Clemson improved to 4-0 on the season when the Tigers took down the Charlotte 49ers, 52-10. The most exciting part of the game was the filming of a new Disney movie at halftime, which will tell the story of former Clemson football player Ray Ray McElrathbey in the mid-2000s. The rest of the game consisted of the Tigers flexing their muscles on the 49ers. There was not much playing time for the starters in this game, but their edge wasn’t needed.
Paws Up: Backup Tigers get extreme amount of playing time
One of the positives of playing a lower tier team is the opportunity to give the backups and reserves some solid playing time. Chase Brice took over for Trevor Lawrence at the 11:55 mark in the second quarter before yielding to Taisun Phommachanh late in the third. Lawrence finished 7-for-9 with 94 yards and two touchdowns while Brice went 5-7 with 85 yards and a touchdown. This was the first game without an interception for Lawrence, who has already thrown five this season. Several Tiger backups also got in on the scoring, including freshman wide receiver Joseph Ngata and freshman running back Michel Dukes, who each picked up a touchdown in the win. 111 Clemson players saw action on Saturday, a new Clemson record.
Paws Down: Clemson loses T.O.P. and turnover battle
Despite the dominating performance, the Tigers still lost the turnover battle and controlled the ball for less time than Charlotte. Clemson turned the ball over twice and only held the ball for 25 minutes and 33 seconds while Charlotte only conceded one turnover and held the ball for 34 minutes and 27 seconds. Against an opponent like Charlotte this matters very little but the Tigers should focus on turning the ball over less as the season continues. Time of possession does not matter as much because the offense can put up points any time in the game.
Paws Up: 19 straight wins and a Disney movie
The Tigers won their 19th straight game after beating Charlotte, extending the new school record Clemson set after beating Syracuse in week three. Amongst the victory was the filming of a new Disney movie featuring former Tiger Ray Ray McElrathbey, who played for the Tigers under former head coach Tommy Bowden and adopted and raised his younger brother while on the team. While filming at halftime a fake Clemson team got to run down the hill and run a few plays on the field, creating a raucous scene for Tiger fans to participate in. Safe to say the Clemson faithful showed out on Saturday night.
Paws Down: No home game for two weeks
Clemson travels to North Carolina this weekend before taking the first of its two bye weeks the following weekend. The Tigers will return home to host rival Florida State on Oct. 12th.
