Stop me if you’ve read this before: Clemson is in its championship phase and almost all facets are in elite form. We won’t learn how good this team really is until December, but there’s always a bit to glean in contests like these unless there are glaring mistakes, of which we only saw a few in predictable personnel spots. The stars shone and the early season angst is a thing of the past.
Most importantly it’s Dave Doeren hate week. Get off mobile and fire up your laptops.
Clemson opening drive
Down & Distance
Formation
Play
Analysis
Down & Distance
Formation
Play
Analysis
1st & 10
11 shotgun vs 3-4
PA out to Higgins complete for a gain of 25
Anytime you see Higgins isolated to the field side, not the boundary, you know he's likely getting the ball. Against Wofford's 10 yard cushion this is thievery.
1st & 10
11 shotgun vs 3-4
IZ to Etienne gains 3
Carman was knocked off balance and fell backward into the lane, looked more like he was table-topped than pancaked.
2nd & 7
11 shogun vs 3-4
Bucksweep to Etienne gains 1
Cervenka was slow to pull and Etienne wasn't patient, easy to blame Cervenka in what has been a suprisingly uneven year for him but Etienne did got himself tackled by the man Cervenka would've blocked.
3rd & 6
10 shotgun vs nickel
Deep out to Higgins against baby soft cover 3 gains 11
With this sort of pass protection against a 6 man rush, Lawrence could've gone anywhere. He correctly chose the quickest and most open route past the marker.
1st & 10
11 shotgun vs 3-4
PA deep post to Rodgers open across the middle against cover 4, TOUCHDOWN
This is what we've wanted all year. Perfect throw and once against amazing protection to allow Lawrence time to deliver an easy deep ball.
Wofford opening drive
Down & Distance
Formation
Play
Analysis
Down & Distance
Formation
Play
Analysis
1st & 10
20 shotgun vs 4-3
Triple option dive gains 1
Davis fought off a double and completely shed the guard to fill the lane when the center climbed, great play no matter the competition.
2nd & 9
10 shotgun vs 4-3
ZR dive stopped for no gain
Smith's Will bullet was unblocked, blew up the mesh and the back had to dive for the line of scrimmage.
3rd & 9
10 shotgun vs 4-3
PA vs blanket cover 4, QB is flushed and throws it away, punt
Wofford's pass pro was so poor it looked like a screen until you saw the Wofford linemen were chasing after the rushers and not running into the boundary to block for a screen.
Clemson ball, 11:20, Clemson 29, 7-0 Clemson lead
Down & Distance
Formation
Play
Analysis
Down & Distance
Formation
Play
Analysis
1st & 10
12 pistol vs 3-4
IZ to Etienne bounced outside for 6
Anchrum and Price held the edge to give Etienne a clear lane inside out.
2nd & 4
11 shotgun vs 3-4
Bubble screen to Ross gains 3
Overton did a great job holding his block but Ross had no room to make a play.
3rd & 1
12 shotgun vs 3-4
IZ to Etienne gains 7
Anchrum again, this time with Allen. Anchrum got push and climbed the only linebacker who could've filled with Allen holding the edge.
1st & 10
11 shotgun vs 3-4
Jet pass to Rodgers gains 36
Edge blocking on point again: Price, Overton, and Dixon made this look easy and Rodgers looks faster than ever.
1st & 10
11 shotgun vs 3-4
Bucksweep to Dixon gets outside for a 19 yard score
Anchrum AGAIN cleans up anything inside on his pull, Dixon breaks one tackle and finds great blocking from Ross and Rodgers.
Wofford ball, 9:13, Wofford 10, 13-0 Clemson lead
Down & Distance
Formation
Play
Analysis
Down & Distance
Formation
Play
Analysis
1st & 10
20 shotgun vs 4-3
Power option keeper gains 17
Foster missed, tried to prevent the pitch while Muse flew the alley to take the pitch man.
1st & 10
20 shotgun vs 4-3
TO dive gains 1
Smith got inside his block to redirect the back into Skalski.
2nd & 9
12 shotgun vs 4-3
Inverted veer give gains 4
Kendrick tried to set the edge and did enough to let Muse fly in and thump.
3rd & 5
20 shotgun vs 4-3
TO dive gains 2
Pinckney withstood the double team and clogged the lane.
Two carries for Etienne take us into the endzone, the first a split zone burst and spin across midfield; the second, a wide open zone read dive:
Wofford ball, 5:53, Wofford 25, 21-0 Clemson lead
Down & Distance
Formation
Play
Analysis
Down & Distance
Formation
Play
Analysis
1st & 10
22 shotgun vs 4-3
Power option keeper gains 3
Simmons took the pitch man and Skalski fought off his block to make the stop before the unblocked Smith could fill from the back side.
2nd & 7
12 shotgun vs 4-3
Counter option pitch gets outside for 10
Simmons was chipped inside and couldn't get outside to defend the pitch, rare to see him not close in the backfield.
1st & 10
22 shotgun vs 4-3
TO dive stopped for a loss of 1
Simmons makes up for it here, kniving between blockers like an ILB to make first contact inside.
2nd & 11
20 shotgun vs 4-3
Deep fade vs man, overthrown incomplete
Kendrick was beaten but only a perfect throw would've been a completion, Kendrick was barely have a step behind in trail technique.
3rd & 11
20 shotgun vs 4-3
Power option keeper stopped for no gain
Rudolph! Fought off two blockers to work down the line and make the clothesline tackle before the QB could get around the edge.
Clemson ball, 3:03, Clemson 19, 21-0 Clemson lead
Down & Distance
Formation
Play
Analysis
Down & Distance
Formation
Play
Analysis
1st & 10
11 shotgun vs 3-4
Split zone to Dixon gains 4
Stewart got ripped and spun to the ground by a Wofford DT...
2nd & 6
11 shotgun vs 3-4
Quick out to Higgins vs cover 4 gains 9
If Wofford is going to play cover 4 that softly, they have to cover the out with a flat defender. That time they did, but Chalk's matching quick out occupied him and cleared the lane to Higgins.
1st & 10
11 shotgun vs 3-4
PA deep go to Ross vs cover 3 incomplete
Overthrown, no flag.
2nd & 10
11 shotgun vs 3-4
Quick curl to Ngata vs cover 3 fire zone dropped
DE dropping into the flat left the quick out open at the snap and Lawrence might've rushed it, but it looks more like Lawrence threw an out and Ngata ran a curl.
3rd & 10
10 shotgun vs nickel
Deep cross to Ngata vs man cover 2 incomplete
Here's a ball in jeopardy. Flat footed and thrown across the middle into 2 deep. Fortunate to be incomplete.
Wofford closes the quarter
Down & Distance
Formation
Play
Analysis
Down & Distance
Formation
Play
Analysis
1st & 10
22 shotgun vs 4-3
Fake option seam route overthrown, incomplete
Turner crashed the run and let a TE run right past him, barely overthrown or else it's a TD unless Muse tracks him down.
2nd & 10
22 shotgun vs 4-3
ZR dive gains 2
Muse might've killed the man...
3rd & 8
10 shotgun vs 4-3
Inverted veer keeper gains 4
Henry whiffs at the mesh and suddenly Wofford has numbers, Turner flies in from the backside and atones for his bust.
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