Offensive Film Review: Wofford

First of all, I would just like to start off saying that this was a very good (and somewhat surprising effort) for the entire team on both sides of the ball. Really, the only complaints I have is that Peake and G-Hop need to increase their blocking efforts, we need to learn how to yell "Peter!" and get away from rugby punts, and we should have probably given Huegel a shot or two at a field goal to give him some live action. Other than the aforementioned points, it’s kind of nitpicking from play to play. Anyways, onto the film review!

As always, here is some shorthand to know…

IZ- Inside zone, OZ-Outside zone, ZR- Zone read, RO- Read option, TrO- Triple Option, ExTro- Extended triple Option, PA- Play Action, JS- Jet Sweep, QS- Quick Screen, TS- Tunnel Screen, WC- Wildcat, NB- nickelback, LOS- Line of Scrimmage and HR- Hot read.

Nicknames- G-Drop (Germone Hopper), Whiffles (Jordan Leggett), Turnstyle (Ryan Norton), RM3 (Ray Ray McCloud III), Dr Schuess (Nick Schuessler)

Ok, let’s dive in.

1^st Drive

1^st and 10, Gallman for 4, Hyatt with a good block….2^nd and 6 IZ again for Gallman gain of 5, Hyatt manhandles DE but kind of close to holding….3^rd and 1, IZ again to Gallman for 1^st down, nice drive block by Mac Clain….1^st and 10, fake JS and deep to Peake, solid block by Gallman, underthrown but draws pass interference….1^st and 10, QS to Scott but a crap block by Peake, gain of 6……QS again to Scott, Peake blocks a bit better but is aided by a forearm shiver from Scott on his man, 1^st down……1^st and 10, sprint out right to McCloud on the quick hitch, knee down on catch for gain of 5…2^nd and 5, great pocket by the line, square in to Mike Williams for the 1^st down on a gain of 16…QS to RM3 for 7……IZ by Gallma for 2, should have cut off of LG because Mac Clain had completely washed the DT down…..3^rd and inches, inside power for first down, great surge on the left side….1^st and goal quick slant to Williams, Mac Clain almost holds as he gets beat around the outside and falls down, great catch by Williams but scary hit to the goal post, the Wofford guy didn’t mean to, he was just trying to make a play…Review, and Touchdown Tigers…7-0 Clemson

2^nd Drive

Starting from the 40, JS to Scott, nice kick out by Gallman and great cut by Whiffles (wait, what?) 1^st down….PA sprint left to G-Drop for gain of 2, the ball was a bit outside to him….2^nd and 8, PA QS to RM3 and G-Drop tries to cut his defender rather than drive block and make a seam, putting 2 bodies on the ground only clogs up the running lane….3^rd and 4, quick out to Scott for 1^st down, he can’t be brought down and begins to go nuts on the sideline, love his intensity…1^st and 10, scramble by Watson and a Wofford guy falls near his knees out of bounds (don’t lie, you pooed your pants watching it)….2^nd and 3, OZ Gallman, Mac Clain and Crowder both shoved back, probably not the best idea to move those two guys laterally, 1^st down…..1^st and 10, fade to RM3, no one was really open on the play, more of a throw away, incomplete….2^nd and 10, scramble by Watson down to the 3, broke one tackle on the play and laid out for the pylon, like the intensity but let’s be smart here Watson….1^st and goal, Watson underthrows corner fade to Scott….2^nd and goal, Gallman "ZR" dive for TD, I say "ZR" because Watson gave the ZR look but like it is all day, it’s a give all the way…14-0 Clemson

3^rd Drive

2^nd string is in across the board, oline from left to right is Hearn, Falcinelli, Guillermo, Morris, and Fruhmorgen….1^st and 10, IZ Davidson, no hole really, gain of 1…..2^nd and 9, QS to RM3, great block by Hunter Renfrow big gain…..1^st and 10, Dr Schuess, drop back and has a pocket, Dr scrambles out unnecessarily and carries the ball low and loose, hits Renfrow who makes a man miss for 4….2^nd and 6, OZ for Davidson who misses the crease inside, crease was there for small gain but risks big loss to bounce for a gain of 2 after fighting back to the LOS…..3^rd and 4, Dr Schuess stares down his slot receiver on the out, should have been picked by the OLB….4^th and 4, were going for it (why not let Huegel kick it?), TS to Cain, nice blocks by Whiffles (what in the hell?) and nice block by Morris, 1^st down….1^st and 10 and a false start by Cain….1^st and 15, inside power Davidson who bounces it for a gain of 9…2^nd and 6, sprint out right, Schuess again has the ball carried low and this time it costs him and the OLB attacks down the LOS and knocks the ball loose after Hearn doesn’t touch him and Davidson does his best to slow him down…Turnover Tigers….

4^th Drive

1^st and 10, QS to Scott, Renfrow nice blocking effort again…END OF 1^st QUARTER….2^nd and 5, inside power by Gallman, nice climb by Crowder to seal the linebacker after doubling on DT….1^st and 10, power Gallman, misreads block by Mac Clain, should have been more patient to see which way the block went as he cut left but Mac Clain had sealed the linebacker to the left making the seam to the right, gain of 2…2^nd and 8, sprint left, pass too high for Scott, incomplete….3^rd and 8, NB blitzes on drop back and Watson throws a beautiful strike down the seam to Renfrow who holds onto the ball nicely and fights for yardage….1^st and 10, IZ for Gallman, nice cuts and good climb again by Crowder but accidentally cuts down Hyatt on the play, yikes….We go quick on 2^nd down and it’s a QS to Scott, Wofford isn’t ready and it’s a touchdown….21-0 Tigers

5^th Drive

1^st and 10, hook to Whiffles for 10 yards…1^st and 10 again, TS to Peake, G-Drop doesn’t seem interested in blocking but an illegal low block brings the play back….1^st and 25, QS to RM3, G-Drop almost whiffed on the block but got just enough to spring RM3 for 10….2^nd and 15, tough run by Dye and great seal by Hyatt, gain of 11….3^rd and 4, Watson drops back and scrambles right but keeps his eyes up field to hit G-Drop at the 1….1^st and goal, inside power by Dye for the touchdown….28-0 Tigers

6^th Drive

After a terrible idea to field a rugby punt, it’s 1^st and 10 with the 2^nd string in again….OZ for CJ Fuller (or is it Spiller? Stupid announcers) , Falcinelli and Morris just standing and watching the play, gain of 3….2^nd and 7, inside power for Fuller for gain of 2, Hearn caught watching the play this time….3^rd and 5, quick hitch to RM3 for the 1^st, nice pocket by the line….1^st and 10, OZ for Fuller, Richard and Renfrow need to do a better job sealing the OLB and make the seam…..2^nd down, sprint right draw for Brooks, massive hole outside LG, good play call as Wofford had been flowing hard on our sprint outs….1^st and 10, quick hitch to RM3, nice pocket again by the line and good help by Brooks in pass pro, love it….1^st and 10 again, IZ by Brooks, nick doubleteam to climb by Falcinelli to make seam up the middle, Brooks drags a guy 7 yards for the TD….35-0 Tigers

7^th Drive

We return to action in the 3^rd quarter, the lead now only 35-10 (whoa now), 1^st string is still in….1^st and 10, PA Watson hits Peake on quick hitch for the 1^st…1^st and 10, IZ Gallman, nice wham block on the DE by Whiffles (if he keeps this up, we may have to reconsider the nickname) and a great climb by Gore to the LB to seal and create a big seam, Peake almost ruins it by playing paddy cake with the CB, gain of 35….1^st and goal, IZ Gallman, great double team to backside seal by Hyatt, that made the hole, 5 yard gain….2^nd and goal, Watson throws the back corner fade to Peake but Peake stopped apparently expecting the back shoulder throw….3^rd and goal dive by Gallman to the half yard line….4^th and goal, twin TE left and Gallman dives over the top for the TD……42-10 Tigers

8^th Drive

After another RM3 dicey punt choice…1^st and 10 with 2^nd string in to finish it out, QS to Cain for 4….2^nd and 6, IZ by Gallman for 3….3^rd and 3, Gallman gets the designed swing pass, RM3 needs to crack the OLB to give Gallman a one on one with the corner….1^st punt of the day….

9^th Drive

After turnover on downs for Wofford, 1^st and 10 from 44, double PA, and Cain is BUTT NAKED DOWN THE FIELD, but Dr Schuess overthrows the ball by half a yard, ugh…..2^nd and 10, IZ for Davidson, nice push by Guillermo and Falcinelli, gain of 8…3^rd and 2 and another false start by Cain….END OF 3^rd Quarter....3^rd and 7, drop back, check down open briefly but good coverage, Dr Schuess runs it OB for a loss of 2….Punt

10^th Drive

1^st and 10 at our own 32, JS to G-Drop, no one climbed to OLB who makes the tackle…2^nd and 2, IZ by Brooks for 6 yards….3^rd and 2, dive by Brooks for the 1^st…Dive again on 1^st down for 2 yards by 24….2^nd and 8, false start Fruhmorgen…2^nd and 13, deep out to Cain, nice anticipation by Dr Schuess, with his lack of arm strength, he needs to be anticipatory like on this throw….1^st and 10, Fuller gains 1 on dive….2^nd and 9, OZ Fuller, if RM3 sustains his block better it could be a nice gain but corner comes across his face and breaks play down….Inside zone Fuller, Hearn almost holds on the play…TIMEOUT CLEMSON….Kelly Bryant now in and on 3^rd down runs the QB draw for the 1^st, should have waiting on guard to climb to 2^nd level but still a nice effort to get the ball inside the 10…1^st and goal, TS to Thompson for 4 yards…2^nd and goal, IZ for Dye and it’s a touchdown, nice doubleteam by Falcinelli and Hearn…..49-10 Tiger

This is where I will end the play by play review, as the rest of the time it was garbage time and not a lot of things to look at. (The snap over Bryant’s head and subsequent run was neat though, but only in this situation with being up 49-10 late in the 4^th).

Final Thoughts

The first team offense clicked well and moved the ball quite effectively. They were fast with the calls and executed at a high level, I cannot really recall the last time versus any opponent that I couldn’t really find any major busts up front on the line. Really nice job and gives me hope for the hogs this year. Granted, the 2^nd team seemed to not be as effective at getting a hat on a hat but were solid in pass pro. The freshmen were freshmen at times with some shoddy decisions (Ray Ray on the punt returns) and 3 false starts (2 for Cain, 1 for Fruh), but also flashed some great ability with Deon and Ray Ray making solid plays and Williams blocking solidly when called upon. It is a big loss with Williams but we do have talent at the position but losing a player of his caliber always hurts.

Player Grades

Time to give out some player grades, with grades broken down by each category below.

Breakdown:

All American 9.5-10, All ACC: 8.0-9.5, Solid: 6.0-7.9, Average: 4.0-5.9, Hot Seat: 0.0-3.9

All American

No players, must take the Wofford game with a grain of salt especially with sparse playing time all around.

All ACC

Deshaun Watson (8.5)- He came out and was fluid and confident. Managed the offense at a fast pace and made good decisions. His accuracy was a little off at some points but all in all a good day.

Artavis Scott (8.2)- He was playing fast, strong, and with enthusiasm. He couldn’t even be brought down at times, he played lights out on both offense and special teams. A true gamer.

Solid

Wayne Gallman (7.8)- The Wayne Train was good all day long at gaining positive yards, he had some nice cuts but still needs to remember to be a bit more patient. Has improved in pass pro as of right now which I love to see.

Zac Brooks (7.5)- Didn’t touch the ball much but when he did he looked decisive and explosive. I expect his carries to rise after this week. He was also solid in pass pro.

Mitch Hyatt (7.5)- Maybe I’m a little biased but the kid played his tail off. He had some great double teams and climbs to the second level and some great seal blocks.

Mike Williams (7.2)- Tough to grade him on one drive but looked good catching the ball, but blocking was meh (granted all in limited opportunities). Get well soon Mike.

Jordan Leggett (6.5)- Leggett may get to drop his moniker of Whiffles if he keeps up his blocking effort from this week. He not only didn’t miss an assignment but he actually looked decent at blocking at certain points. FINALLY.

Hunter Renfrow (6.5)- Maybe sometimes it isn’t all coaches speak. He was out best blocking WR on Saturday and actually had a couple of nice catches on the day. But definitely needs to learn when to not field a punt. I expect his snap count to rise

Jay Guillermo (6.5)- Jay was drive blocking well all day and wasn’t a liability in pass pro. Welcome back Jay.

Eric Mac Clain (6.4)- Was really effective drive blocking in the running game but did struggle at times in pass pro. Needs to not take such a deep drop, there were times he was deeper than Hyatt in pass pro.

Tyrone Crowder (6.4)- Very effective in the run game and good in pass pro but moving laterally still seems to give him fits. It’s like he’s a shorter Mac Clain.

Tyshon Dye (6.1)- Did what he was asked to do really and that was to put his head down and churn out yards. I suspect we will see him frequently as our short yardage back.

Joe Gore (6.0)- Really didn’t stand out too much other than a nice seal to spring Gallman’s long run and absolutely demolishing a DE when Watson broke the pocket. Maybe the lights are flickering inside the house?

Average

Nick Schuessler (5.8)- He is what he is. A game manager that won’t wow you with talent. Should have been picked but also should have had a TD, but did show good anticipation on a throw to Cain.

Kelly Bryant (5.8)- Ran hard and well and was 3-4 passing. I’ll take it from what I expected from spring ball, has a really bright future.

Ray Ray McCloud (5.8)- Ran very hard and well on screen plays but blocking was lack luster. Definitely showed off his running skills though.

Justin Falcinelli (5.8)- Looked really good in his first game coming off redshirt, needs to give full effort and get his hat on someone at all times.

Maverick Morris (5.8)- See Falcinelli, Justin.

Jake Fruhmorgen (5.8)- Akin to Joe Gore at RT that I don’t really think he bust any plays but didn’t really dominate.

Taylor Hearn (5.5)- Was decent at run blocking and pass pro, as with the other young linemen, needs to be punishing someone on each play. Also missed the scraping LB on Schuess’ fumble.

Deon Cain (5.5)- I think this is more of an indictment of his false starts then actual play. Talent level excites me and will get opportunities with Williams out for the foreseeable future.

Garrett Williams (5.5)- Didn’t register a catch but was blocking well. Compared to last year’s TE fiasco, that’s all I really want now.

Ryan Norton (5.4)- Didn’t get completely annihilated by the NG so I’ll take it.

Trevion Thomspon (4.5)- Maybe a little unfair since he didn’t log many snaps but with all the buzz from fall camp, I was expecting more.

CJ Fuller (4.2)- Didn’t have many opportunities and didn’t showcase his tough running from camp but he wasn’t abysmal.

Cannon Smith (4.1)- Didn’t really impress with his blocking but once again, not many chances.

Milan Richard (4.1): Was playing assignment football but at times the drive blocking on the second level just wasn’t really there. But gets average grade out for assignment football.

Germone Hopper (4.0)- Didn’t drop a pass but his blocking effort was pitiful. You expect more from an upper classman, especially when he is getting pushed by Freshmen.

Charon Peake (4.0)- See Hopper, Germone.

Group Grades

I think that the overall solid from 3 positional groups is indicative of what we saw Saturday, it wasn’t a complete route and total dominance but that was due to playing our youth to get experience. Moving forward, I expect our WR and TE grades to rise as we get our youth more seasoned.  The WR grades are a bit suppressed because I gave Peake and G-Drop such low grades for their unenthusiastic approach to blocking, let's see if the freshmen pushing them get's their effort level up. All in all, I am pleased with this in terms of execution and the amount of depth we got onto the field, on both sides of the ball. A nice, solid start to our 2015 season.