Stanford impressed in ACC road opener. Now comes biggest test, at No. 17 Clemson

After winning its first-ever ACC game at Syracuse, Stanford faces an even more significant challenge Saturday when it faces No. 17 Clemson in Death Valley (4 p.m., ESPN), perhaps the most intimidating environment in the Cardinal’s new conference.

The Tigers (2-1) have dominated at home this year, responding to a season-opening loss against Georgia in Atlanta by beating Appalachian State 66-20 and N.C. State 59-35 in Clemson. But the Cardinal (2-1) have been strong on the road under coach Troy Taylor, winning four of their six games as the visiting team (while going 1-8 at Stanford Stadium).

“We’re not looking at it as like some impossible task,” tight end Sam Roush said. “We’re going to be underdogs in the game — we’re going to be underdogs probably for a lot of the season until people really start taking us seriously — but just because you’re not favored in the game, there’s a reason the game’s played.”

Stanford is a three-touchdown underdog. Clemson is 67-3 at Death Valley in the College Football Playoff era, tied with Alabama for the nation’s best home record in that time frame. The Cardinal did win as a two-touchdown underdog at Notre Dame in 2022 and has the momentum of a last-second win over Syracuse.

“Every week there’s someone that gets upset,” Roush said. “So having the confidence and the swagger to not just say that in an interview but really play like that, confidently, I think is going to be big for us to be able to pull it off.”

Stanford will need to be prepared from the start. During its recent homestand, Clemson became the first FBS team in the last 20 seasons to lead by 28 or more points after the first quarter of consecutive games, according to ESPN.

The Cardinal will rely on its run defense to keep the Tigers at bay. The Cardinal ranks third in the FBS and leads the ACC by allowing 51.7 rushing yards per game.

Senior defensive lineman Anthony Franklin said the defense was motivated all offseason by last year’s finale against Notre Dame, when it allowed 381 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

“Notre Dame last year just left a terrible taste in our mouth,” Franklin said. “They ran all over us, and a big emphasis in spring ball and fall camp was we have to be able to stop the run this year. Really proud of what we’ve put together the last three weeks and we have to keep building on it this week.”

Stanford is allowing just 36.4 yards per game on the ground in its five wins under Taylor, including 26 rushing yards against the Orange.

“Clemson’s going to be a different offense than what we’ve seen these last three weeks,” Franklin said. “Bigger, faster, stronger O-line. Bigger, stronger, faster running back. So (a) good challenge.”

One effect of the Pac-12 breaking apart is that Stanford trades annual trips to the Pacific Northwest and Southern California for new locations on the East Coast. Following its first game at Syracuse, Stanford now plays its first game at Clemson.

“I can’t wait to go play there,” said Roush, whose father Luke played football at Duke. “I’ve heard a lot about it. I’ve never actually seen a game there but I’m really excited. It’s one of the legendary stadiums of college football.”

The only other time these teams have played was the 1986 Gator Bowl, which the Tigers won 27-21 in Stanford’s only bowl appearance under coach Jack Elway.

However, the downside is that Stanford now faces back-to-back cross-country trips. Taylor said the team never considered staying east between games because the fall academic quarter started Monday, and playing Syracuse on Friday gave the team an extra day to recover.

The team planned to travel back to the East Coast on Thursday, asking players to stay up until midnight to stay on Pacific Time. Stanford pushed the flight to Friday due to Hurricane Helene moving through the region. Upon arrival, a team spokesperson said the weather appeared fine for play Saturday.