Game Review: Clemson vs. App. St.
After a huge let down in Week 1, the Clemson Tigers finally decided to settle in offensively for the first time since 2020. Clemson put down a Trevor Lawrence style beat down on Appalachian State winning their home opener 66-20. For just the third time in the last four years, Clemson obtained 50+ points and silenced the naysayers for now (ESPN). With help from Cade Klubnik’s stellar first half, the Tigers broke the 1st quarter point record, the half time point record, and the total yardage record for a half in Clemson Football History. Klubnik was also the first Quarterback since Heisman winning Lamar Jackson to obtain 4+ passing TDs and 2+ rushing TDs in just a half of football. Clemson is looking to carry this momentum into ACC play after their bye week. They open ACC play against a seemingly struggling NC State team that just got obliterated by Tennessee in a neutral site game.
Key Tiger Takeaways:
Wesco Jr. and Moore have arrived: This past Saturday was Bryant Wesco Jr’s first start as a Clemson Tiger after only playing 12 snaps against the Georgia Bulldogs. Wesco Jr. made his presence known early into the game. After two lackluster offensive plays to start the game, he caught a beautifully thrown ball by Klubnik and took it to the house for a 76 yard score. Wesco Jr. followed that play with a stellar catch on the next drive to secure a 51 yard pass to the App. St. 2 yard line. Wesco Jr. ended his night leading the Tigers in receiving yards with 3 catches for 130 yards and 1 TD (ESPN). Fellow Freshman T.J. Moore’s night was not as outstanding; however, he looks the part as well to be the next great Clemson Wide Receiver. Moore was involved early into the game even before former starters Cole Turner and Adam Randall, solidifying his presence on the Clemson depth chart. Moore’s plays were not as flashy as Wesco Jr’s, but his slick route running and natural hands elevate Clemson’s offense when he is on the field. Moore finished the night with 3 catches for 44 yards and 1 TD coming on a 33 yard catch and run (ESPN). These two Freshman transform Clemson’s Offense when they are on the field, and I expect them to be involved early and often from here on out. The key players to the Clemson Receiving Core are expected to be these two Freshman along side Sophomores Antonio Williams and Tyler Brown.
Matt Luke Effect: The Clemson Offensive Line dominated the Appalachian State front during the entire game even while missing starting LG Marcus Tate. They are truly the unsung heroes that enabled Klubnik’s star studded performance. The improvement seen in this position group after less than one year of coaching from Matt Luke is absurd. I stated in a previous article that Matt Luke and his coaching will pay dividends for the Tigers throughout the season, and we saw that come to fruition against the Mountaineers.
Cade Klubnik: Finally living up to his 5 star name, Klubnik had a record breaking night against the Mountaineers. Cade was able to throw for 378 yds, 5 TDs, 92% completion percentage, and while also running for 2 TDs in just a half of football (ESPN). Klubnik’s passing yards, passing TDs, and rushing TDs all set career highs for himself. After a week of criticism from most fans, I stood strong in my belief that he did not look bad against the top ranked Bulldogs, and his improvement was obvious against App. St. His new found composure in the pocket behind a revamped OL is the new key to success for the Tigers. A calm, collected Cade is important for the Tigers moving forward going into ACC play.
Secondary Depth: After some busted coverages against the Bulldogs a week ago, the Tigers switched up their secondary against the Mountaineers. With a healthy Shelton Lewis, Khalil Barnes was moved back to a true Safety role and Lewis played the Nickel position. Junior Sherrod Covil Jr was also allowed to play the Nickel position after not recording a single snap against the top ranked UGA. The Tigers were also able to get valuable reps for their top depth options in Ashton Hampton (Fr) and Branden Strozier (RS/Fr). The Secondary looked much improved versus a weaker opponent as they held Veteran QB Joey Aguilar to an abysmal 44 percent completion percentage.
Clemson Football: Because of the prominent lead Clemson was able to obtain, they were able to play 105 players per David Hood (Senior Writer for TigerNet). Clemson had become so used to getting reps for all their players under Dabo Swinney; however, the offensive struggles from the past 3 years have inhibited Coach Swinney from playing his depth pieces. The snaps that their depth pieces were able to play are extremely valuable in developing players in a program that does not take many transfers. This experience allows for players to be ready if called upon later on due to unexpected injuries. Freshman Linebacker Sammy Brown is a perfect example of this as he was able to lead the Tigers in tackles with 9 (ESPN). Especially with Clemson’s Linebacker depth being so slim, these reps will play an important role as the season progresses. This is just one sample of many players that proved themselves as trustworthy against the Mountaineers. A few more names that proved their worth are RB Jay Haynes, DT Stephilyan Green, OL Colin Sadler, and OL Harris Sewell.
Sources:
ESPN. “ESPN.” ESPN.com, 2019, www.espn.com/.
“Clemson Tigers | Clemson University Athletics.” Clemson Tigers Official Athletics Site, clemsontigers.com. (For Picture)