Clemson Football- Paws Up, Paws Down Week 2

Well, that was fun... or wasn’t, depending on your perspective. I may have more gray hair now than I did Saturday morning, but I was glad to get out of College Station with a win. That could have easily gone the other way, and to think the Tigers were one botched 4th down snap away from blowing the Aggies’ doors off in their place... just goes to show how much one play and momentum can impact a game. Clemson comes out with the W though, and in the end, that’s all that matters. On a positive note, maybe we’ll look back at this game later in the season and be thankful it turned into a dogfight. Games like this can be character builders, on and off the field. That having been said, here are some takeaways from game two. Good, and not-so-good.

Defensive Line

We all know what these guys bring to the table. This group was held all night long. Dragged down, pulled on, and even outright tackled a couple of times. They kept coming though. Mond was sacked 4 times and the D as a whole had 10 TFLs. I thought they got gassed in that 4th qtr but they were on the field a ton and it was hot... Paws Up

Kelly Bryant

As this game wore on, I thought it became more obvious that this is KB’s team (for the time being, anyway). He made plays with his legs and his arm. Yes, he made some big downfield throws, too. Without KB2, I’m not sure we’re sitting at 2-0 today, and for that he gets the... Paws Up

Wide Recievers

Tee, Amari, Hunter, all made big plays. The 3 combined for 12 catches and 255 yards. Each had a catch that went for at least 40 yards, including a 64 yd TD from Tee showcasing exactly how dominant he can be. Yeah, he might have gotten away with a tiny little push on one catch, but I digress. All three of those guys... Paws Up

Turnovers

Two games, no turnovers. Clemson has been +2 in turnover margin in each of the first two games. It is always easier when you aren’t making it hard on yourself. The Tigers have consistently shown they can win despite losing the turnover margin but I tend to prefer the trend we’ve seen the first two weeks of 2018... Paws Up

Clemson Faithful

To all of you that made the long trek, and there were a lot of you... Paws Up

QB Rotation

I’m not saying we need to pick one and roll with him. I’m not even downing the use of 2 QBs. As a matter of fact, I wholeheartedly believe Lawrence needs to be getting snaps, and meaningful snaps at that. I fully believe he will be needed at some point this season, and he needs to be as ready as possible. For this game however, I wasn’t a fan of HOW they rotated them. I’m not saying there is a right way or wrong way, but it just felt “off” to me for some reason, and I find myself having a hard time putting the reason why into words so... Paws Sideways

Secondary

No need to beat a dead horse. We have all seen the commentary. We all saw Mond torch this secondary. Sure, he was getting extra time due to all the muggings being perpetrated by their OL throughout the game, but that is not the reason guys were constantly running free in the secondary all night long. That 4th quarter was tough to watch. There will be a lot on the film from this one the staff can use to teach from... Paws Down

Run Blocking

Our talented group of RBs had 13 combined carries for 70 yards, with 28 coming on one run by ETN. Scrolling through social media sites, I saw a lot of griping on the subject. I even saw one person, somewhere clamoring for both Offensive Coordinators to be fired. Say what?

You think those guys wouldn’t prefer to utilize those backs more than they did? The run blocking has got to improve, and should improve as we start seeing teams not quite as talented as A&M. KB2 picked up some of the slack with 15 carries for 54 yds, but the backs we have are too talented to not get more touches. ETN is a threat to break it every time he touches it, but the blocking has to be there. Not to mention trying minimize the number of hits Bryant takes as much as you possibly can... Paws Down

And elsewhere throughout college football land:

Duke

How about those Dookies? Going up to Northwestern and getting a 2 TD win. Who’d have thought the ACC would need to depend on Duke in order to save at least a little face... Paws Up

Arizona

Could the Kevin Sumlin era gotten off to a worst start? Two games, two losses to G5 teams, including a thrashing at the hands of Houston. There are a couple of NFL teams breathing sighs of relief... Paws Down

FSU

First, a nationally televised embarrassment against the Hokies. Then needing a 4th quarter comeback to beat Samford? Samford? Who is Samford? Want evidence that Willie Taggart is in over his head down in Tally? Look no further than that Turnover Backpack or Security Bag, or whatever they are calling that thing they were passing around on the sidelines Saturday night. No words, except Jimbo wins. Even in a loss to Clemson Saturday night, he still wins.... Paws Way Down

South Carolina

After another short, one week stay in the Top 25, the Gamecocks are back in familiar territory. Unranked, and going back to the drawing boards once more, having been dismantled by a team that “isn't any better” than them. #NeverAgain... Paws Down

That’s all I have this week; keep checking back with STS for analysis of the A&M win and previews of Georgia Southern.