No. 8 SMU will enter Bank of America Stadium on Saturday as a higher-ranked team, but the Mustangs’ head coach believes his team comes in as a contender.

Entering this season, No. 17 Clemson holds seven of the last nine ACC championship titles. Even if the Tigers are not the defending champions in 2024, this is a very comfortable title for this program. SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee knows this well and praised Clemson at his press conference on Friday.

“We are the new kid. We are the new kid in school that everyone just has
I thought I would just hang around,” Lashlee said. “I think, and we
decided to crash the party and show up… What Coach Swinney has done, just the consistent success there in his tenure over the last decade and a half, they’ve been the class of our league for the last decade. I think tomorrow might be their ninth time or something like that, and we’re just doing it for the first time. It’s cool. This is the stage. This is the arena we wanted to be in, so we’re honored to be there.”

Lashlee delved deeper into the challenge the Tigers pose, saying the Tigers’ defense presents challenges all over the field. Although there is often a hole to aim for, he believes Wes Goodwin’s unit is a fortress on all fronts.

In particular, the front line, which includes TJ Parker and Peter Woods, impresses Lashlee, claiming that there are at least four players on the Clemson front who will play in the NFL.

“The problem with preparing for someone like Clemson is — don’t get me wrong; In some areas they belong to the elite. They can get the ball out at an elite level. I think their secondary will probably be the best we’ve ever played. They have some edge pass rushers that they don’t need to use blitz to create pressure,” Lashlee said. “I don’t know if they are elite everywhere, but they are not weak anywhere. They are solid on all three levels. They have NFL players on the D-line, they have NFL players at the linebacker level and they have NFL players on the back end, and they play extremely hard. They run to the football, which is a sign of good defense, and this also means they are able to force turnovers. They are really good on 3rd down. They are good in the red zone. So they’re good in the critical moments, but they just don’t have that area where you say, “Man, they’ve got a weakness there and we can just poke around there.”

The Mustangs have the No. 5 offensive line and it will be just as big a challenge for Goodwin and the Tigers on the other side. These two units will likely decide this game and determine who advances to the College Football Playoff.

Photo courtesy of Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images