Clemson used a couple of receivers to return punts Saturday night. That approach had mixed results.
Will Taylor and Antonio Williams both took their shot at returning punts in the Tigers’ win over Boston College. At times, Taylor was by himself fielding punts. Other times, Williams was the lone man back. And on a few occasions, the Tigers used both at the same time to increase their odds of a return regardless of which side of the field the Eagles targeted with their punts.
Taylor has been the primary returner for most of the season, returning to a role in which he served last season as a true freshman before a knee injury cut it short. But Taylor has averaged just 2.3 yards per return.
On Saturday, he unintentionally let the ball hit the ground with a couple of muffed punts, though the first one wasn’t all his fault. One of Taylor’s teammates ran into him as he tried to field a punt midway through the second quarter. Taylor ran down the loose ball to save possession for the Tigers.
In the second half, Taylor simply dropped another. He jumped on that loose ball, too, but lost 10 yards on those two plays.
“He’s back there because we trust him,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said of Taylor. “And we still trust him. But we’re very, very fortunate that we were able to get those balls.”
Williams’ two returns were much more fruitful for the Tigers, including one that went for 20 yards to spark Clemson late in the second quarter. It set the offense up with its second-best starting field position of the night at Boston College’s 28-yard line, and the Tigers scored on their ensuing drive to take a 10-3 lead that they never relinquished.
Swinney said he will use practice this week to re-evaluate Taylor and Williams before making a decision on whether or not to use one or both of them in that role when Clemson travels to Florida State on Saturday.
“Just like every week, you evaluate the game, what you see, go back to work and make decisions through the week,” he said.