Clemson overcame a slow start to notch a rather comfortable win over Boston College late Saturday at Alumni Stadium. The victory kept the Tigers atop the ACC’s Atlantic Division standings, but there’s work to do with another road tilt looming next weekend against Florida State.
Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from the Tigers’ 31-3 victory:
The good
The gnashing of teeth over Clemson’s woeful defensive performance against Wake Forest seems like forever ago.
A week after a strong bounceback showing against NC State at home, the Tigers played what head coach Dabo Swinney called their most complete game on defense in limiting Boston College to its lowest point total against Clemson since the Tigers blanked the Eagles in 1952. The matchup of the nation’s second-ranked run defense against the nation’s third-worst rushing offense went as expected (34 rushing yards for Boston College), and outside of a 35-yard connection between Phil Jurkovec and Zay Flowers late in the first quarter, Clemson’s patchwork secondary kept everything in front for the most part. There were even some timely pass breakups, including one by cornerback Nate Wiggins in the end zone.
By the time it was over, Clemson had limited Boston College to 1.1 yards per rush, 3.5 yards per play and just 5 of 18 on third down, often winning the early downs to keep the Eagles in third-and-long for most of the night (average distance of 7.8 yards to go on the money down). Twelve of Boston College’s 14 possessions ended in a punt, a turnover or turnover on downs.
And how about Xavier Thomas? Clemson’s senior defensive end made his season debut and significantly bolstered what’s been a pretty average pass rush for the Tigers this season. Despite his surgically repaired foot still being sore – and lining up on just one end of the defensive front because of it – Thomas notched half of Clemson’s four sacks. Making that more impressive is the fact Thomas was on a pitch count and played a limited number of snaps.
Offensively, Clemson continued to cash in on its scoring opportunities even if things didn’t always click for a unit that finished with just 364 yards. The Tigers scored on all four of their trips into the red zone, including three touchdowns. Clemson has now scored on all 32 of its red-zone chances this season.
One of those touchdowns was set up late in the third quarter by another impact play made by the special teams. Before D.J. Uiagalelei found Beaux Collins for a 10-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter, Etinosa Reuben pushed through the Eagles’ protection unit to block a field goal in what was a two-score game at the time. It was the Tigers’ fourth blocked kick of the season, tied for third-most in the country.
Clemson also played more disciplined football after recently racking up penalty yards in bunches. The Tigers were flagged 19 times for 215 yards in their wins over Wake Forest and NC State but only committed two for 10 yards Saturday.
Meanwhile, Antonio Williams continues to be a bright spot – and not just on offense. The true freshman receiver not only led the team with five receptions but also returned two punts, including a 20-yarder in the second quarter that set up the Tigers’ first touchdown.
The bad
Clemson has now outrushed its opponent in 10 straight games, a first for the Tigers in the Swinney era. On Saturday, that had more to do with what Boston College’s run game couldn’t do against Clemson’s defense rather than an explosive night from the Tigers on the ground.
In fact, outside of a 40-yard run by Uiagalelei late in the game, Clemson’s running game was anything but. That scamper alone accounted for 28% of the Tigers’ rushing output (144 yards) and helped boost their per-carry average to 4.5 yards. Uiagalelei was the Tigers’ leading rusher (69 yards) as Clemson totaled just 104 yards on their other 31 rushing attempts.
The Tigers were without Kobe Pace (ankle sprain), but Will Shipley averaged just 3.3 yards per carry. Phil Mafah had a little more success (5.1 yards per carry), but the offensive line didn’t open up many clean running lanes. Clemson will need a better semblance of balance against some of the better teams on their schedule.
B.T. Potter also missed a field goal for the second straight week. It was just the second miss this season for the veteran placekicker, who’s now 11 of 13 on the season. But it’s something to monitor going forward, particularly if the Tigers find themselves in more competitive games down the stretch.
The ugly
Like other facets of his game, Uiagalelei’s decision-making has largely been improved this season. But there was a glitch in the system early Saturday.
On Clemson’s second possession, as he felt some pressure from a blitz, Uiagalelei threw flat-footed toward the sideline for what resulted in an easy pick for Boston College’s Josh DeBerry. It was just Uiagalelei’s third interception this season, but he’s also had some questionable throws in other games that could’ve been picks if not dropped by opposing defenders.
Uiagalelei acknowledged afterward the lapse in judgment, one that also put the Tigers’ defense in a bind since it occurred deep in his own territory. Clemson dodged an early bullet four plays later when Boston College missed a 35-yard field-goal attempt, but it’s the type of miscue Uiagalelei has to avoid against more quality competition.
“Tried to make a play right there and throw off my back foot,” Uiagalelei said. “That wasn’t a smart decision right there.”
The Tigers were also fortunate to finish even in the turnover margin after putting the ball on the ground a couple of times. Specifically, Will Taylor muffed two punts, but the Tigers recovered each fumble to retain possession.
Taylor is averaging just 2.3 yards per punt return this season, and dropping kicks is never a good look. Saturday was the first time Clemson has put Taylor and Williams on the field at the same time as returners. Might Williams start getting a longer look at the full-time job?
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