Make no mistake about it, Saturday's game is more about how Clemson handles itself than anything else. The outcome of the game likely won't ever really be in doubt. The question will be more so about the Tigers approach and level of focus. Clemson is coming off of arguably their best win of the season after a 4th quarter rally to down Louisville. It certainly was one of the best statistical performances in the passing game for Clemson.
The Tigers will host a UConn team that is likely one of the weakest in all of FBS football. The Huskies are 1-8 on the year and have been blown out on multiple occasions. The Huskies lone win came against FCS foe Yale, they also have a loss to Holy Cross out of the FCS. Uconn was handled last week by Middle Tennessee 44-13. Much of the Huskies issues offensively have been from their from their passing game. Uconn has more interceptions (12) than TD passes (10).
One interesting caveat to this game will be "sibling rivalry" of sort. Uconn features QB Tyler Phommachanh on its roster, Clemson has his brothers Taisun as their back up QB. However, we won't get to see brothers o the field against each other. Tyler was named the starter at Uconn but tore his ACL after three games, he's out the rest of the season.
This is a hard game for Clemson's program or fans to get up for. It's a noon kick which teams often sleep walk in. It's also a game against an inferior opponent and there's no real history between the two programs to speak of. It's games like this that reveal the focus and intensity level a team has on a weekly basis. It'll be a challenge for Clemson's veteran leadership on the field and even more so, it's challenge for the coaches to motivate the team.
