Clemson Spring Game Quick Observations: Pearman leads both offenses to points |
CLEMSON – Another spring game is in the books, and a long summer awaits. What did we notice on Saturday? Quite a bit.
The Orange defeated the White 27-12 on a cool but sun-splashed afternoon in Death Valley. Let’s start with the quarterbacks – Christopher Vizzina had a 39-yard pass to Josh Sapp, and Cade Klubnik had a few nice throws, but that was it. Klubnik’s foot was stepped on by Tré Williams late in the fourth quarter but he remained on the sidelines for the final minutes. Trent Pearman – playing for both teams – was another story. He threw a gorgeous touchdown pass to Bryant Wesco and added a 49-yard scoring run. He was able to cobble together scoring drives and backed up what the coaches have said about him since last fall. BRYANT. WESCO. TOUCHDOWN. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/y8l2y9R718 It’s fair to say – there isn’t a quarterback controversy, but Pearman has proven he can be trusted and can play. Wide receiver Antonio Williams looks healthy – maybe the best since his freshman season – and turned in a stellar effort with five catches for 62 yards. He looked quick and fast. Adam Randall also had a nice day, including a 55-yard catch from Klubnik. The defense is what we think, despite being split up and several of the starters not playing. Defensive ends AJ Hoffler and Jahiem Lawson turned in big plays, and the linebackers looked athletic. All in all, a good day for the defense. Hard to tell in real-time about the offensive line. With the teams mixed up and everything happening all at once, I want to go back and watch the game on TV before offering an opinion. *Honorary coaches were DJ Reader for the White team and Garry Peters for the Orange team. The White OL starters were Ian Reed, Dietrick Pennington, Harris Sewell, Trent Howard, and Zack Owens. *As expected, stars like Phil Mafah, Jake Briningstool, and Barrett Carter didn’t dress out. *On the first offensive series for the Orange team, White linebacker Sammy Brown burst though and picked up the sack on Klubnik. We’ve said all along that what sets him apart is not only his strength but his burst. He can get where he’s going in a hurry. *The starting OL for the Orange team was Tristan Leigh, Marcus Tate, Ryan Linthicum, Collin Sadler and Blake Miller. *Through two possessions, the offenses combined for minus-19 yards. After three possessions—two for the White—it was just minus-18. On the second possession for the Orange team, Klubnik connected with Antonio Williams for 19 yards for the first really positive gain of the day. But on the very next play, Klubnik and the receiver miscommunicated, and the pass was intercepted and returned 44 yards. *Nolan Hauser connected on a 29-yard field goal in the first quarter for the first points of the game. The initial takeaway was the ease with which he hit it. Like he was practicing with a putter before a putt. Smooth. He later hit one from 48 that looked just as smooth. *Pearman led the first scoring drive for the Orange, and he connected with Wesco, Williams, and Adam Randall for big plays on the drive. The touchdown was a beautiful toss over Wesco’s shoulder in the end zone for a nine-yard score. We keep hearing Pearman can play. *Clemson’s linebackers continued to show off their athleticism. Late in the first quarter, Christopher Vizzina dropped back to throw and Jamal Anderson simply grabbed the pass out of midair at the line of scrimmage and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown. *Late in the first half, Pearman did it again, breaking free for a 49-yard touchdown run. *Robert Gunn attempted a 55-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. It was long enough but just wide right. Gunn scored the first points of the second half, punching through a 37-yard field goal.
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