CLEMSON, S.C. – After suffering a heartbreaking loss to the SMU Mustangs at home in Week 8, the Clemson Tigers, 3-4, 2-3 ACC, hope to restore balance in Death Valley this weekend, coming off their second open date of the year, facing off against the Duke Blue Devils, 4-3, 3-1 ACC.
Heading into this matchup, the Tigers are seeking revenge after the Blue Devils upset the No. 9 Clemson Tigers, 28-7, in the 2023 season opener in Durham.
But the Tigers could be missing their starting quarterback, Cade Klubnik, for the second consecutive contest after he suffered an ankle sprain that took him out of the entire fourth quarter in Clemson’s Week 7 win over Boston College.
While Klubnik is listed as “probable” on Thursday’s ACC injury report, redshirt sophomore Christopher Vizzina has still been practicing like he’s the starter coming off his first collegiate start against SMU, where he threw for 317 yards and three touchdowns.
“He was confident before [SMU], but as I said the other day, there’s nothing like experience,” head coach Dabo Swinney said earlier this week. “Not only experience, but positive experience, to reinforce what you’ve been doing and what you think you can do. We’ve seen that in practice, he’s had a good skip in his step. But you know, it’s one game. He’s got to create consistency with more opportunities as they come. Still, it’s been really good; he’s had a good focus to him at practice, and he’s been that way. That’s one of the reasons he played well. He’s really shown up each week and prepared to play, and that’s not always easy to do when you’re not getting the opportunity. So, he deserves a lot of credit for that.”
Bouncing off that, Duke head coach Manny Diaz also told the media this week that the Blue Devils are prepared for both signal callers, regardless of who gets the start.
“We always prepare for teams to be at full strength, especially coming off the bye,” he said. “I think what they do on offense, not withstanding, is going to be relatively similar.”
The second-year coach also went on to praise Vizzina and his performance in his first career start.
“You could see as the game got going, [he was] getting more and more comfortable, for them to call the way they wanted to with him in there. When you have the skill around [him], the quarterback is almost like the point guard,” Diaz said. “His job is to get the ball out of his hands and get it to their talented guys, which they’ve got plenty of.”
With lead receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. out for the season, the offense will have to maintain balance between the air and ground, while still giving the rest of the talented wideouts the chance to make a play as Duke’s defense allows 375.9 total yards and 25.7 points per game.
The new starting wide receiver lineup consists of: Antonio Williams, T.J. Moore and Tristan Smith/Cole Turner.
Defensively, the Tigers will absolutely need to step up their game after allowing 429 total yards in their last contest, which is the second-most allowed by Clemson in 2025 – four yards short of Syracuse’s 433 mark.
The Clemson defense will be tested this weekend against a top-20 offense in the country that’s been firing on all cylinders in 2025. The Blue Devils average over 460 total offensive yards and nearly 34 points per game. While their ground game is solid, their explosive air-raid attack is what stands out, sitting at No. 4 in the country in terms of passing yards per game with 319.
Tulane transfer quarterback Darian Mensah has excelled in his role, completing 70.3% of his passes for 2,211 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Mensah spreads out his targets well, with three different Duke receivers having over 20 receptions on the season. The top-three wideouts have combined for 1,403 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns on 94 catches.
Clemson’s key to stopping Duke starts with pressuring Mensah, who’s struggled under heavy pressure in each of the Blue Devils’ losses. If the Tigers’ defensive front can collapse the pocket and limit Duke’s run game, they’ll force a one-dimensional, mistake-prone offense. Add a few takeaways, and Clemson could control this matchup from start to finish.
In terms of injuries, as mentioned before, starting quarterback Cade Klubnik is listed as “probable” on the initial ACC injury report.
“He’s been practicing a good amount. He’s getting better each day, I’m proud of him,” Swinney said. “We’ll put out an availability report tomorrow night, but he’s had a good week. Our team has had a great week.”
Star wideout Bryant Wesco Jr. will also miss the first full game of his collegiate career as he suffered a neck/back injury during a punt return vs. SMU, landing on his head and neck area after a tackle propelled him into the air.
While the injury was extremely scary, he is still expected to make a full recovery in time for the 2026 season.
“The doctors are very confident he’ll make a full recovery,” Swinney said. “Definitely something that’ll keep him out the rest of this season, but I’m thankful that all indications are that he’s going to be OK. Just a real blessing for that.”
Now here’s everything you need to know for the Week 10 matchup against Duke, including broadcast information and betting odds, as well as other game day information for those attending the game.
Clemson Tigers vs. Duke Blue Devils: What You Need to Know
Where: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC
When: Saturday, Nov. 1, Noon.
Other Game Day Info:
Watch: ACC Network
Stream: Via ESPN or the ESPN app
Weather: It’s expected to be generally sunny despite a few afternoon clouds. High around 65F. Winds should be light and variable, according to weather.com.
Radio: The ROAR: 105.5 WCCP-FM and WAHT(AM)
Odds: Clemson is considered a 3.5-point favorite over Duke, according to FanDuel. The over/under is set at 54.5 points.
Disclaimer: Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER
Series History: Clemson leads the series 37-17 over Duke. The Blue Devils are on a one-game winning streak against the Tigers, upsetting the No. 9 Clemson Tigers, 28-7, at Wallace Wade Stadium in the 2023 season-opener.
