Clemson Spring Game Observations

Clemson finished its 2024 Spring practice schedule last weekend with the Orange vs White game. It was a good showing from both sides as Tiger fans got their first glance at this season’s team. There were plenty of impressive plays, like defensive end Jahiem Lawson getting an interception while covering a running back on a wheel route.

The game finished with the Orange team, coached by offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, coming out on top with the 27-12 win. Coming out of the game, the Tigers showed some exciting things, as well as some things they need to work on.

The Defense Has Depth

One thing that stuck out most in the Tigers’ scrimmage was the amount of big plays made by both defenses. Neither the Orange nor White defense gave the other team’s offense anything to start the game. The White team had most of the starting defense while the Orange had much of the second team.

That did not seem to matter much though as by the end of the first quarter the orange defense racked up five sacks and seven tackles for loss. Sophomore linebacker Jamal Anderson also got himself an interception he returned for a touchdown in the final minute of the quarter. At the end of the game both defenses combined for 11 sacks, 21 tackles for loss, and three interceptions (two for orange, one for white).

The Offense Still Has Work To Do

Maybe the Clemson defense is just that dominant, but the offensive side of the ball still has some things to figure out. There were some great plays made on offense by guys like Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco, and Josh Sapp. The problem though is it took almost the whole first quarter for anything to get going for either offense. At the end of the first quarter, both offenses combined for less than 100 total yards.

Cade Klubnik took his reps with the orange team as they had many of the offensive starters and looked okay. He opened the game looking hesitant on a few throws causing him to be off target on some passes. He ended the first quarter completing only two of his six passes for 21 yards and threw an interception. It seemed to be communication errors affecting Klubnik more than anything.

When he settled in he looked good at times. The best was on a 15-play scoring drive where he completed five out of seven passes for 43 yards. The drive finished with a Peyton Streko touchdown run. It was Klubik’s quick decision making though that got the Orange team in striking distance. Klubnik finished the day 13 for 26 passing for 158 yards and an interception. He is going to have to play much better when the season starts, but for a scrimmage, it was not a terrible performance. Surprisingly though, he didn’t end the day looking like the best quarterback for the Tigers.

Quarterback Room Might Need a Slight Shake-Up

This is not to say that there is now some controversy at the starting quarterback position for Clemson. Heading into fall camp, Klubnik is and should be the starter for the Tigers. Many believed though that Dabo Swinney should have looked in the portal to bring in a quarterback to at least compete with Klubnik and light a fire under him. In the spring game, we saw why he feels like he does not need to.

Walk-on third-string quarterback Trent Pearman looked like the best quarterback in Memorial Stadium Saturday. Taking reps for both the Orange and White teams at the end of quarters, Pearman was the only quarterback to score a touchdown. Then he did it twice! One through the air on a beautifully thrown ball to Wesco in the end zone on a fade route, and one rushing on a 49-yard run. Every time he stepped on the field there was a different energy too. He plays with so much swagger and confidence even as the third-stringer.

He finished the day by completing 13 of 18 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. Pearman also ran the ball eight times for 62 yards and another touchdown. The redshirt sophomore caught many Clemson fans’ eyes with his performance and hopefully for them, the coaches as well.

The Class of 2024 Came To Play

We’ve talked before about how the young crop of talent coming into Clemson is going to be very important to their success this season. In their first game-like setting they showed they are ready for the moment. On the first play from scrimmage for the White defense and Orange offense, freshman linebacker Sammy Brown rushed off the edge and made a great move on the tackle getting a huge sack.

A couple of drives later Wesco would get his first reception with a catch in the middle of the field. As he turned upfield, he was met by none other than Brown who made a hard hit on the tackle. This sparked a bit of friendly trash talk between the two. Later on in the same drive, Pearmen would hit Wesco in the endzone for the game’s first touchdown.

While most expected the two of them to be playmakers early on, there were other young players making great plays too. Freshmen cornerback Tavoy Feagin got an interception on the day himself. This went along with two total tackles and two pass breakups as well.

Back on the offensive side of the ball with Phil Mafah sitting out, the top three rushers among running backs were all either redshirt or true freshmen. Redshirt freshman Jarvis Green ran the ball six times for 29 yards. Fellow redshirt freshman Streko was the only running back to score a touchdown in his seven rushes for 24 yards. Lastly, true freshman David Eziomume was the top running back for the White team with eight rushes for 11 yards.

Final Thoughts

The biggest thing this spring game showed for the Tigers was that this team still has a ton of talent. Especially on the defensive side of the ball. Much of that talent is just young. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for them to settle in. There are still things to clean up on the offensive side mostly with timing and communication.

If they get those things straightened up, they’ll be able to compete with anyone in the country. The tough part is that the first three games for the Tigers are tough. It does not give them much time to fix things. Hopefully, the performance by Pearman does create a little more competition that drives Klubnik to finally make that huge stride in his game. The Tigers will need it for week one against Georgia.