Clemson picked up a big road win on Saturday after defeating Louisville, 45-10. The Tigers started off slow, but the offense exploded for 28 points in the second half to put the Cardinals to sleep.
The 35-point win was the Tigers’ fourth win by that margin this year, the most of any top ten team outside of Ohio State. The narrative surrounding Clemson this year though is that the Tigers have been unimpressive against a weak schedule, which is not even close to the truth. Clemson’s victory over Louisville was the Tigers’ fourth game this season in which Clemson won by 35 points or more; the Tigers had just two such wins at this point in the season last year. That seems pretty dominant.
Paws Up: Clemson’s defense dominates again
The Clemson defense once again showed that there will be no drop-off this season by Brent Venables’ unit. The Tigers recorded their fourth game this season giving up 10 points or less, second only to Ohio State’s six games. In reality, the starters only gave up a field goal to the Cardinals, who came into the game averaging 37.3 PPG. On the year, Clemson is only giving up 12 PPG, the eighth-best mark in the nation. The starters for the Tigers, however, are only giving up about 6 PPG, which is phenomenal considering what Clemson lost on defense last season. Isaiah Simmons continues to be the best player on the team, with the junior racking up eight tackles, two sacks and two tackles-for-loss against Louisville. The Tigers also had two interceptions in the win. Clemson is churning out another championship caliber defense that is holding strong while the offense keeps improving each week.
Paws Down: Trevor’s interceptions
Once again, Trevor Lawrence had a multi-interception game, his third such game of the season. That brings his season total to eight interceptions through the first seven games. This seems to be the sole reason Clemson is dropping in the polls, given they have won their last two games by 31 and 35 points. It is safe to say that the media and voters are judging Clemson based off Lawrence’s performance alone. While the interceptions are a bit alarming, not every single pick has been his fault. Lawrence also has more touchdowns through seven games than he did last year. Yes, Lawrence split the first four games last season with Kelly Bryant, but keep in mind: he has only played an entire game once this season. Remember 2016 when Deshaun Watson could not stop throwing interceptions? That turned out just fine. Lawrence will find his rhythm, and when he does, everyone is in trouble.
Paws Up: B.T Potter nails 51-yard field goal
Against Florida State, kicker B.T. Potter missed an easy chip-shot field goal before the half that sent Dabo Swinney into a rage at the sophomore that went viral. People bashed Dabo for being so harsh on a kicker. If those critics paid closer attention, Dabo is known to lay into his players after mistakes; it is what any great coach does. Swinney came out and talked to Potter after halftime of the Florida State game, and despite benching him for the second half, he told Potter he still believed in him. Swinney joined Potter for a steak dinner the following week, instilling his confidence again in Potter and reassuring him he still believed in the kid. On Saturday, when Clemson had to choose between punting or kicking a long field goal, Swinney sent Potter out to try the 51-yard field goal and Potter nailed it with ease. Overjoyed, Swinney was one of the first to meet Potter after the kick. It might sound crazy, but Dabo Swinney might actually be a great football coach.
Clemson will host Boston College this weekend for homecoming. The Tigers are 34-point favorites over the Eagles and are aiming for their second consecutive 8-0 start, something the Tigers have done four other times since 2011. Expect a physical matchup in Death Valley on Saturday.
