense keeps it respectable; too many missed chances / green QB / OL questions to stay within one score. Covers –10.5 slightly. Will not bury the team if it looks like this.

Both: LSU 27. A Clemson win would be one of the biggest statement wins of the Dabo era this chapter — homegrown QB, no portal QB, Morris/hand-picked staff, after years of doubt. Jordan would “eat crow with a smile.”

FanDuel: LSU –10.5; over 50.5 + Clemson ML at +591. Jordan never bets Clemson.

1:48:00–2:07:15 | Chat: BYOG or Sell + first-play guesses

  • If Clemson wins: paint Jordan’s face orange / cheerleader outfit — he ducks both.
  • Adam: 8.5 sacks in the game — they joke “put money on it.”
  • First Morris play: TPC lean deep shot to TJ Moore (or flea flicker). Jordan: sprint-out to TE or slot for a quick completion, roll Vazina right.
  • Adam: TE throwback screen, OL doesn’t move — hasn’t been pulled in years.
  • Katie: Lane answers to a lot of people if they lose; $50M roster isn’t built to drop Week 1 to Clemson.
  • Buy: Clemson top-50 offense / top-25 defense by year’s end; ST more aggressive over the season (not necessarily Week 1); Taj Boyd helps QBs through Morris growing pains.
  • Sell: Tate 15 snaps (that’s a successful multi-drive night); Chris Denson 2+ catches (trick play or zero snaps).
  • Mixed: Chris Johnson Jr. KR/PR TD this year (Jordan buy, TPC sell unless it isn’t locked to CJJr).
  • Pass D vs. LSU: both expect adequate — better communication, speed, length, fewer busts than last year. Not a shutdown.

2:07:15–2:11:00 | Outro

  • Members-only watch-along for LSU–Clemson; public postgame live win or lose.
  • Likely postgame after Cal too (10:30 p.m. ET kick → brutal clock).
  • “Go Tigers — the good Tigers. Shout-out to Death Valley Junior, a.k.a. the Copycat University.”


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