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Offense
Cole Stoudt, QB, SR, F-: I don't want to dump on the guy, but Saturday's performance out of Stoudt was as bad as it could be. 3 completions, 3 picks, 2 returned touchdowns. Cole's confidence is shot, and it shouldn't surprise anyone. He gets named starter to begin the season, then loses that job during the FSU game, then gets to start after Deshaun Watson goes down, but is constantly criticized for our lack of offense. Watson comes back and people are ecstatic (as they should be, he's a phenomenal player), but then goes down again. It's been a roller coaster for Stoudt and I really hope he can get his mind right and game together during the Ga State game. We don't know what Watson's status will be against South Carolina, so we may be calling on Cole for it. We don't need him to be Tom Brady, but we can't have him turning it over and not getting anything going. Saturday will also be a chance for Nick Schuessler to make a case to start against the Gamecocks.
Wayne Gallman, RB, FR, A-: 84 yards on 14 carries from the Georgian was about all the offense had going for it once Deshaun left the game. It's a shame he couldn't have found the end zone to make the game closer, but our offense shouldn't be on one freshman's shoulders. Gallman continues to show that he can be the steady, workhorse back that Clemson will depend on in the future.
Defense
Dorian O'Daniel, LB, RSFr, B: O'Daniel had a pretty solid day at linebacker. He led the team with 10 tackles on the day. He also forced one of the 2 Georgia Tech fumbles on the day. He definitely stepped up and took advantage of the situation. Hopefully he continues to develop to be a solid linebacker for Clemson in the future.
Defensive Line, F: The DL has been the strength of Clemson's D, so that's why Saturdays performance was very disappointing. Tech ran for 250 yards. The Jacket offense only found the end zone once, but Tech was able to ground and pound to their way into field goal range. Adding the 2 defensive touchdowns that Tech scored, and that's all the offense had to do. Frustrating day for a unit with so much talent.
Special Teams:
Bradley Pinion, P, JR, A: A bad offensive performance can typically give a punter an opportunity to have a big day, which Pinion did. He punted 6 times for 250 yards. He did what he could with the poor field position he was handed, so he wasn't pinning Tech deep in their own territory on Saturday, but he wasn't helping their offense out any.