CLEMSON FOOTBALL

Keith Adams Jr. saw his most carries this season and graded well. (Photo: Jim Dedmon / USATODAY)
Keith Adams Jr. saw his most carries this season and graded well. (Photo: Jim Dedmon / USATODAY)

Clemson-Wake Forest PFF grades, midseason snap counts


by - Staff Writer -

Taking a deeper look at who played and what kind of performance they put on the board out of the 49-14 win at Wake Forest.

Clemson-Wake Forest breakdown

The number by a player's name initially is the game's snap count. The snaps are all offensive and defensive snaps and do not count special teams. Snap totals for scholarship players and depth chart members are listed in the feature.

(PFF grades tend to run lower than school grades, so high 80 grades are on the high end, and it's a harsher grade below 60 or so. They are not an end-all, be-all, but one tool to evaluate the game.)

Offense

QB: Cade Klubnik 79 snaps (358 on the season), Christopher Vizzina 7 (54), Trent Pearman NS (14), Paul Tyson NS (4).

PFF grade notes: Klubnik posted his third-best grade of the season (76.4) with two more big-time throws and one turnover-worthy play, per PFF. When blitzed, he graded higher (79) with seven completions in eight attempts for 82 yards. Klubnik was kept clean on 84.8% of his dropbacks (previous season average was 72%) and threw all three touchdown passes in that scenario. He also added two runs of 10+ yards.

RB: Phil Mafah 51 (268), Jay Haynes 15 (78), Keith Adams Jr. 13 (51), Jarvis Green 5 (9), David Eziomume NS (16; two games).

PFF grade notes: Mafah amassed his highest run grade of the season (78.9) with a season-best five runs of 10+ yards with three missed tackles forced and 49 yards after contact. Adams Jr. saw a season-high in carries and graded well also (72 overall) with 21 yards after contact.

WR: Troy Stellato 55 (180), Antonio Williams 53 (230), T.J. Moore 52 (181), Adam Randall 26 (106), Cole Turner 21 (137), Misun Kelley 11 (49), Hampton Earle 7 (25), Noble Johnson 6 (35), Bryant Wesco* NS (129), Tyler Brown* NS (70).

PFF grade notes: Stellato earned top marks for the group (75.9) with six catches in seven targets for 72 yards and a touchdown. Williams also caught six passes in seven targets for 69 yards and a TD. Among WRs, Moore was also in the 5+ target club with four catches for 46 yards. The snap distribution saw some changes with Randall back in action (26) and multi-game starters Wesco and Brown sidelined due to injury.

TE: Jake Briningstool 53 (292), Olsen Patt-Henry 23 (111), Josh Sapp 16 (61), Markus Dixon 2 (23), Christian Bentancur NS (8; one game).

PFF grade notes: Briningstool led Clemson’s grading on the day (84.2), his third-highest versus a Power league program. He caught seven passes in 10 thrown his way for 104 yards and a touchdown. Six grabs went for first downs or scores.

OL: Ryan Linthicum 79 (382), Blake Miller 73 (359), Tristan Leigh 72 (358), Marcus Tate 70 (286), Walker Parks 50 (293), Harris Sewell 42 (139), Trent Howard 16 (47), Elyjah Thurmon 13 (68; four games of four allowed for redshirt), Chapman Pendergrass 7 (17), Mason Wade NS (29; two games), Collin Sadler* NS (95), Ronan O'Connell NS (7; one game).

PFF grade notes: Tate (87.6) and Sewell (82.3) earned high marks on an overall strong day from a pass-blocking grade standpoint for the offense (82.6). The run blocking wasn’t as well regarded, however (67.6), with Miller on the low end there (47.8). Tate saw six snaps at right tackle in addition to his normal right guard role. On the redshirt front, Thurmon graded well in his 13 plays (73.2) and is now at his redshirt games limit before any postseason action.

PFF unit performance grades: Offense - 82.4; Passing - 78; Pass blocking - 82.6; Receiving - 74.2; Running - 81; Run blocking - 67.6.

Defense

DL: T.J. Parker 41 (219), Payton Page 39 (214), Peter Woods 32 (108), DeMonte Capehart 28 (145), Tré Williams 24 (160), Vic Burley 23 (74), Jahiem Lawson 20 (153), Cade Denhoff 14 (133), Armon Mason 9 (48), Zaire Patterson 9 (9), A.J. Hoffler 5 (103), Champ Thompson 5 (20; two games), Caden Story 3 (35), Stephiylan Green* NS (121), Darien Mayo NS (21), Hevin Brown-Shuler NS (27; two games).

PFF grade notes: Woods returned to the starting lineup in style with a starter-best defensive grade (76) with a QB hurry and stop. Back in his hometown, Patterson played a career-high nine snaps, his first of the season.

LB: Barrett Carter 49 (301), Wade Woodaz 48 (314), Sammy Brown 15 (112), Dee Crayton 13 (63), Jamal Anderson ST (33), Drew Woodaz NS (7; one game), C.J. Kubah-Taylor NS (1; one game).

PFF grade notes: Wade Woodaz continued his strong play with the second-best starter grade (72.4) with three stops, a pass breakup and no passing yards allowed against his receivers. Brown saw more than double the snaps of the previous week’s road trip with 15 snaps, tallying one tackle and one missed tackle.

DB: Avieon Terrell 53 (314), Jeadyn Lukus 46 (280), Khalil Barnes 43 (289), R.J. Mickens 42 (290), Kylon Griffin 31 (149), Tyler Venables 20 (92), Shelton Lewis 18 (144), Sherrod Covil 15 (108), Ricardo Jones 13 (51), Ashton Hampton 10 (112), Ronan Hanafin 9 (53), Branden Strozier 9 (55), Rob Billings ST (15), Noah Dixon NS (6), Joe Wilkinson NS (3; one game), Kylen Webb NS (15), Tavoy Feagin NS (9), Corian Gipson* NS (6).

PFF grade notes: Griffin went from one snap at FSU to 31 in Winston-Salem, picking off a pass in one of them and grading third-best on the defense (73.4). In his ten plays, Hampton led the way overall (76.8) with a pass breakup in a target his way. Terrell saw the most action with six targets, but just three catches for 8.7 yards per allowed.

PFF unit performance grades: Defense - 70; Run defense - 66; Tackling - 59.1; Pass rush - 60.1; Coverage - 74.7.

Players noted as out for the season preseason: OL Ian Reed, DB Myles Oliver, OL Watson Young, LB Kobe McCloud, OL Dietrick Pennington.

ST - Special teams-only

NS - No snaps listed

* Been noted as injured by Clemson coach Dabo Swinney.

Grades and snaps from Clemson-Georgia

Grades and snaps from Clemson-App State

Grades and snaps from Clemson-NC State

Grades and snaps from Clemson-Stanford

Grades and snaps from Clemson-Florida State


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Tags: Clemson Football, Cade Klubnik, Christopher Vizzina, Trent Pearman, Paul Tyson, Phil Mafah, Jay Haynes, Jarvis Green, David Eziomume, Troy Stellato, Antonio Williams, T.J. Moore, Adam Randall, Cole Turner, Noble Johnson, Misun Kelley, Hampton Earle, Tyler Brown, Jake Briningstool, Olsen Patt-Henry, Josh Sapp, Markus Dixon, Christian Bentancur, Ryan Linthicum, Blake Miller, Tristan Leigh, Marcus Tate, Walker Parks, Harris Sewell, Trent Howard, Elyjah Thurmon, Mason Wade, Collin Sadler, Chapman Pendergrass, Ronan O'Connell, T.J. Parker, Payton Page, Peter Woods, DeMonte Capehart, Tré Williams, Vic Burley, Jahiem Lawson, Cade Denhoff, Armon Mason, Zaire Patterson, A.J. Hoffler, Champ Thompson, Caden Story, Stephiylan Green, Darien Mayo, Hevin Brown-Shuler, Barrett Carter, Wade Woodaz, Sammy Brown, Jamal Anderson, Dee Crayton, Drew Woodaz, C.J. Kubah-Taylor, Avieon Terrell, Jeadyn Lukus, Khalil Barnes, R.J. Mickens, Kylon Griffin, Tyler Venables, Shelton Lewis, Ashton Hampton, Ricardo Jones, Ronan Hanafin, Branden Strozier, Rob Billings, Noah Dixon, Joe Wilkinson, Kylen Webb, Tavoy Feagin, Corian Gipson, Ian Reed, Myles Oliver, Watson Young, Kobe McCloud, Dietrick Pennington
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