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Clemson injury report: Tigers receive good news ahead of South Carolina game

Matt Connollyby: Matt Connolly11/30/24MattConnollyOn3
Clemson HC Dabo Swinney
Ken Ruinard | USA TODAY Sports

Clemson has released its injury report ahead of the matchup with South Carolina. The Tigers announced that only offensive lineman Trent Howard will miss the game against the Gamecocks. However, everyone else listed on the depth chart for this week is set to return.

Howard suffered a torn ACL earlier this week in practice and is out for the season. While that is tough news for Howard, overall the injury report is great for Clemson.

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The Tigers are getting back both starting left tackle Tristan Leigh and starting left guard Marcus Tate. In addition, leading tackler Wade Woodaz is also set to return after missing the past two games. Leigh has missed the past two games, while Tate has missed the last three.

Clemson is also getting back starting safety RJ Mickens. The Tigers used last week against The Citadel to get healthy and it appears to have worked.

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The return of Tristan Leigh and Marcus Tate is huge for the offensive line. The group has been up-and-down this season and those are two of Clemson’s best linemen. Starting linebacker Wade Woodaz returning is also big. Woodaz is one of the best defenders on Clemson’s defense and having him is important against the South Carolina rushing attack.

Dabo Swinney believes winner of Clemson-South Carolina should make CFP

The College Football Playoff doesn’t start for another three weeks, but according to Dabo Swinney, the Clemson vs. South Carolina game on Saturday is really a CFP game.

Swinney appeared on the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast ahead of the Palmetto Bowl and shared that in his opinion, the winner of Saturday’s game belongs in the playoff.

“It’s really not complicated. None of it matters. We can make all the case we want, but you’ve gotta win the game this weekend. That’s what we’ve got,” Dabo Swinney said. “This is a playoff game this weekend, I think, for both teams. So I think it’s awesome to be a part of that. I mean it really is.”

Clemson is currently ranked No. 12 in the College Football Playoff rankings, while South Carolina is No. 15. It seems that each team would need some help to reach the playoff, but as Swinney pointed out, the winner of the Palmetto Bowl is adding an impressive victory to its resume.