CLEMSON — Clemson football looks to match last year’s win total on Saturday.
The No. 16 Tigers (8-2), who are ranked No. 17 in the College Football Playoff rankings, face The Citadel (5-6) on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, The CW) at Memorial Stadium. Clemson looks to win its 19th straight against the Bulldogs to keep pace in the CFP rankings before facing rival No. 19 South Carolina on Nov. 30.
Here is what to know about the matchup:
Clemson football has multiple players injured
The Tigers have endured a slew of injuries over the past three weeks. Starting left tackle Tristan Leigh, left guard Marcus Tate, linebacker Wade Woodaz, defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart and safety R.J. Mickens all missed or got injured in last week’s game vs Pitt. Key backup players, like cornerback Shelton Lewis and offensive linemen Elyjah Thurmon and Collin Sadler, and starting wide receivers Troy Stellato and Tyler Brown are done for the regular season too.
Clemson overcame these losses to knock off Pitt in a 24-20 road comeback win to finish 7-1 in ACC play. Still, its injury situation isn’t ideal entering the final two weeks of the regular season as it hopes to make the ACC championship or get an at-large CFP bid.
Saturday’s game against an FCS opponent will allow these critical players to potentially rest before returning to face the Gamecocks on Nov. 30.
What to know about The Citadel football
Saturday will be The Citadel’s last game of the regular season. It is coming off a 30-17 road victory against Wofford.
The Citadel is led by quarterback Johnathan Bennett, who leads the team in rushing with 503 yards. His most productive receiving target is Dervon Pesnell, who has 24 catches for 443 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, it allows 22.2 points per game. Its leading tackler is linebacker Thomas Wyatt, who has recorded 76 with two pass deflections.
Clemson football’s Phil Mafah eyes first 1,000-yard rushing season
Mafah enters senior day two yards shy of cracking 1,000 rushing yards for the first time. The feat will make him the 24th player in Clemson history to exceed the mark.
Mafah has been the team’s workhouse this season after becoming the No. 1 back. In the past three games, he has played 245 snaps, which exceeds the next closest running back, Jay Haynes, with 7. He has the third-most rushing yards in the ACC and has scored eight rushing touchdowns.
Mafah has rushed for over 100 yards in six games. He was held to a season-low 17 yards rushing against Pitt and looks to rebound in his second-to-last game at Memorial Stadium.
Clemson’s history vs The Citadel
Clemson leads the all-time series 33-5-1. Clemson defeated The Citadel 49-0 in their most recent matchup in 2020. The Tigers began facing the Bulldogs in 1909. The last time The Citadel defeated Clemson was in 1931, winning 6-0.
If Clemson wins Saturday, it would extend its streak of consecutive seasons with nine or more wins to 14. It would tie Florida State (1987-2000) for the third-longest streak of nine-win seasons in major college football history.
Clemson score prediction vs The Citadel
Clemson 52, The Citadel 6: The Tigers will tune up offensively and get inexperienced players reps amid their injury situation vs. the Bulldogs. Clemson will dominate on both sides of the ball to prepare for rival South Carolina on Nov. 30, which could have major implications on both teams’ College Football Playoff bids.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson-Citadel score prediction: Tigers going for ninth win
