Snap Count Review - Clemson vs. UConn

For only the second time all season, Clemson was able to play a significant number of backups, allowing a season-high 75 players to log snaps. Seven different players had their season debuts, as well as eleven players seeing action in their second game of the season.

While plenty of backups got to see the field on Saturday, the starters (on offense) did not exactly build confidence heading into a massive showdown with Wake Forest on the 20th. The offensive line looked out of sorts all day long, albeit with some heavy rotation, while DJU and the receivers failed to consistently connect outside of a few splash plays here and there.

Injuries certainly played a role in disrupting the starting lineup, but the performance against what is legitimately one of the worst programs in the country was hardly inspiring. Here’s hoping these snaps for depth players pay off in the form of rest and healing for the starters.

All snap counts come from the official Clemson report found here; numbers do not necessarily denote official plays, but rather non-special-team snaps.

DJU (74 snaps) played far more snaps than I would have expected for an opponent of this caliber, especially given how limited he looked with his knee brace. Even less ideal was how often he missed his targets, throwing for 21/44 with a touchdown and an interception. The argument can be made that the constant injuries in the WR room have prevented DJ from creating much chemistry with his wideouts, but there are still just too many mistakes.

Taisun Phommachanh (4 snaps) looked good in his limited action before exiting due to a shoulder injury, leading to more reps for Hunter Helms (19 snaps) and Billy Wiles (11 snaps). Funnily enough, one of the best touchdowns in the game came from the fourth-string Wiles:

With Will Shipley and Kobe Pace both kept out as a precaution, the door was wide open for Darien Rencher (51 snaps) and (more importantly) Phil Mafah (48 snaps) to make an impact with more playing time. Instead, the former mustered a meager 37 yards with a goal-line fumble on 14 carries while the freshman Mafah struggled to 49 yards and a touchdown through 17 carries.

It’s hard to say whether the blame should be put on the offensive line for failing to create more push against UConn - a team that has only managed to (barely) beat Yale this season - or on the two running backs for not generating more of a rushing spark. Realistically, the answer lies somewhere in the middle, but it still fails to explain how Clemson almost didn’t clear 100 rushing yards against the Huskies.

This week’s starting OL collected most of the playing time (another worrying indicator of where that unit is currently), as Mitchell Mayes (53 snaps) and Bryn Tucker (48 snaps) were the only OL players to see significant action as backups. Tate (92 snaps) shifted along the line to fill as needed, which is commendable.

Thirteen different receivers got on the field, with varying degrees of success. We are now officially in the Collins Towers Era and I am stoked to see how their careers play out over the next couple of seasons. Beaux had a big touchdown reception to end the first half while Dacari had his “welcome to the club” game with 97 yards on just six receptions.

Justyn Ross (17 snaps) was playing well before he left with a foot injury early in the game, and with Joseph Ngata and Frank Ladson both already out as well, there were plenty of snaps to go around for the backups. Ajou Ajou notably only had 8 snaps and has apparently been passed on the depth chart by the aforementioned Collins freshmen.

Davis Allen (52 snaps) saw the most playing time out of the tight ends, but Jake Briningstool flashed with 56 yards (second on the team) and his big TD reception. Sage Ennis played sparingly in 12 snaps while Jaelyn Lay (9 snaps) appeared in his third game of the season.

A game like this against UConn provided some much-needed rest for the battered starters on this dominant defense. We’re ten weeks into the season, and a lot has been asked of a group that is suffering a variety of injuries to both key players and reserve bodies.

UConn came into this game with a very, very bad offense and the Clemson defense did not let the opportunity pass itself by. 6 sacks and 9 TFL helped keep UConn’s total yardage to just 99 yards on the day! That was with some heavy rotation in the second half, as 10 DT’s, 10 DE’s, and 9 LB’s got at least one snap in the Valley.

The secondary saw less rotation but produced two interceptions, one from Mario Goodrich (19 snaps) and one from Sheridan Jones (34 snaps):

Not counting the opening kickoff return allowed by special teams, this marks the third game this year with no offensive touchdowns allowed by the defense.

Fasten your seatbelts, people. We’re entering the home stretch of the season and the remaining games on the schedule promise to be some of the most nerve-wracking football games you’ll watch as a Clemson fan in recent memory.