Clemson Football: Keys to taking down Florida State

With a heavy-hitting showdown coming, there are some non-negotiables for the Tigers if they want to take down Florida State on Saturday and keep their season alive.

A fast start is mandatory for the Tigers as playing behind is not a good sign. The Seminoles are ranked 7th in scoring offense averaging a little above 47 points a game. The Tigers need to get on the board and sustain the lead throughout the game because there will be fireworks from both teams.

The Tigers have to match the Seminoles' physicality for all four quarters. In the first two games, the Seminoles have eight sacks and their defense has led the way emotionally and with their play. The offensive line has had its fair share of its highs and lows. This is where they need to put up their best performance of the season so far. The Tigers will have to match that attitude and feed off the energy of 81,000+ fans.

Clemson will have to keep Jordan Travis in the pocket. Travis is a very capable runner and could cause issues for the Tigers' defense. The defense would rather deal with Travis’s arm than his legs. Expect young guys like T.J. Parker and Peter Woods to get a lot of burn in this game.

Will Shipley and Phil Mafah will have to be the focal point of the offense this Saturday. The Seminoles are allowing 123 rushing yards, good for 51st in the nation. The offense is rolling when the duo is in sync. Shipley knows he is the best offensive weapon on the roster and a heavy amount of touches should be coming his way. With that said, he is going to need help from Mafah, give him a breather and pick up explosive runs between the tackles.

The wide receiver group has to win the 50-50 balls this Saturday. Klubnik has started to find his groove within this offense and the receivers had a different guy stand out each game. The loss of Nate Turner hurts and Beaux Collins and Tyler Brown will be looked at to step into more prominent roles and they look to be ready for it.