On a crisp fall afternoon in Memorial Stadium, the No. 10 Clemson Tigers currently lead the Tony Elliot-led Virginia Cavaliers 17-10. Below is an analysis of Clemson’s play thus far from members of The Tiger’s sports desk:
Offense:
– Cade Klubnik’s ability to extend plays has grown increasingly evident; he looks equally as calm sitting in the pocket as scrambling outside. On the Tiger’s opening drive, his left-right-left roll out of the pocket followed by a juke-out on a defender resulted in a 31-yard connection with Cole Turner.
– The Cavalier’s defense managed to stuff Clemson’s burgeoning offense early. The Tigers were held to 60 yards on the ground and 164 in the air for 17 points; against other ACC opponents, they averaged 134.5 rushing yards and 175.8 receiving for an average of 28 first-half points.
– After a lackluster start, offensive coordinator Garrett Riley realized he needed to liven up his unit and play-calling. Towards the end of the half, the team lit up Death Valley – a handoff from Klubnik to Phil Mafah, who shoveled the ball to Antonio Williams, who threw a 34-yard completion to Troy Stellato, who set the Tiger’s up on the Cavalier’s 3-yard line so Mafah could score his second touchdown of the day on the next play.
– On the ground, it was the usual suspects for Clemson as Mafah led with 12 touches for 55 yards and two touchdowns. Through the air was a very different story: while Klubnik led in overall yardage, Williams had the longest pass of the half and Stellato led with four receptions for 54 yards.
Defense:
– The Tiger’s front seven continues to dominate the trenches. Late in the first quarter, Virginia drove deep into Clemson territory, fueled by fourth down conversions, quarterback scrambles and a facemask penalty on a third down sack. Clemson ultimately forced a field goal after a crucial stop inside the five yard line.
– Clemson’s defense could not come up with a stop following Klubnik’s lone interception of the half. They started the change in possession well, forcing a third-and-17. However, Virginia’s quarterback Anthony Colandrea managed to evade the pressure and scramble for a first down. This fueled Virginia’s momentum even more, leading to a touchdown off of an 8-yard passing touchdown.
– Clemson forced another three-and-out before the two-minute timeout. Jeadyn Lukas was playing lockdown defense in the secondary, getting targeted twice but forcing two incompletions, leading to a punt
– The Tiger’s defense closed out the half by forcing a punt after a T.J. Parker sacked Colandrea on third down. Despite the struggles the Tigers experienced today, the defense has only allowed 126 yards, including 59 on the ground and 67 through the air.
– Peter Woods moved scary to open the game: all 300+ pounds of him pushed through the Cavaliers offensive line two consecutive plays in a row to get to Colandrea.
