Player Grades: Wofford vs Clemson

Before I began my player grades, I'd like to extend my thoughts and prayers to Mike Williams. That was a scary moment on Saturday, and I am very happy to know that he should be making a return to the field this season.

Offense

Deshaun Watson, QB, Sophomore, A: Solid day for Watson despite running a very vanilla offense against the Terriers. The knee looked good and his mobility looks like it hasn't taken a hit. His strength is still the passing game, and he lit up the Terriers for 194 yards and 2 touchdowns. Again, an all around solid day. Look for a similar game against Appalachian State.

Nick Shuessler, QB, Redshirt JR, C-: Not really a great or terrible day for Watson's current backup. He went 9 for 11 with 98 passing yards. No touchdowns on the day. His really bad moment was fumbling in the first quarter on the Wofford 18, killing a potential scoring drive for the Tigers. I definitely think that Kelly Bryant may have the ability to push Schuessler for the second string job if his play stays like this.

Wide Receivers, A: Our receiving corps is nasty. The loss of Williams is going to hurt, but there is still talent all around. Ray Ray McCloud looked incredible, pulling in 8 catches for 80 yards. Deon Cain had 3 catches for 36 yards. Artavis picked up right where he left off by turning on the jets for a 35 yard touchdown reception. Watson has some great targets to throw to, and this could be scary for the ACC this year.

Defense

TJ Green, S, Junior, A+: I liked what I saw out of TJ. He was Clemson's leading tackler on Saturday, and he really was all over the field. The play that stuck out in my mind was actually a positive play for Wofford. In the second half, Wofford ran a double pass where an open receiver made a catch deep in Clemson territory, and TJ was right there to lay the wood to him. I wish he could've broken up the pass, but I'll give credit for that to the Wofford receiver for hanging on to the ball. I think TJ can be a force on this defense this year.

BJ Goodson, LB, Redshirt SR, A+: Goodson was all over the field for Clemson on Saturday. He racked up 7 tackles and looked outstanding. I really like how he has emerged as a solid linebacker.

Defensive Line, A: You've got to like what the defensive line did Saturday, especially with all of the losses from the offseason. Wofford was able to manage 123 rushing yards, which is not a bad number to hold a triple option offense to. Jabril Robinson and Christian Wilkins looked good as a couple of young guys getting reps at DT. Shaq Lawson is still a beast on the end. Freshman Austin Bryant had himself a day with 4 tackles. All in all, the unit looks solid.

Special Teams

Greg Huegel, PK, Redshirt FR, A: No field goals attempted for the Tigers, but Huegel connected on all of his PATs. He also booted 3 touchbacks on 7 kickoffs for 453 yards. I really want to see him kick a few field goals before we get to conference play before I make too many judgements on him.