Clemson vs UVA Film Review: 1st Half

I intend to run a marathon through this UVA review by halves instead of by quarter so we can quickly turn the page to Miami. It’s BIG GAME WEEK and most of you know by now I want a full three days to marinate a narrative equally stupid and informative for my own internal hype instead of cramming some quick obligatory Miami film on Thursday night.

There’s a lot I could say about this Virginia game but it boils down to a few simple truths:

1. Clemson’s defensive front, in its current form, was exposed by UVA’s offensive line. Clemson is down last year’s starting DEs and it shows. Down Tyler heckin’ Davis, the guy who makes it all work inside. In his stead were career backups and freshmen. The good news is Davis will be ready for Miami and Xavier Thomas may be back as well. Justin Foster remains a mystery, but he was on the sidelines Saturday night. So if it was COVID related, the worst is behind him. This is a drastically different defense without Davis and I’m not going to panic after one rough game. But everything UVA did effectively, Miami can do it and then some...
2. Clemson’s offensive line had a pretty rough night themselves. Dabo will say how well they graded, but not busting isn’t the same as playing well. Part of that is subbing in unready freshmen, which will be a theme all year. But a larger part, much like on the other side of the ball, was just being beaten by a more experienced opponent across the line. Given these two factors, it’s insane Clemson won by three possessions, since coaches will scream about winning the line of scrimmage so much that someone will throw it on a headstone one day. The OL is what it is: serviceable at the top of the depth chart, but overall a work in progress against either comparable talent or superior experience.
3. Despite the unease, this was perhaps the fabled “teachable moment” game we see every year! The defensive line will get healthy and the secondary will grow up. It won’t happen all at once, but hopefully there’s enough retained from the film rooms and practice fields this week to show improvement in the Miami review a week from now. The offensive line still has growing up to do for their part, and at the very least doesn’t seem to blow many assignments — though I’ve yet to see anything which makes me take anyone seriously who says this group is a better run blocking unit than the 2019 one.

Count ourselves lucky that Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne, and Amari Rodgers are here (and healthy!), because otherwise Clemson doesn’t keep UVA at arm’s reach, and quite likely falls victim to the upset. Sure, you can say that about any team without its superstars, but we aren’t used to seeing Clemson beaten so handily along both lines of scrimmage before the postseason. That’s what’s alarming — though it shouldn’t be surprising given the experience UVA boasts. Yet on the other hand, we won’t see another offense where a the quarterback runs a designed QB draw immediately after his one and only passing read.

Feed Etienne any and every way, and keep Lawrence upright. Those will be enough until the younglings come along. And if history is any precedent, there will be visible improvement next week thanks to this quasi-wakeup call.

Ok, I was halfway through another drive chart here but it’s a lot of simple, methodical stuff where there isn’t much insightful analysis to be found. That, and I’m trying to get all the UVA film done with plenty of time to look ahead to Miami. And there are two plays on this efficient drive which are just pure TRAVIS.

2nd Quarter

The broadcast link I have cut off the 1st play after the kickoff, on which Etienne gained 5 yards so we’ll get back into this on 2nd down.

Clemson stuffs UVA on an inside zone and then Nolan Turner undercuts a drag route with a clutch pick for a SUDDEN CHANGE.

UVA and Clemson trade 3 & outs (a particularly ugly series for Clemson) before UVA gears up an even uglier series for the Clemson defense...

Clemson runs out the half...