Game Review: Clemson vs. Virginia
Clemson stretched their win streak to six after a strong early second half showing leading to a 48-31 win in C.J. Spiller’s ROH Induction game. The Tigers’ 200 yard third quarter led to a quick 21 points that put the game away after a somewhat tight first half due to a Clemson turnover. Dabo has started his career record against former assistant coaches as 1-0 and a trend that needs to continue. However, Clemson’s garbage time depth still posses a concern for Dabo and Co., but the starting groups on both sides have the potential to return the ACC Championship back to Clemson while making some playoff noise. Yet, as Coach Swinney always says, winning football is played in November and the margin for error for the Tigers is getting slimmer as Clemson enters their second bye week of the season.
Key Tiger Takeaways:
Cade Klubnik: It’s hard to mention the Clemson Tigers success without first mentioning the performance of much improved Quarterback Cade Klubnik. After one of the best methodical led drives Klubnik has ever led, he threw one of the worst interceptions that set up the Virginia Offense to go up 10-3 early in the second quarter. Despite this interception and a couple of overthrows, Klubnik’s performance was still deserving of praise. Klubnik finished the day with 308 passing yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 65% completion percentage, and 29 rushing yards on 6 carries (ESPN). Cade Klubnik completed these feats without star WRs Bryant Wesco Jr. and Tyler Brown for the second straight week with help from great Offensive Line play. The Clemson Tigers can go as far as Cade Klubnik takes them, and his consistent play so far this season gives me and all of Tiger Fandom hope we will go far.
Florida Boyz: Leading Clemson in receiving yards for the first time in his short career is True Freshman Wide Receiver and Florida Native T. J. Moore. Offensive Coordinator Garrett Riley has planned to get Moore involved early and often for the past two weeks while missing fellow Freshman Bryant Wesco Jr. While Moore missed a couple of difficult catches, his playmaking ability and the ease at which he makes plays is reminiscent of Justyn Ross. Moore finished the day with 4 catches for 78 yards and 1 TD after catching at least 4 passes for the second straight week (ESPN). Fellow Florida Native WR Troy Stellato has also made the most of his increased opportunities due to injuries. Stellato has recorded 70+ receiving yards in the second straight week along side a touchdown (ESPN). The Italian Stallion has become a solid target for Klubnik for the second straight season. Stellato’s first two seasons were derailed early due to injuries including a torn acl, and the former 4-star has had to wait some time for his chance. No one deserves the opportunities more than the Italian Stallion, and his production has be very solid and consistent for the Tigers these past two years. Another Florida Native Tight-End Olsen Patt-Henry was given his attention today after being a quite contributor for the Tigers all season long. Henry has been a consistent blocker in two Tight-End sets for Clemson this season, and his receiving ability has yet to be fully showcased. In Henry’s two opportunities today, he was able to reach the endzone both times. Henry totaled 2 catches for 51 yards and 2 TDs against the Cavaliers after only having 4 catches for 41 yards and 1 TD on the season (ESPN). Sophomore Olsen Patt-Henry looks to be the future showcased TE in the Tiger Offense once Jake Briningstool enters the NFL.
All-Purpose Antonio: RS/Sophomore Wide Receiver Antonio Williams has been the obvious top option for the Tiger Offensive since Week 1. While Williams has not totaled over 100 receiving yards once this season, his all-purpose ability is undeniable. He followed up his 28 yard touchdown pass from last weekend with yet another long completion for 34 yards, and his unpredictability is put immense stress on opposing defenses. Williams also ran for a 36 yard touchdown on a great play call from OC Garrett Riley, and he rounded out his day with 44 receiving yards on 3 catches (ESPN). Williams has provided a spark to the Clemson Offense after missing last season to a lingering injury. This is Antonio’s third straight 100+ yard all-purpose game, and his production will elevate the Tigers back to their normal successful status (ESPN).
Getting off the Field: Going into this game, Clemson had the recipe of success in front of them. Virginia’s methodical style gets them to the 3rd most third downs in the country, as mentioned in the Preview, and in their two previous losses the common factor was their third down conversion rate was below 50%. Clemson was able to limit the Cavaliers to just a 38% conversion rate on third downs which enabled Clemson’s Offense to control the score of the game (ESPN). The Tiger Starting Defense has been fully healthy for two weeks straight now, and their presence all together has continued to improve after some questionable performances.
Sacks on Sacks: Yet again, the Tiger Starting Defense put Clemson in good situations to walk out with a great win over the Virginia Cavaliers. Cavaliers’ Quarterback Anthony Colandrea has thrived on creating his own plays off platform throughout this season, so Clemson was tasked with disrupting those plays. The Tigers were able to tie their season high in sacks in a game with 4 (ESPN). Because of these sacks, Colandrea ran for negative yardage for the first time all season long. While Clemson’s 4 sacks were a season high and helped create another win, only one of the sacks came from a Defensive Lineman. The Tiger DL has struggled all season creating pressure on their own especially when DEs Peter Woods and T.J. Parker are not in the game. Coach Rumph and Eason have a lot to improve on at the start of November Football because it is hard to win big games in College Football without some created pressure solely from the Defensive Line.
???’s in Clemson’s Defensive Depth: As I have mentioned earlier in the season, the Clemson Defensive Depth has looked poor throughout the entire season. The Tiger Backups have given up 21 points in garbage time for the second time this year: N.C. State and Virginia. While there has been a couple of bright spots, the total lack of production looks concerning for the future. The UVA Offense accumulated only 172 total yards through the first 3 quarters, and in the 4th quarter alone, the Cavalier Offense totaled 174 total yards (ESPN). Coach Swinney has been visibly upset with the performance of his backups, and his emotions need to drive the improvement from this group. Luckily, the Tiger Defense has stayed pretty healthy overall and has not needed to depend on their depth like the past couple of seasons. However, as the season continues to drive on, their will need to dip into some of this depth to depend on.
Sources:
“Clemson Tigers | Clemson University Athletics.” Clemson Tigers Official Athletics Site, clemsontigers.com. (for Pic)
ESPN. “ESPN.” ESPN.com, 2019, www.espn.com/.