Quick thoughts from Blacksburg: Tigers show resolve in gut check win over Hokies

Cole Turner tries to quiet the crowd after his touchdown.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Nov 09 21:21:06 GMT-04:00 2024

BLACKSBURG, VA – Gut check time in Lane Stadium.

Clemson’s offense bumbled and stumbled through an inept first half, the first time the Tigers have been held scoreless in the first half by Virginia Tech since the 1998 season. Clemson entered the game having given up just eight sacks on the season, and the Hokies recorded three in the first half alone.

Starting left tackle Tristan Leigh went out early and was replaced by true freshman Elyjah Thurmon. The Tigers were already without starting left guard Marcus Tate, starting defensive end Peter Woods, starting nickelback Shelton Lewis, starting defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart, and starting cornerback Jeadyn Lukus went out and was replaced by true freshman Ashton Hampton.

True freshman Sammy Brown started at middle linebacker to shore up the run defense, and the defense held up its end of the bargain. But the offense suffered through fits and starts, and even after the defense forced a fumble and handed the offense the ball deep in Virginia Tech territory, a field goal was blocked and returned for a 77-yard touchdown for the only points of the first half.

Not much was going right, and a once promising season was on the ropes.

Somewhere along the way, the Tigers found a spark, and scored the first 24 points of the second half. The offense hit big plays and chunk plays and quarterback Cade Klubnik rediscovered some of his earlier magic by spinning out of a sack, regaining his balance and throwing a touchdown to T.J. Moore.

Hampton wound up with three tackles and an interception deep in Clemson territory to thwart a Hokie scoring chance. Thurmon, at first glance, played well and the offensive line allowed just one sack in the second half.

And then there was the heat-seeking missile that is Sammy Brown, who led the Tigers with eight tackles, and that included a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss. Not a bad first start, right?

The Tigers even attempted a field goal in the second half – a 34-yarder by Nolan Hauser – and it split the uprights for the final points of the night by the Tigers.

The difference for the offense was finishing drives – the Tigers were just 4 of 10 on third down in the first half but were 5 of 9 in the second half. The Tigers gained 226 yards in the second and were just four yards shy of rushing for 100 in the half.

Meanwhile, the defense held Virginia Tech to just 0.8 yards per carry through three quarters and just 127 total yards while forcing three turnovers.

The second half was a start for a team looking to find its way after the loss to Louisville. Next up is a trip to Pitt, a house of horrors the last time the Tigers went to Pennsylvania.

Can the Tigers still make the ACC Championship Game, especially after Miami lost to Georgia Tech earlier in the day? Yes, but either Miami or SMU has to lose twice and Clemson has to win out. But that’s a conversation for another day.

On this day, when the Tigers answered the call on the gut-check, plays were made and momentum found. And how about those freshmen?