Clemson played inspired football for the second week in a row. The Tigers demolished Georgia Tech in front of a raucous Death Valley crowd on Military Appreciation Day, 42-21. The game itself was far more lopsided than the score indicates. All three phases of the game clicked for Clemson, and the Tigers received big contributions across the board. After a Sunday rewatch, here are some aspects of Clemson’s victory that stand out on film.
Zone blocking is the way to go
The Clemson offensive line was much maligned and rightfully so for much of this season. Against Notre Dame, offensive line coach Thomas Austin switched to a zone-blocking scheme and the fortunes of that unit have turned around since. Along with the change in scheme, several injuries necessitated the play of several young linemen who have clicked as a unit. Against the Fighting Irish, the Tigers racked up over 200 rushing yards with Phil Mafah piling up 185 of them during a career day. Against Georgia Tech, Clemson rushed for 260 yards as a team, with Mafah and Will Shipley both having big games. Clemson has found a scheme that works up front, and the fruits of that change are obvious. This works, so do not try and fix it if you are the Tigers.
Tyler Brown is him
What more can you say about true freshman wide receiver Tyler Brown at this point? Brown has been phenomenal all season, and the shot in the arm that the Clemson passing game needed. Tyler is a weapon downfield, and as everyone saw on Saturday, he can make difficult catches in tight windows. Brown’s miraculous one-handed catch falling away from the Yellow Jackets’ defender is to-date the best highlight in an entire season of them for the youngster. Tyler Brown is going to be extremely fun to watch alongside the incoming infusion of talent at the position in the 2024 recruiting class.
Relentless defense
Even during Clemson’s struggles this season, nobody could pin those losses on the defense. Sure, there were times that defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin looked to have taken his foot off the gas defensively, but it was that unit that was keeping the Tigers in every game in the face of their offensive woes. In the last two games, the Clemson defense has hit another gear. They all but shut down Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman and the vaunted Irish rushing attack, but they were next level against Georgia Tech. The Clemson defense held the Yellow Jackets’ high-octane passing attack to under 40 yards through three quarters, and aside from two chunk gains, checked running back Jamal Haynes all afternoon. Tech signal caller Haynes King was running for his life all day, and when he was not being constantly harassed, he was getting picked off. The Tigers’ electric secondary intercepted King four times, returning one for a touchdown. It was the crowning moment for a defense that has been sensational all year but showed just how dominant they are capable of being.
Ace of Cades
Cade Klubnik had a nice game against Georgia Tech. Against the Irish, the offensive game plan went away from making Klubnik the focal point, and without the pressure of carrying the load, Cade shined. It was much the same against Georgia Tech, though Klubnik was allowed to air it out a bit more. Cade played one of his best games of the season, completing 23 of his 34 pass attempts for 205 yards and a season-high four touchdowns. It appears Coach Dabo Swinney and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley have found a happy medium within which Cade is comfortable and it has allowed the Tigers’ offense to find a greater level of proficiency.
Freshman focus
Saturday was the coming out party for Clemson’s amazing class of freshmen. From game one youngsters like Peter Woods and T.J. Parker have made big impacts, but as a collective unit, the 2023 recruiting class put on an absolute show against Georgia Tech. All four interceptions on defense were made by freshmen, with Avieon Terrell, Kylon Griffin, Khalil Barnes, and Shelton Lewis doing the honors, with Lewis returning his pick for a touchdown. It was the exclamation point on a dominating win, the key to the future of Clemson football. As Dabo Swinney said, buy all the Clemson stock you can now. The Tigers are about to be a hot commodity again.
