In a great effort by the Clemson defense KJ Henry was the Tigers best defender Photo by Allison Lee Isley

Tigers Best; Defense And Special Teams At Championship Level

From the very first play KJ Henry showed why the Clemson defense is the Tigers best unit. Henry pressured Georgia Tech quarterback Jeff Simms, Andrew Mukuba picked off the underthrown pass, but the Tigers offense could not do anything with the turnover. The Yellow Jackets managed just 73 yards rushing. The Tigers had 10 tackles for loss, led by Henry’s 2.5.

Special Teams proved to be the difference, setting up two Clemson drives for scores inside the Yellow Jackets 20. On a night when the Tigers struggled to move the ball through much of the first three quarters giving the offense short fields was much needed. B T Potter picked up right where he left off for Clemson last year as the place kicker. Both the special teams and defense get an A for their performances.

Clemson Offense A Very Mixed Bag

The discussion around how far the Tigers go this season continues to center around the offense. DJ Uiagalelei looked better, but he also held on to the ball too long more than once. One promising drive stalled due to two dropped passes, and there was little to no pre-snap motion to try to scheme receivers open. Cade Klubnik looked sharp in his one drive, and everyone expects to see more of him this Saturday against the Furman Paladins. Antonio Williams speed and athleticism represented the biggest bright spot in the passing game. Expect Clemson to try to feature him more as the season unfolds.

The offensive line had a very difficult time opening holes against Tech’s defensive line. Both Kobe Pace and Will Shipley found little room to run. As with the passing game there was little imagination with no misdirection, jet sweeps, reverses, etc. The Tigers next real challenge is at the  Wake Forest Demon Deacons on September 24, and 40-119 rushing will not cut it against them, or anyone at their level. Since Uiagalelei looked better, and Klubnik showed promise, the offense gets a C-, but Head Coach Dabo Swinney and his offensive staff have plenty of questions to answer.