Offense Starting To Gel:
After all of the turnovers in the Duke Game, and more of the same in the first quarter against Charleston Southern, we are finally starting to see this offense settle in and gel in the Clemson vs. Florida Atlantic game. Cade Klubnik is less antsy in the pocket and seems to make more correct reads.
The wide receivers have been better in terms of drops so far this season. There have been some pretty egregious drops but not as many as we saw this time last year. Troy Stellato is healthy and has been a nice addition to this group.
Tyler Brown continues to show that he needs to be on the field as much as possible because he is a big-time playmaker. Sitting down and watching this game back it is very clear that he is one of the best receivers on this team. Tyler Brown had only 3 catches for 49 yards but one of those catches was a 30-yard touchdown reception early in the game and was the first offensive touchdown of the night for the Tigers.
Antonio Williams had a limp early in the game which I’m sure helped Brown get some more early snaps and make a difference. Antonio did have 3 catches for 25 yards. Jake Briningstool also added 3 catches for 18 yards and his first touchdown of the season.
Adam Randall finally had some big plays and finished the day with 2 catches for 51 yards which was good enough for the team lead. 12 receivers caught passes last night. The Clemson offense only had to punt one time in the first half.
Cade came out hot but did start a little sluggish in the second half. Overall it was a solid night for the Tigers signal caller. Cade finished the game 16-27 for 169 yards and 3 touchdowns. Klubnik would also add 35 rushing yards and his first rushing touchdown of the year.
Dominant Defense:
If you just look at the box score you would see that the offense didn’t put up a crazy amount of yards, but that is because the defense was helping the offense out and giving them great starting field position all night. On the first drive of the game, Nate Wiggins got his second pic-6 in 5 games. After that point, it was all Clemson.
The young studs continued to shine, and with Andrew Mukuba being held out of this game it gave Khalil Barnes the opportunity to make another start. Early in the game, Barnes let a receiver get behind him with a deep post route but the quarterback overthrew him. Other than that Khalil Barnes had a spectacular game, making big plays in the backfield, good coverage, and even added a forced fumble and an interception. Barnes was the second-leading tackler in the game.
Everyone knows Peter Woods, and by now everyone should know TJ Parker. Woods and Parker have both had outstanding starts to the season and are showing that they will be dominant on the defensive line for years to come. TJ Parker finished the game with 3 tackles and 1 sack. The young studs on defense have been a blast to watch these last two games.
Special Team Questions:
Kickoffs, punts, and returns have been pretty solid overall, but the placekicker position has been rough to watch. Last night we saw Robert Gunn III add another head-scratcher with a missed extra point. Clemson will have to get the placekicker position figured out so it’s not a liability for Clemson.
Aiden Swanson has been solid this season punting for Clemson, and a spot that I don’t feel is a concern for the Tigers.
Antonio Williams and Tyler Brown have shown that they can be weapons in the return game and are capable of flipping the field and providing good field position for the offense.
