Stats & Storylines: Clemson defense overwhelms Boston College |
The Tigers found themselves tied 3-3 with three minutes left in the first half, but just as they did against NC State, Clemson used the 3-4 minutes before and after halftime to take the game over. Three minutes and 10 seconds into the second half, the Tigers had turned a tie into a 17-3 lead and ended up winning by four touchdowns. If fans are disappointed with a 28-point win, it simply means Clemson is back and expectations have returned to where they were before last year’s “down year.”
They have much tougher tests the next two weeks with a road trip to Florida State and a home game against Syracuse, but before we turn our attention to those contests, let’s analyze what happened in Chestnut Hill. Boston College QB Phil Jurkovec: 19/40 (47.5), 188 yards (4.7 YPA) “This week, I thought our defense was the story of the game. We played outstanding. In fact, that’s the fewest points they’ve scored on us since 1952. I’m really proud of our D. I thought that was their best game, their most complete game for four quarters.” – Dabo Swinney After some shaky play early in the season, the Tigers’ defense seems to have settled down under the leadership of new coordinator Wes Goodwin. After switching to more conservative zone coverage against NC State, Goodwin was back to unleashing the pressure against Boston College. Fortunately, the secondary held up this time and it worked. Cornerback Nate Wiggins is a big reason for that. Sheridan Jones remained out of the lineup, but Nate Wiggins was effective as the Tigers’ top cover corner. He had an excellent pass deflection and made life difficult for QB Phil Jurkovec all night. “Nate has had two good weeks in a row. Just maturing. [He’s a] young player. He was a disaster up there at Wake and didn’t handle himself well… These last couple weeks he’s done a good job of staying focused, doing his job, and playing his technique... That was a big time play he made on that ball and he doesn’t make that play two weeks ago… Nate’s been a real bright spot for us these last two weeks and again the whole secondary tonight did a really good job.” – Dabo Swinney The Tigers also enjoyed the return of defensive end Xavier Thomas. He was only in on six plays, but tallied two sacks and won the McFadden-O’Rourke Helmet. Clemson hasn’t gotten as many sacks as most expected this season. Even with all the stars on the defensive line, Thomas may be the best pure pass rusher so his return could provide a bigger boost than anticipated. This year's winner of the McFadden-O'Rourke Leather Helmet Award. pic.twitter.com/AGxbXznlxG Boston College RB Patrick Garwo III: 11 carries, 15 yards (1.4 YPC) “I thought they did a good job for the most part containing us a little bit in the run game. I think we ended up still rushing for 144. That’s 10 games in a row we’ve outrushed our opponent… That speaks to both sides of the line of scrimmage.” – Dabo Swinney I continue to believe that Clemson’s defense just looks different with Tyler Davis on the field. He may not post eye-popping stats, but opponents seldom run the ball effectively when he is healthy and suited up for the Tigers. Boston College was unable to find any balance and their offense suffered as a result. Clemson’s linebacking corps plays a huge role in this, too. Barrett Carter and Trenton Simpson are superstars and perhaps the two best players on the entire team. They use their speed to run down ball carriers from behind before they can make big plays. Jeremiah Trotter had another strong game with 1.5 TFLs and is rated as one of the best linebackers in the ACC by PFF. Keith Maguire and LaVonta Bentley give Clemson incredible depth at linebacker. If you can shut down the run, you have a chance to beat anybody. That makes Clemson very dangerous. DJ Uiagalelei: 18/31 (58.1%), 220 yards (7.1 YPA), 3 TDs, 1 INT, 69 rushing yards “I’m disappointed in the first quarter. We dropped a touchdown pass. [We had] a couple of dumb penalties, a bad interception – which was just a poor decision...” – Dabo Swinney Clemson’s offense was sloppy for most of the first half. Beaux Collins had another ugly drop that cost the Tigers a touchdown (they settled for a field goal). He bounced back and had an otherwise solid day. Clemson’s wide receivers started making plays as the game wore on and the Tigers ran away with the contest when they did. OC Brandon Streeter showed some creativity in getting freshman WR Antonio Williams in unique ways. The offense’s biggest weakness last year was WR corps, but as Williams and fellow freshman Adam Randall emerge, they’re becoming l less of an issue this year. Keeping Joe Ngata healthy is key. The offensive line is great in pass protection, but still struggles in run blocking. Will Shipley was held to just 33 yards (3.3 YPC) against Boston College. If Clemson can improve in these areas over the season as they so often do, they could have a championship-caliber offense by championship time, but there’s still room to go. Clemson Coaching Departures It was a rough day for former Clemson assistants now leading their own programs. Brent Venables’ Oklahoma team was obliterated by Texas, 49-0. The Longhorns outgained the Sooners by 390 yards. With the return of Quinn Ewers from injury, they look to have one of the best QBs in the country. Things are not good over in Norman, Oklahoma. It’s not much better in Charlotteville where Tony Elliott’s Virginia squad lost at home to Louisville and fell to 2-4. A season ago Brennan Armstrong set ACC passing yardage records and now he looks lost. Perhaps the offensive system has been downgraded. Jeff Scott’s USF Bulls lost to Cincinnati and dropped to 1-5 on the season. Even Chad Morris struggled when he left Clemson. After a brief period of success at SMU, he jumped to Arkansas and struggled immensely as they were among the worst teams in the SEC during his tenure. The trend extends to players who transfer out of the program too as we’ve seen players like Kelly Bryant, Frank Ladson, and Lyn-J Dixon flounder after transferring. Perhaps Coach Swinney does more than just hire well and is in fact putting coaches and players in a great position to succeed at Clemson. I wish the coaches and players with Tiger ties well and also hope their struggles are a warning to others who think the grass is greener elsewhere.
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