Tag: Antonio Williams

Dabo Swinney gives an injury update for Nate Wiggins and Antonio Williams

Dabo Swinney gives an injury update on two key starters.

Two of Clemson’s top players, cornerback Nate Wiggins and wide receiver Antonio Williams have been dealing with injuries this week, with head coach Dabo Swinney giving an update on each player’s status During his post-practice media availability Wednesday.

According to Swinney, both Wiggins and Williams are currently labeled as day-to-day. This has been a common thing for injuries this season with the Tigers. 

“He had a good day today, so he’s getting better every day, every minute,” Swinney said of cornerback Nate Wiggins. It’s a good sign after a scary-looking injury.

On the offensive side of things, Antonio Williams missed the entire game against FSU due to his injury. He is working hard to get back on the field. 

“It’s just a matter of can he do everything he needs to do safely to be able to plant, cut, change direction, all that stuff. But same thing – he’s just getting better every day,” Swinney said. “He’s living in the training room and making a lot of progress.”

These are two essential pieces for an upcoming matchup against Syracuse. 

Dabo Swinney gives an injury update on wide receiver Antonio Williams

Swinney gives an update on wide receiver Antonio Williams.

During Clemson’s 31-24 loss to Florida State on Saturday, the Tigers were without their top wide receiver, Antonio Williams, who has been dealing with an ankle injury. 

During Swinney’s weekly press conference on Tuesday, the head coach shared an update on Williams’ status, and many of you will not be surprised by what the head coach had to say. Like Nate Wiggins, Williams has been listed as “day-to-day” by coach Swinney.

Williams has recorded 15 catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns in three games this season. He is an important piece of this offense, but the Tigers wide receivers did a solid job on Saturday with him missing. 

Right now, Williams’ status for Saturday’s matchup against Syracuse is in the air. 

Dabo Swinney gives an injury update on starting wide receiver Antonio Williams

Dabo Swinney shared an injury update on Clemson wide receiver Antonio Williams.

Dabo Swinney met with the media during a Zoom conference call on Sunday following the Tigers’ 31-24 overtime loss to Florida State and shared an update on the injury status of starting wide receiver Antonio Williams. 

Swinney was asked about Williams’ current status and whether we can expect him to be ready for Clemson’s matchup at Syracuse. Like many other injuries, Swinney is labeling Williams as day-to-day.

“We’ll see tomorrow,” Swinney said. “All these guys are in today and tomorrow, and we’ll see them tomorrow afternoon. But I think he’s gotten better every day. So, he’s still just day-to-day. I’ll know more when we meet with him tomorrow after treatment today. But he’s getting better.”

Williams was a big loss for the Florida State game and will be needed for the Clemson offense to maximize their potential. We will look out for updates on this situation this week.

A big second half lifts Clemson to a 66-17 win over Charleston Southern

Clemson recovers from a poor first half with an excellent second as they handle business against Charleston Southern in Death Valley.

It was a tale of two halves for the Clemson football team as Dabo Swinney and the Tigers beat Charleston Southern 66-17 in Death Valley on Saturday.

Clemson ended the first half with a 24-17 lead over the Buccaneers, in a half that felt very similar to their game against Duke other than them actually being able to score. There were two bad turnovers for the Tigers in the half that led directly to Charleston Southern points, with the first coming on a 4th and 1 fumble on the Tigers’ own 29 and the second on a 67-yard pick-six after a poor decision from starting quarterback Cade Klubnik.

Wide receiver Antonio Williams was one of the few bright spots of the first half, scoring two of three touchdowns. The other first-half score came from Phil Mafah’s touchdown run.

A great sign for Clemson fans was the way Swinney’s squad responded in the second half. The Tigers scored 28 points in the third quarter and completely controlled the game.

It started with a Mafah 5-yard touchdown run, and on the next drive, Wade Woodaz made a huge play. Woodaz took advantage of a pass breakup and took it to the house for a 35-yard pick-six.

These scores were followed by two Klubnik touchdown passes. One was to wide receiver Beaux Collins on a pass down the middle, he took 69 yards to the house, and the other on a Josh Sapp 25-yard touchdown.

In the matchup, Klubnik completed 28-37 passes for 315 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception. His top receivers were Antonio Williams (5 catches, 64 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Beaux Collins (7 catches, 137 yards, 1 touchdown). On the ground, Phil Mafah took 9 carries for 59 yards and two scores, with Will Shipley adding nine carries for 72 yards.

Clemson’s defense was dominant in this performance, allowing just 73 yards of total offense.

Halftime Report: Clemson leads Charleston Southern 24-17 as turnover and miscue struggles continue

Swinney and the Tigers continue their struggle as they head into the half, leading Charleston Southern 24-17.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers are in a close one with Charleston Southern, which feels a bit wild to write but is a reality.

Things feel very similar to how they did in Clemson’s upset loss in Week 1 to Duke, as miscues, poor turnovers, and a lack of consistency see the Tigers leading the Buccaneers 24-17 at the half.

There were two bad turnovers for the Tigers in the half that led directly to Charleston Southern points. The first one, the Tigers, went for it on 4th and 1 on their own 29 that set up an easy score. The second turnover was even worse, with Klubnik making a poor decision to heave the ball into the air as he was taken down, resulting in a 67-yard pick sick. 

In the half, Klubnik completed 21-29 passes for 184 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Both touchdowns went to star wide receiver Antonio Williams, who has five catches for 64 yards along with the touchdowns. 

Phil Mafah is leading the backfield right now, with eight carries for 54 yards and a touchdown. Star running back Will Shipley had just seven carries in the half. 

Clemson will look to bounce back in the second half and perform at a higher level. 

Antonio Williams scores his second touchdown of the game as Clemson takes the lead

Antonio Williams has been excellent as the Tigers retake the lead.

Cade Klubnik and the Clemson offense looked great on this drive as Klubnik found Antonio Williams on a 5-yard touchdown pass where Williams made a nice cut to find the end zone. 

It was a quick drive for the Tigers, who have had an up-and-down start to this game. It was just 3 plays for 39 yards before Clemson found the end zone. 

Besides a five-yard run from Will Shipley, the drive was all Antonio Williams. Klubnik found Williams on a solid 29-yard reception to start the drive, later finding him on a screen for six. 

Clemson now leads the Buccaneers 21-14 in the second quarter. 

Dabo Swinney is not worried about the play of Clemson’s wide receivers

Swinney isn’t worried about the play at wide receiver after Week 1. There was “nothing alarming” from the performance.

Clemson’s wide receivers had an up-and-down performance in the Tigers’ 28-7 Week 1 loss to Duke, but Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney isn’t worried about their showing.

Clemson starting quarterback Cade Klubnik completed 27-of-43 passes for 209 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in this matchup, with Clemson wide receivers struggling with drops and creating separation. Swinney understands these issues but acknowledges that this is just a part of football. 

“I did not watch a single game across the country where there were not some drops,” Swinney said. “I did not watch a single game. Yes, we caught the ball well. Yeah, we had a couple of critical drops. We had one third-and-eight there with Antonio (Williams) on a competitive play. Again, we threw for 200-plus (yards). For our first game, we did a lot of good things. I thought Beaux Collins played outstanding.”

Drops were a big issue for the Tigers. Williams wasn’t the only one with a tough drop, with Will Shipley’s leading to an interception. If the Tigers can limit these mistakes, they can perform up to their potential. 

“Yeah, we had a couple of little things,” Swinney said. “We had the one that Shipley should have caught, and that is really just a fundamental thing of him finding the route instead of drifting in the route and kind of running before he catches it.

“When you watch the NFL, you are going to see some drops. Was it an epidemic? No. Are you happy and satisfied with any drops? No. Is there anything alarming? It was actually a pretty good start with this group. We definitely have room for improvement.”

Heading into the Tigers’ Week 2 matchup against Charleston Southern, Swinney and his team need a bounce-back performance. At wide receiver, he isn’t worried. People make mistakes, and this team is built to recover and build on. 

“These are human beings. These are not robots. This is not artificial intelligence running around out there. These are young people,” Swinney said. “I thought for the first game, it was a good start and is something we can build on.

“We were certainly not perfect, but nothing alarming or anything like that.”

Who will be Cade Klubnik’s favorite target?

The Tigers need a big time receiver in order for Garrett Riley new offense to work. Who will it be?

Last season, one of the biggest issues for the Tigers was the lack of a passing threat down the field. Many wanted to blame DJ Uiagaleli for the offensive struggles, but I’ll ask those same detractors: Who was he throwing the ball to?

Since Dabo Swinney has been the head coach of the Clemson Tigers football team, the wide receiver room has been one of his best group of players. That wasn’t the case for Uiagaleli, with only two players catching more than 500 yards receiving.

Most of the group from a year ago is returning and will run routes within a new system.

Antonio Williams led the team in yards last season with 604 yards, and some expect him to be this year’s leader. Antonio Williams is a talented wide receiver on the Clemson team. As a Freshmen All-American, he can seamlessly play any position in Garrett Riley’s offense, whether in the slot or outside.

Another name that has been popping up is Beaux Collins. The junior wideout from Los Angeles averaged 17 yards per catch and tied for the most receiving touchdowns with five. Collins has been performing phenomenally during the offseason, making plays every time the Tigers touch the field.

Another sophomore, Adam Randall, is returning after suffering an injury last season. Randall completes the trio Klubnik will sling passes to this season, but we don’t know how impactful he can be with only ten catches from last season.

He is excited about how the room is growing.

“It’s been a great feel. Just us going out there and being competitive with each other and making each other better,” Randall started. “Thankfully, me and Beaux being healthy, because we weren’t there during the spring, just us being able to bring some kind of leadership and go out there and set the standard it’s really helpful for our entire room and Coach Grisham himself.”

Antonio Williams shares high praise for freshman Greenville native WR Tyler Brown

Antonio Williams had excellent things to say about this freshman wide receiver out of Greenville.

Sophomore wide receiver Antonio Williams was the best wide receiver for Clemson his freshman season and knows exactly what it takes to produce at the collegiate level. 

Heading into the 2023 season, Williams and the rest of the wide receiver room have been working hard to improve their games as they have an opportunity alongside sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnik to make a statement and prove Clemson’s offense is back on track. A freshman who has caught Williams’ eyes in camp is Greenville native Tyler Brown. 

A film junkie, Williams took the time to study Brown’s high school tape and had some great things to say about the freshman.

”I’m a big film guy so when I see freshmen commit or anything, I’m going to watch the film. That’s how I was in high school…my sophomore year, I was injured and I didn’t have any offers or anything so I’m out here watching guys that are ranked above me,” Williams said. ”Tyler Brown, he’s very good, very fast. He’s got good technique, he knows how to get in and out of breaks so he’s going to be a great player for sure.”

With high praise from a great player, Brown could learn a lot from Williams as he develops. We look forward to seeing the freshman in action.

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Williams speaks on maturing as a player, his ‘lowest point’ last season

Clemson wide receiver Antonio Williams had a productive freshman season in 2022, but he is looking to be a more complete player this fall.

When Clemson lost to South Carolina for the first time since 2013 last November, there was a lot of blame going around from fans, some of it directed toward wide receiver Antonio Williams.

Down 31-30 against the Gamecocks, Clemson’s defense forced a three-and-out with under three minutes left in the fourth quarter, setting up the Tigers to have a game-winning drive. But Clemson’s offense never even took the field, as Williams fumbled on the punt return, sealing the loss for the Tigers. Had Clemson come back and won that game, it could have had a chance at returning to the College Football Playoff.

It was a costly mistake for Williams, who was wrapping up an impressive true-freshman season and caught the only passing touchdown for the Tigers in that game.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Williams spoke about how difficult that moment was for him.

“It’s definitely a chip on my shoulder,” Williams said of the South Carolina loss. “It was probably the lowest point I had in my freshman career. In a big game like that, that’s the last thing you want. You feel like you let down all of the older guys. So, I’m coming back just trying to make more plays for them and try to win, just do the most that I can.”

Williams added that his family and the coaching staff were very supportive of him after the fumble. He said that head coach Dabo Swinney told him that mistakes are going to happen in his career, but it’s important to realize that the future can be brighter.

In an effort to learn from his mistakes as a freshman and grow as a player, the Irmo, South Carolina, native is putting his best foot forward on and off the field this fall.

“I think as a freshman, I was kind of immature,” Williams said. “There was a lot on my plate trying to focus on football and school at the same time. So, I would show up late to class, and I would miss class just from being tired from trying to gain a starting position. And then having to have school, it was just a lot.

“This year, I’m trying to take a step back but still focus on school, for sure, because that’s the main priority. Just doing both at a high level.”

Playing primarily in the slot in 2022, Williams was the Tigers’ most productive wide receiver, finishing with a team-high 56 receptions for 604 yards and four touchdowns.

As Clemson looks to climb back to the top of the mountain, Williams is set to play an instrumental role in a revamped offense under first-year offensive coordinator Garrett Riley.

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