The Clemson Tigers picked up their first win of the 2026 college football season in a 22-7 victory over Georgia Southern in the early morning hours on Sunday.
After waiting another two hours for kickoff due to a weather delay for the second straight week, Saturday night and early Sunday in Memorial Stadium was a much happier result for the Tigers (1-1) after their disastrous season opener at LSU.
While Clemson's offense struggled to convert drives into touchdowns, true freshman Tate Reynolds led the Tigers on five scoring drives and completed 16 of his 27 passes for 178 yards while seeing the bulk of playing time at quarterback.
Gideon Davidson (14 carries, 62 yards), Chris Johnson Jr. (seven carries, 53 yards) and Reynolds (five carries, 38 yards) led
a Clemson rushing attack that combined for 150 yards. Wide receiver T.J. Moore had seven catches for 103 yards and caught the Tigers' only touchdown, an early 10-yard pass from starter Christopher Vizzina on Clemson's second drive of the night.
Tom Allen's defense held Georgia Southern (0-1) to 266 yards, including just 22 yards on the ground. Many of the Eagles' yards came late in the game on their last drive, which went for 72 yards before a turnover on downs. Nolan Hauser kicked a career-high five field goals in Clemson's win.
It was still an underwhelming performance by Clemson, which struggled to gain a lot of chunk plays and to pull away from a middling Group of Six opponent until the fourth quarter. The Tigers had 10 penalties for 100 yards and committed two turnovers.
Elsewhere in the ACC, three ranked teams in last week's US LBM Coaches Poll rolled to victory in Week 2. The Miami Hurricanes blew past Florida A&M, 77-7 on Thursday, and the SMU Mustangs and Virginia Cavaliers both coasted in blowout wins over FCS competition.
Here's a look at this week's top 25 rankings in the new US LBM Coaches Poll, including where ACC teams rank and where those who received votes for top-25 consideration placed.
Social media reacts to Clemson’s Week 2 win over Georgia Southern
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New No. 1 in US LBM Coaches Poll following top-5 shakeup
With Ohio State blowing a 23-3 lead over Texas in the fourth quarter of a 24-23 loss in Austin, there's a new team atop the rankings. Texas jumped two spots to No. 1 with Georgia holding at No. 2 and Notre Dame moving up one spot to No. 3.
Indiana moved up one spot to No. 4, and the Miami Hurricanes rounded out the top five. Miami rose two spots, jumping Ohio State and Oregon; the Ducks fell in a stunning 39-31 upset at Oklahoma State Saturday.
SMU rose one spot to No. 16, and Virginia held at No. 25 in the rankings. Louisville received the second most votes for top-25 consideration behind Florida.
As for Clemson, the Tigers received three votes for top-25 consideration, the second fewest of any unranked team behind Wake Forest and Arizona, which received one vote apiece.
The full top 25 rankings in the US LBM Coaches Poll heading into Week 3 are below.
Schools Dropped Out
No. 25 Florida.
Others Receiving Votes
Florida 183; Louisville 160; Boise State 44; Kansas State 24; South Carolina 23; Mississippi State 20; Vanderbilt 19; Duke 19; Nebraska 18; Pittsburgh 16; Oklahoma State 16; Auburn 15; Western Michigan 10; Virginia Tech 9; UCLA 8; Tulsa 7; North Dakota State 5; New Mexico 4; Clemson 3; Wake Forest 1; Arizona 1;
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney shares unjust update on QB Christopher Vizzina
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Clemson football schedule 2026
Clemson will face North Carolina in the Tigers' ACC opener at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is noon ET. The game will be televised on ESPN.
Here's a game by game look at the Tigers' 2026 schedule.
- Sept. 5: at LSU Tigers (L, 51-10)
- Sept. 12: vs. Georgia Southern Eagles (W, 22-7)
- Sept. 19: vs. North Carolina Tar Heels, noon, ESPN
- Sept. 25: at California Golden Bears, 10:30 p.m., ESPN
- Oct. 3: vs. Miami Hurricanes, TBA
- Oct. 17: vs. Charleston Southern Buccaneers, TBA
- Oct. 24: vs. Virginia Tech Hokies, TBA
- Oct. 31: at Florida State Seminoles, TBA
- Nov. 7: at Syracuse Orange, TBA
- Nov. 14: vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, TBA
- Nov. 20: at Duke Blue Devils, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
- Nov. 28: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks, TBA
Record: 1-1.
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: New No. 1 in US LBM Coaches Poll as ACC football moves up
