Clemson vs Georgia Southern 1st Quarter Film Review

Top priority in Saturday’s game was establishing Travis Etienne, and Clemson did so emphatically...after an effective but ultimately fruitless start. Clemson moved down the field on each of the opening quarter’s three drives, only to be undone by turnovers and a wind-altered missed field goal. Trevor Lawrence began on a tear but fell into a lull in the 2nd half after Kelly Bryant’s injury; Clemson mixed and matched personnel with inconsistent results. The good news is the personnel influx builds depth for the greater challenges later in the season.

The only consistently dazzling performance Saturday (when he was on the field) came from Travis Etienne. I’ve loved power handoffs to Etienne since he burst on the scene nearly a year ago, and it’s no coincidence his emergence shifted Clemson towards power and counter handoffs in 2017, which allow him to build his momentum to the edge where he is impossible for defensive backs to bring down at first contact, but provide lead blockers for a cutback inside with pulling linemen. In addition to his usual burst on power handoffs, there were a couple of glaring differences in the run game which encourage me moving forward.

Garrett Williams’ return makes a difference on the ground and it’s no surprise the run game looked better than it did in College Station, regardless of the talent disparity between A&M and GA Southern. But I noticed a new wrinkle with field receiver Amari Rodgers which excites me. Normally, Rodgers is the farthest player from the ball, aligned closest to the sideline on the wide side of the field (hence the term field receiver). Whenever he is moved inside and off the ball to a slot position, it is usually to come in on jet motion, whether to pull defenders away from a handoff or to receive a pop pass; this has been the case in Clemson’s offense for years now. Saturday, Rodgers wasn’t merely sent in jet motion from the slot; he was shifted into an H back role, essentially creating a two-TE look from the base 11 personnel:

This is an enticing constraint which should provide more versatility to the Clemson run and perimeter games, but most importantly it’s a tendency breaker and another way to stress a defensive coordinator or graduate assistant tasked with scouting Clemson. Defenses can’t simply shift coverages and gaps when Rodgers comes in motion; now he is an extra blocker in the box rather than a decoy or perimeter threat. With his strong, compact frame and versatility, this is an ideal use for him. He is as likely to receive a pop pass as he is to block when he motions from the slot now, and it’s one more headache for a defense.

But on the next play Bryant throws an interception on...a screen pass. Tough to blame Bryant here (other than the usual slow, arcing ball trajectory), the corner was in soft coverage but jumped the route when he saw the screen. Ross wasn’t expecting a contested ball due to the soft coverage and was behind the ball in an effort to gather momentum at the catch. Tendencies...

Clemson ball, 9:26, Clemson 15

I want to highlight the opening play of this drive on its own, the midline option:

I love this element of the zone read. A guard releases a defensive tackle instead of releasing the end man on the line like in most zone reads. This way you’re putting stress on a less athletic interior lineman (opposed to a DE or OLB) while allowing your best run blocker to immediately climb to a smaller linebacker. It’s an easy read for Bryant here, but the blocking makes this play. Simpson drive blocks a linebacker solid 10 yards.

Foreshadowing what was to be a rather mercurial day for the Clemson offense, so concluded the first quarter; one which Clemson dominated statistically but left scoreless thanks to an interception, a missed field goal, and a fumble.