Kobe Pace – Page 6 – Syndication Server

Clemson dominates No. 10 Wake Forest to stay in contention

In order to knock off a No. 10 Wake Forest team to stay alive in ACC Championship contention, Clemson was going to need to play its most complete 60 minutes this season. And needless to say, it did. Needing to come out with a statement, it wasn’t …

In order to knock off a No. 10 Wake Forest team to stay alive in ACC Championship contention, Clemson was going to need to play its most complete 60 minutes this season.

And needless to say, it did.

Needing to come out with a statement, it wasn’t until the second half that Clemson dominated both halves of the field to take full control of Saturday’s 48-27 win over the Demon Deacons.

Behind an elite defensive performance and the best rushing attack they’ve had all season, the Tigers cruised to a crushing conference blowout. Wake Forest hadn’t lost a conference matchup all season, well it hadn’t faced a Brent Venables-led defense either.

Sam Hartman and the Demon Deacons came into Saturday’s contest with one of the nation’s most potent scoring attacks. Wake Forest scored 35+ points in each of its previous 10 games this season. That did not happen on Saturday, as Clemson held the Deacs to just 27 points.

Funny enough, those 27 points were the most that Wake Forest has scored against Clemson in the Dave Clawson era.

Hartman started to get into a rhythm before halftime, but the play that made him a Heisman candidate for much of the season was few and far between. He took an absolute beating in the trenches as Clemson’s defensive front just flat out man-handled Wake’s offensive line.

The mesh concepts that took the nation by the storm were no match for anything the Tigers had to offer defensively.

On the first play from scrimmage, Hartman was sacked for a loss of six yards by none other than James Skalski. It was fitting a beginning of the end for the sixth-year linebacker, who went out a winner in his final game at Memorial Stadium on Senior Day.

Clemson would go on to sack Hartman another six times.

Hartman completed 27-of-43 passes for 312 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also had 14 rushes for -37 yards. In total, the Demon Deacons

While the defense can paint the picture of Saturday’s game, it’s not complete without the offense, which certainly had its best performance against an FBS opponent this season.

Clemson’s offensive line, executing a lineup change before Saturday, easily turned in its best effort of the season, allowing for Kobe Pace to have a career day. Pace rushed for 191 yards on 24 carries, averaging eight yards a carry.

The Tigers elected not to start Marcus Tate at left guard, which opened up the door for an interior lineup (left-to-right) of Hunter Rayburn, Mason Trotter and Will Putman, who returned from a two-game absence with an ankle injury.

Clemson surpassed its season-high rushing total, gaining 333 yards on 54 carries, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. The Tigers’ previous season-high was 242 rushing yards, which came in the team’s 49-3 win over South Carolina State back on Saturday, Sept. 11.

It was the first time since 2018 that two Clemson running backs rushed for over 100 yards.

Will Shipley accounted for 112 of those 333 yards. He also scored both of Clemson’s first-half touchdowns, including a two-yard jump pass on a trick play to Davis Allen. Shipley added another rushing touchdown with two minutes remaining in Saturday’s game.

Shipley’s second-quarter touchdown pass was the first touchdown pass by a non-quarterback in a Clemson uniform since Sammy Watkins threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to Andre Ellington at Florida State in 2012.

As for the quarterback, D.J. Uiagelelei didn’t have his smoothest game of the season by any stretch of the imagination, but he did enough to put Clemson in a position to win. Uiaglelei completed 11-of-19 passes for 208 yards with a touchdown and an interception. His lone passing touchdown was a 58-yard strike to Beaux Collins, who had a career-high 137 receiving yards.

Uigalelei also turned over the ball another time, as did Pace, who had a first-half fumble, which was long forgotten after he nearly totaled 200 yards on the ground.

However, Clemson’s defense was able to even up the score, well at least as far as the turnover margin is concerned.

Maybe the most telling stat of the day is that Will Spiers, who has been rather busy this season, had just one punt on the afternoon. While it was the final home game of his long-storied Clemson career, Tigers’ fans didn’t mind seeing him on the sideline for much of the game.

Clemson took care of business in its 21-point victory. Now, it’ll need some help from some other ACC foes like Syracuse, North Carolina and Boston College.

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Clemson cashes in on Wake turnover to regain two-score lead

Following turnovers on back-to-back plays early in the third quarter, Clemson extended its lead over No. 10 Wake Forest back to two scores in Saturday’s game at Death Valley. After a D.J. Uiagalelei pitch was tipped and the fumble was recovered by …

Following turnovers on back-to-back plays early in the third quarter, Clemson extended its lead over No. 10 Wake Forest back to two scores in Saturday’s game at Death Valley.

After a D.J. Uiagalelei pitch was tipped and the fumble was recovered by the Demon Deacons at their own 15-yard line, Wake running back Christian Turner coughed the ball right back up, with Myles Murphy forcing the fumble and the Tigers recovering it at the Wake 20.

Clemson quickly cashed in on the turnover, scoring a touchdown three plays later on an 8-yard touchdown run right up the middle by Kobe Pace for a 24-10 lead at the 10:50 mark of the third quarter.

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Plenty at stake for Clemson in showdown with Wake Forest

The scenario for Clemson entering its final home game of the season is pretty cut and dry: Win or else. There’s still no guarantee the Tigers make it to their seventh straight ACC championship game even if the former happens. Clemson (7-3, 5-2 ACC) …

The scenario for Clemson entering its final home game of the season is pretty cut and dry: Win or else.

There’s still no guarantee the Tigers make it to their seventh straight ACC championship game even if the former happens. Clemson (7-3, 5-2 ACC) still needs Wake Forest (9-1, 6-0) to lose next week to Boston College and North Carolina State to lose at least one of its last two conference games.

But if the Tigers don’t take care of business against the 10th-ranked Demon Deacons today in a game Vegas actually has Clemson favored in, then nothing else matters. Kickoff from Memorial Stadium is set for noon.

“We’re trying to stay alive,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “We’re a wounded dog on the side of the road. We need a little help, but we’re still alive.”

While the ACC’s Atlantic Division race may be at the top of the list, it’s not the only thing at stake for the Tigers.

With a win, the Tigers’ senior class would finish 26-0 at home over the last four seasons, becoming the second straight group of seniors to go undefeated at Memorial Stadium during their playing careers in a four-year span. That hasn’t happened since the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration (1940-41) when Clemson was playing its home games at Riggs Field. Memorial Stadium didn’t open until 1942.

Clemson’s last loss at home happened back in 2016 against Pittsburgh, a game in which five “super seniors” on this year’s roster didn’t play. The Tigers have ripped off 33 straight home wins since, another streak they’re trying to keep going against Wake Forest. It’s the longest active home winning streak in the nation.

“We haven’t lost a game at home in like five years,” said one of those super seniors, linebacker James Skalski. “It’d be pretty cool to go out with the longest win streak at home and to keep it going not only for our class but next year and the year after that. Just keep the momentum going.”

Asked what the biggest reason is for Clemson’s success on its home turf, Skalski gave a nod to those who turn out to support the Tigers each fall.

“It’s a great stadium, but the fans make it what it is,” he said. “The energy they bring. The passion. It’s just a special place. You can feel it when you’re playing in the stadium. I’m going to miss it a lot when it’s done.”

In order to keep all of that in play, Clemson will have to play perhaps its most complete game against what Swinney called the most complete team the Tigers have seen all season. Wake Forest is enjoying its best season under eighth-year coach Dave Clawson, whose offense, led by fourth-year sophomore Sam Hartman, is scoring the second-most points in the country (44.7 per game). The Demon Deacons are the only team in the Football Bowl Subdivision that’s scored at least 35 in every game it’s played.

They’re balanced, too. While Wake Forest does a lot of its damage with big plays through the passing game (14th nationally in passing yards), the Demon Deacons also rank 50th in the FBS in rushing (180 yards per game).

Clemson will counter with the nation’s No. 3 scoring defense and a unit that’s yielded the fewest plays of 20 yards or more in the ACC. The Tigers had few problems slowing Hartman and company down last season in a 37-13 win, holding Wake Forest to 330 yards and one touchdown.

“The past is the past,” Skalski said. “That doesn’t mean anything. They’re a different. We’re a different team. It’s about can we execute right here and right now?”

Defensively is where Wake Forest struggles the most, but how much the banged-up Tigers are able to take advantage of that remains to be seen. Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei is still battling a sprained knee, and his backup, Taisun Phommachanh, is questionable to play with a shoulder injury. Clemson will also be without its leading receiver, Justyn Ross (foot), whose college career may be over.

The running game should get a boost from the return of Clemson’s top two running backs, Will Shipley and Kobe Pace, as well as starting offensive lineman Will Putnam. The Tigers will try to bounce back from a 129-yard rushing performance against Connecticut last week — their 3.1 yards per carry tied for the fewest in the last five games — against a Wake Forest defense allowing more than 200 yards a game on the ground.

For the Tigers, it’s all about whatever it takes one last time this season at Death Valley, where all of Clemson’s league wins have come by 10 points or less.

“This is a huge game for a lot of reasons,” Swinney said.

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3 keys to a Clemson win over Wake Forest

Clemson will look to go out at Memorial Stadium on a high note Saturday when No. 10 Wake Forest comes to town for the Tigers’ home finale. Should Clemson pull the upset, it would keep its (small) hope alive of representing the Atlantic Division in …

So what do the Tigers need to do for that to happen? Here are three keys:

Mess up the mesh

Wake Forest (44.7 points per game) has been one of the more potent offenses all season with its spread principles, which isn’t unique to college football. But one element of its attack is.

The Demon Deacons use a much slower mesh point than nearly every other offense when running zone reads, run-pass options or play-action passes, forcing defenses to wait longer to figure out who has the ball and ultimately putting them in more conflict than usual. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and defensive coordinator Brent Venables have likened it to defending the triple option.

Of course, the way to disrupt that timing is to affect the mesh, which will require a disruptive performance from the Tigers up front.

The linebackers and secondary will need to do their part, too, in order to maintain gap integrity and coverage on the back end against an offense throwing for the third-most yards of anybody in the ACC. But applying pressure in the backfield will force Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman to make quicker decisions on whether he wants to keep the ball or hand it off, which would allow the rest of the defense to know what’s coming sooner and reacting accordingly.

Clemson has been one of the nation’s best all season at doing that, ranking in the top 13 nationally in sacks (3.2 per game) and tackles for loss (7.5). The Tigers will need another pressurized performance from its defensive line, particularly defensive tackles Tyler Davis and Ruke Orhorhoro, who, if they can get push on the interior, can set the tone for everyone else.

And if the Tigers can meet Hartman and his backs at the mesh frequently enough, they could force a turnover or two, which would also help Clemson’s chances.

Give up three instead of six

In a matchup of strength versus strength, though, Clemson’s ACC-leading defense and Wake’s big-play offense figure to both make their share of plays. The Demon Deacons have scored at least 35 points against everyone they’ve played and figure to pose plenty of scoring threats this weekend.

In fact, Wake has made 48 trips to the red zone this season. Only 10 teams in the FBS have visited it more. The Demon Deacons, who rank seventh nationally in red-zone efficiency (93.8%), have turned 34 of those trips into touchdowns, including all five in their win over North Carolina State last week.

Meanwhile, Clemson has made a living turning opposing offenses away — or at least limiting the damage — the closer they get to the end zone. The Tigers own the nation’s top red-zone defense, allowing points on just 13 of 24 trips. Only six times has Clemson given up a touchdown once an opposing offense reaches the 20-yard line.

The defense has bailed Clemson out time and time again with late stops, including a pair of goal-line stands against Georgia Tech and Louisville and a red-zone turnover forced against Boston College. Could the Tigers find themselves in that situation again?

Keeping everything in front would help against an offense that’s produced plenty of chunk touchdowns. And then forcing field goals when Wake Forest does get close would go a long way toward giving Clemson a shot at the end.

Run the ball

Clemson’s offense has to do its part as well. And given the Tigers’ quarterback situation, it’s not hard to figure out which facet needs to come through the most.

D.J. Uiagalelei had made some strides in the passing game before spraining his knee in the first half against Louisville a couple of weeks ago. Then he went an uninspiring 21 of 44 against Connecticut last week, which included an interception, a number of off-target throws and more drops by a receiving corps that’s been further decimated by injuries.

The loss of Justyn Ross means Clemson will be without its top three receivers Saturday, leaving sophomore E.J. Williams and a pair of true freshmen, Beaux Collin and Dacari Collins, as Uiagalelei’s primary targets (along with tight end Davis Allen). Oh, and backup quarterback Taisun Phommachanh is dealing with a banged-up throwing shoulder he injured in his only handful of snaps last week, so how much he’ll be able to do if anything Saturday is unclear.

Clemson will need to find a way to hit on some plays through the air to help loosen up Wake Forest’s defense, but the aforementioned issues make it hard to envision the Tigers being able to do that consistently. Their best chance to consistently move the ball figures to be with a running game that needs to show back up in a big way.

After averaging nearly 168 rushing yards over the previous five games, the Tigers had a stinker against UConn, rushing for just 129 yards on 43 carries against the nation’s 105th-ranked run defense. Wake Forest has been even worse defending the run, allowing nearly 202 yards a game on the ground (112th nationally).

While last week’s performance didn’t inspire much confidence, Clemson was missing its top two running backs in leading rusher Will Shipley (knee) and Kobe Pace (concussion), who were held out in order to get them back to as close to full strength as possible for this week. The Tigers were also without starting lineman Will Putnam (ankle), who’s also expected to play Saturday.

Clemson has only lost once in Swinney’s tenure when it reaches 200 yards on the ground. The Tigers have only rushed for 200-plus yards three times this season, but they’ll need as much help as they can get from a more complete stable of backs and the offensive line with a quarterback who’s hurting and a more mobile backup that may not be available.

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Clemson’s offense still ‘chasing’ peak performance, which it needs now

One of the nation’s most explosive offenses will take the field inside Memorial Stadium on Saturday, but it won’t be coming from the home sideline. It’s a harsh reality that’s still taking some getting used to 10 games into this season for Clemson’s …

One of the nation’s most explosive offenses will take the field inside Memorial Stadium on Saturday, but it won’t be coming from the home sideline.

It’s a harsh reality that’s still taking some getting used to 10 games into this season for Clemson’s players, coaches and fans, who’ve watched the Tigers go from a juggernaut on that side of the ball to a unit that’s still trying to find its footing and, at times, looks like it’s stuck in place. The Tigers have had their moments, particularly in the back half of the season, but Clemson enters its home finale against No. 10 Wake Forest on Saturday still looking for a complete performance.

“We’re chasing that,” said offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, whose unit still ranks no better than 95th out of 130 FBS teams in yards or points.

Meanwhile, Wake Forest’s offense is humming behind big plays reminiscent of what the Tigers produced consistently during their six-year run in the College Football Playoff that will come to an end this season. With a unique approach that utilizes a slower mesh point than most spread teams, the Demon Deacons (44.7 points per game) trail only Ohio State nationally in scoring, having dropped at least 35 points against everyone they’ve played to this point. They’ve been even better down the stretch, averaging 51 points over their last five games.

With a fourth-year sophomore at quarterback in Sam Hartman and two of the ACC’s top six receivers in A.T. Perry and Jaquarii Roberson, Wake Forest is averaging 318 passing yards with 28 of its pass plays covering at least 30 yards. That’s tied for the most in the country.

“They put a lot of stress on you coverage-wise because of how they force you to play with their scheme,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “We’ve got to do a great job outside. We’ve got to win matchups. It’s not real complicated. You’ve got to win on the ball. Simple as that.”

The defense will get a boost with the expected return of top cornerback Andrew Booth (stinger), who was held out of last week’s game against Connecticut as a precaution. Clemson, which is yielding the third-fewest points in the country, will easily be the best defense Wake Forest has seen all season, but the Demon Deacons will counter with perhaps the most complete offense the Tigers have faced. They have a formidable ground game to complement what they do through the air, ranking 50th nationally in rushing (180.4 yards per game).

Wake Forest’s potency could force Clemson’s offense to have to keep up in a game that still has some meaning for the Tigers. The Demon Deacons, which are still unbeaten in ACC play, still have two conference games left while this is it for Clemson, so the Tigers have to win in order to keep hope alive of forcing a tiebreaker scenario atop the Atlantic Division standings that puts them in the conference title game for a seventh straight year. There’s also a 33-game home winning streak on the line — the nation’s longest active streak — on Senior Day.

The offense may need its most efficient showing of the season to pull all of that off considering the opponent, but it’s no different than the unit’s usual mindset, even if it hasn’t always gone according to plan.

“We want to score every time we get on the field or at least reserve the right to kick. That’s our offensive theory,” Elliott said. “We say let’s put an emphasis on kicking extra points after scoring touchdowns but at least get ourselves in position to get a field goal.

“Not going to put the pressure on myself or the players. We understand that this is the biggest game of the season because it’s the one we have right now. There are going to be a lot of factors around the game from an emotional standpoint that we can’t let drain us or get to us, and then we’ve just got to focus on clean execution and then make sure that we not only match but we exceed the level of effort and want-to of our opponent.”

The offense took some baby steps in wins over Florida State and Louisville, pulling off late fourth-quarter comebacks to crack the 20-point mark in regulation in back-to-back games for the first time all season. The running game had also found a bit of a groove, averaging 165 yards in its five games before a vastly inferior UConn team showed up at Memorial Stadium last weekend.

Which made the step back Clemson took against the Huskies all the more head-scratching. The Tigers finished with more than 450 yards of offense in a runaway win, but things were choppy even before they began clearing their bench.

Swinney said he didn’t think D.J. Uiagalelei’s sprained right knee affected his accuracy all that much, but Clemson’s quarterback completed just 21 of 44 passes with a touchdown and an interception while playing the better part of three quarters. And Clemson’s offensive line was bullied at times by the interior of UConn’s defensive front, which played a part in the Tigers rushing for just 129 yards on 43 carries (3.1 yards per carry).

Clemson on Saturday is expected to get back its top two running backs, Will Shipley (knee) and Kobe Pace (concussion), and starting guard Will Putnam (ankle), who, like Booth, were all held out to give them an extra week to get back closer to full strength. But like it has almost on a weekly basis, the unit is dealing with more attrition.

Backup quarterback Taisun Phommachanh, who led a touchdown drive in the second quarter last week before injuring his shoulder, didn’t practice Monday, and whether he’ll be available as a changeup for an ailing Uiagalelei on Saturday is still unknown. Swinney said he’ll have a better idea later in the week as to how much Phommachanh will be able to do if he’s able to give it a go.

Clemson will also be without star receiver Justyn Ross, who aggravated a stress fracture in his foot against UConn and could be done for the rest of the season. With Joseph Ngata (foot) and Frank Ladson Jr. (groin) also out, that leaves E.J. Williams and true freshmen Beaux Collins and Dacari Collins as the Tigers’ top three wideouts this week.

“There are so many nuances this year that nobody saw coming,” reserve running back Darien Rencher said.

Clemson has won five of its last six games despite the offense’s general lack of fluidity and cohesion, but if there was ever a week the group needed to put it all together with what it’s got, this is it.

“It’s always something, but these guys continue to find a way to persevere and push through,” Elliott said. “So we’re going to build on that and put together the best plan.”

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Swinney on three key players set to return Saturday

During his press conference Tuesday, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney shared that these three key players will be back in action on Saturday when the Tigers take on Wake Forest at Death Valley. Swinney said freshman running back Will Shipley and …

During his press conference Tuesday, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney shared that these three key players will be back in action on Saturday when the Tigers take on Wake Forest at Death Valley.

Swinney said freshman running back Will Shipley and sophomore running back Kobe Pace will play against the Demon Deacons after being held out of last Saturday’s game against UConn as a precaution.

Swinney also told reporters that starting right guard Will Putnam will return Saturday after missing the last two games with an ankle injury,

“Obviously you’ve got Shipley and Kobe back. That’s a big shot for us,” Swinney said. “We’ll get Putnam back, so that’s a big plus for us, too. He’s missed a couple games, so to get him back going will be a positive as well. So, we’re going to need everybody.”

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The good, the bad and the ugly from Clemson’s win over UConn

Clemson made easy work of Connecticut on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from the Tigers’ 44-7 win: The good It wasn’t exactly the stiffest level of competition, but the defense dominated an inferior offense the …

Clemson made easy work of Connecticut on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from the Tigers’ 44-7 win:

The good

It wasn’t exactly the stiffest level of competition, but the defense dominated an inferior offense the way it should with a bounceback performance that doubled as the Tigers’ most suffocating of the season.

A week after Louisville ran all over Clemson, UConn never got going. It helped the Huskies didn’t have a dual-threat quarterback like Malik Cunningham, but nothing worked for UConn, which was no match for the Tigers’ talent and physicality, particularly up front.

Clemson lived in the backfield with nine tackles for loss and six sacks. UConn finished with minus-17 rushing yards and, at one point in the second half, was in the minus-40s. It was the fifth-lowest rushing total for an opponent in Clemson’s history.

Because Clemson kept UConn in long-yardage downs or behind the chains for most of the day, the Huskies finished with just 99 yards of offense and went 0 for 14 on third down. The Huskies’ offense reached Clemson’s side of midfield once in 16 possessions, and the closest UConn came to sniffing the end zone was after Brian Brewton returned a kickoff 76 yards late in the fourth quarter to put the Huskies at Clemson’s 12-yard line after a personal foul.

Even with reserves in the game at that point, the Tigers eventually turned UConn over on downs. Clemson did that three other times, too, holding the Huskies to a combined 0 of 18 on third and fourth downs. The Tigers added two turnovers for good measure.

Offensively, Clemson posted a season-high in passing yards (347) among the four quarterbacks who played. Freshman receiver Dacari Collins stepped in for the injured Joseph Ngata and Justyn Ross on the outside and had his best game in a Clemson uniform to this point, catching six passes for 97 yards in three quarters. Another freshman, tight end Jake Briningstool, made an acrobatic 25-yard catch late in the fourth quarter for his first career touchdown.

Special teams also contributed to the win in a big way. B.T. Potter continued to show those three missed field goals against Florida State a couple of weeks back was more of an aberration, going a perfect 7-for-7 on his kicks. He was 3 of 3 on field goals, including a pair of 49-yarders. Senior receiver Will Swinney, who doubles as the Tigers’ holder, executed a fake field goal late in the first quarter when he darted 6 yards through the middle of UConn’s defense for Clemson’s first touchdown.

The bad

D.J. Uiagalelei had his good moments, including a beautifully placed 32-yard touchdown toss to Beaux Collins just before the half. But the latest performance from Clemson’s quarterback was far more reminiscent of his more inaccurate ones in the first half of the season.

Uiagalelei went 21 of 44 passing for his third-lowest completion percentage of the season. Drops were also an issue for the first time in a few weeks, but most of the incompletions were simply misfires, some of which didn’t come close to their intended target. Many of Uiagalelei’s passes sailed high, including one to Collins near the goal line in the first half that almost certainly would’ve been a touchdown.

Accuracy was a real struggle early for Uiagalelei, who had a stretch in the first half where he had just five completions in 18 attempts and missed on eight straight throws at one point. Uiagalelei, who wasn’t made available for interviews afterward, played with a brace on his sprained right knee, but Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said the injury didn’t affect Uiagalelei during the week of practice.

“Looked great (in practice),” Swinney said. “Just some missed plays, and there were a couple of plays we need to make for him. Kind of just off our hands and things that kind of get you in rhythm as well that we didn’t make. Just inaccurate early, but he battled through it.”

Even with one healthy knee, Uiagalelei attempted more passes than he had in any game in all season. Part of it was the way UConn chose to defend Clemson, Swinney said, but some of it was because backup Taisun Phommachanh hurt his shoulder during the only drive he played, keeping Uiagalelei in the game for longer stretches than the Tigers would’ve liked.

And none of Clemson’s quarterbacks got much help from a running game that missing several key pieces. Running backs Will Shipley and Kobe Pace were held out as a precaution while offensive lineman Will Putnam missed his second straight game with an ankle injury, and the Tigers averaged just 3.1 yards on their 42 carries against the nation’s No. 111 rush defense. Senior Darien Rencher, playing his second game of the season, fumbled at the goal line early in the fourth quarter, adding to a choppy performance after the offense had made some strides the previous two weeks.

The ugly

As well as the other aspects of the special-teams unit performed, Clemson’s kickoff coverage team was a mess from the start. Before Brewton had that long return late in the game, he had an even longer one on the game’s opening kickoff.

He even dropped the ball near the goal line, but the Huskies’ freshman running back picked it up and then took off toward the sideline, where there were no purple jerseys to be found. Brewton went 99 yards untouched to the house, shocking Clemson and most of the fans in attendance, and averaged 63 yards on his three kick returns.

“Poor technique right there,” Swinney said of the coverage on the opening kickoff. “Next thing you know, that ball is outside and we’ve got a bunch of guys caught up inside. And that kid is a good player. He’s fast, and we saw that on tape. But just a bad play.”

And it’s a broken record at this point, but Phommachanh was among the injuries added to a list that continues to grow by the week. Ross’ afternoon ended three catches in after he injured his left foot. He watched most of the game on crutches with a boot. Reserve linebacker Sergio Allen was carted off with an undisclosed injury. Defensive end Xavier Thomas’ day was cut short because of a hamstring.

James Skalski was also dinged up at one point, but Swinney said afterward the senior linebacker is fine. Whether that’s the case for the others remains to be seen, but further attrition isn’t what the Tigers need with ACC leader Wake Forest coming to town next weekend for a game that could still decide who gets to represent the Atlantic Division in next month’s conference title game.

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Clemson’s offense deceiving with its latest performance

Clemson’s offense ran 99 plays Saturday. The Tigers totaled 476 yards on those snaps with 347 of those coming through the air, a season-high. Clemson also scored more points than it has against any FBS opponent all season and cruised to a 44-7 …

So it was a good day for the offense, right?

That’s not exactly the right adjective.

The final numbers, particularly for a group that’s struggled to find any consistent footing throughout the season, certainly look good for a Power Five roster littered with four- and five-star recruits going up against one that can only dream about that kind of talent. On the surface, it looked like another step in the right direction for an offense that had reached the 20-point mark in regulation against back-to-back FBS foes for the first time all season.

But looks, as they say, can be deceiving.

“Really the story of the day was missed plays,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “So many missed opportunities for just very easy plays. So that was a little disappointing.”

It was a struggle for most of the afternoon for the first- and second-teamers, who found the end zone just three times as injuries continue to mount. Leading rusher Will Shipley and Kobe Pace were both held out as a precaution. Offensive lineman Will Putnam (ankle) missed his second straight game. And Justyn Ross permanently joined fellow injured wideout Joseph Ngata on the sideline during the first half after going down with a foot injury.

Then there’s quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, who’s dealing with an injury of his own. Uiagalelei sported a brace to support the right knee he sprained the previous week at Louisville, but that didn’t explain everything to the kind of performance that reverted back to the erratic ones he put on display during the first half of the season.

Uiagalelei had a season-high in passing yards (247), but he completed just 47% of his passes with a touchdown and an interception, his seventh of the season. A handful of drops didn’t help, but those misfires that were so frequent through Clemson’s first eight games reared their ugly head. At one point, Uiagalelei threw eight straight incompletions and finished the first half 17 of 37.

“He’s been great in practice. He was awesome all week,” Swinney said. “Just was very inaccurate in the first quarter and a half. Just very, very inaccurate. But it wasn’t that way in practice all week.”

Taisun Phommachanh came in early in the second quarter and helped lead Clemson’s first touchdown drive, completing a 33-yard pass to Dacari Collins in the process. But Phommachanh never re-entered the game, and not because his coaches didn’t want to put him back in.

Offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said there were conversations about letting Phommachanh take over the offense for the rest of the half, but the Tigers’ backup was added to the injury list when he banged up his shoulder at some point during that possession. Swinney said after the game he’s hopeful it’s nothing serious.

“Taisun came in there and gave us a spark, so there would’ve been a lot more opportunity for Taisun had he been available in the first half but also, too, in the second half as we started to let guys play,” Elliott said.

That’s part of the reason why Uiagalelei attempted a season-high 44 passes on one healthy knee. Swinney said UConn invited more passes with its one-high safety look that often left man coverage on the outside, but Uiagalelei also started the second half despite throwing a touchdown pass to Beaux Collins late in the first half that extended Clemson’s lead to three touchdowns at the break. He wasn’t relieved by walk-ons Hunter Helms and Billy Wiles until late in the third quarter.

Elliott said there was no thought of turning to Helms at any point in the first half. Swinney said he didn’t think about it to start the third quarter either.

“We needed to get control of the game,” Swinney said. “And we felt like we had control of the game. We just wanted to finish with a little bit more precision there, and I thought it was good for D.J. just kind of working his way out.”

Clemson’s quarterbacks also combined to put the ball in the air 57 times because the Tigers couldn’t consistently run the ball against the nation’s 111th-ranked run defense. Clemson had been better on the ground of late, averaging 165 rushing yards over the last five games, but the Tigers mustered just 129 yards on 42 carries, or barely 3 yards per tote.

“It wasn’t what I was expecting,” Elliott said. “Give credit to UConn. They did a good job and had a good plan. They had a couple of weeks to prepare. They tried to stop our prominent runs, the inside zone, and we tried to get to some outside stuff.

“Overall I want to watch the tape and kind of see what happened. Just weren’t consistent enough.”

Clemson also converted just 5 of 22 third downs, leading to a season-high in fourth-down attempts. The Tigers converted five of its six fourth downs, including three on their first scoring drive. Wiles’ 25-yard touchdown pass to freshman tight end Jake Briningstool in garbage time put some makeup on the final score.

“No concern,” Elliott said. “Just an opportunity for us to make sure we reset and focus. Get some guys back and ready to go. Challenge some guys from a leadership standpoint. Great learning opportunity. What the guys have shown this year is that they respond. They rebound. So we won’t bigger than what it really is.”

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One particular position group making ‘a lot of progress’ for Clemson

As Clemson’s offense continues to make incremental progress, one position group in particular has caught the eye of Clemson coach Dabo Swinney in helping with that. Even with the attrition it’s dealt with throughout the season, Swinney said the …

As Clemson’s offense continues to make incremental progress, one position group in particular has caught the eye of Clemson coach Dabo Swinney in helping with that.

Even with the attrition it’s dealt with throughout the season, Swinney said the backfield has made significant strides over the course of nine games. Specifically, it’s the young running backs — sophomore Kobe Pace and true freshmen Will Shipley and Phil Mafah — who have stood out with their progression.

“(Running backs coach) C.J. (Spiller) has done a great job with that group. He really has,” Swinney said. “We’ve got to go recruit. We don’t have many, but those three we’ve got, they can play for anybody in the country.”

Pace, Shipley and Mafah have handled the workload since Lyn-J Dixon and Michel Dukes left the team early in the season. Darien Rencher is the other scholarship back on the roster, but South Carolina State is still the only game the sixth-year senior has played in this season.

Shipley in particular has come on of late after returning from the lower leg injury he sustained against North Carolina State on Sept. 25. Despite missing two games, the former five-star signee leads Clemson in rushing yards (438) and rushing touchdowns (7). He had a season-high 128 yards and two scores, including the game-winner, against Florida State two weeks ago and is averaging 4.6 yards per carry over the last three games.

Pace was the Tigers’ leading rusher until missing the FSU game because of COVID-19 protocols. He had just two carries against Louisville last week before leaving the game with a concussion, but Pace has still rushed for 341 yards and three scores in the first extended playing time of his career. He combined for 201 of those yards against Boston College and Syracuse last month.

Meanwhile, Mafah, the biggest back on the roster at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, has brought some explosion to the ground game ever since his redshirt was pulled five games into the season. He’s averaged 5.3 yards per carry since making his collegiate debut against Boston College on Oct. 2 and broke off the Tigers’ longest run of the season — a 63-yarder against FSU — to this point.

It’s all helped Clemson jump to 82nd nationally in rushing offense, a far cry from where the Tigers were through the first month of the season. With Shipley and Mafah running behind the sixth different starting combination along the offensive line last week, the Tigers weren’t great on the ground (3.4 yards per carry) against Louisville. But Clemson is averaging 165 rushing yards over the last five games, 21 yards more than its season average.

“They’re just going to get better and better, and they’ve improved all season long in all areas,” Swinney said.

It’s helped Clemson achieve some of its best balance offensively during that span. D.J. Uiagalelei has had his four best passing performances in terms of yards since the start of October, including a season-high 220 yards and two touchdowns last week against Louisville.

“Two true freshmen and a true sophomore who didn’t get to play a lot last year, so they’re all making a lot of improvement,” Swinney said of the running backs. “It’s a great group. It’s very competitive. They all have a unique skill set. They’ve made a lot of progress.”

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Swinney updates injury status of Pace

During his post-practice media availability via Zoom on Wednesday evening, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney gave an update on the status of sophomore running back Kobe Pace. Pace left in the first half of last Saturday’s game at Louisville and didn’t …

During his post-practice media availability via Zoom on Wednesday evening, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney gave an update on the status of sophomore running back Kobe Pace.

Pace left in the first half of last Saturday’s game at Louisville and didn’t return after taking a hit to the upper-body area.

Pace has been in concussion protocol, but Swinney said he practiced Wednesday and he expects him to play against UConn on Saturday.

“I think he’ll be ready,” Swinney said. “I think he’ll be ready to go. He practiced today, so he’s heading in a good direction.”

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