The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Clemson Tigers travelled to the Carrier Dome and pulled off a 17-14 win against a pesky Syracuse team. The Tigers have now been in four straight one possession games, winning three of them. These are the types of games that 1) the Clemson fan base aren’t used to, and 2) builds character.

To put this game into perspective, the Tigers were without 14 scholarship players due to injury. We aren’t talking about 2nd and 3rd team players. Going into the game, the injury report listed Braden Galloway, Joseph Charleston, Hunter Rayburn, Fred Davis II, and E.J. Williams. Andrew Booth was a late minute scratch. This is in addition to Tyler Davis, Bryan Bresee, Will Shipley, Tayquan Johnson, and Lanndon Zanders. Every team deals with injuries, but this is a lot of talent NOT on the field that could make a difference.

The Ugly part of the game is obviously the number of injuries the Tigers are having to deal with. The BC game saw the return of Hunter Rayburn at center, which allowed Matt Bockhorst to move back to guard, and the run game improved. Rayburn was not available last night, and Mason Trotter made his first start. Last game, CBs Sheridon Jones and Andrew Booth played every snap (77) against BC, but Booth was a last minute scratch for last night’s game. The return of Mario Goodrich paid big dividends since Booth was unavailable. Will Shipley was feared to be lost for the year after his injury in the NCState game, but there is a possibility he will return sooner than later. Tyler Davis went out earlier in the year with a torn bicep injury and he was supposed to be out 6-8 weeks. He too could return earlier than expected.

When you look at what the Bad might be, you only have to go to Sean Tucker. The very talented Tucker ripped off 132 yards on 12 carries in the first half, including two long runs of 54 and 39 yards. In essence, that meant two runs for 93 yards, and 39 yards on the other 10 rushes. In 7 games this year, Tucker has rushed for 100+ yards five times and has over 900 yards and 9 touchdowns on the year.

The Clemson offense showed signs of life, and QB DJ Uiagalelei had arguably his best game of the season, according to Coaches Dabo Swinney and Tony Elliott. There were several dropped passes that could have improved the stat line and this is focus that needs to be fine tuned. Considering the absence of Frank Ladson, EJ Williams and Braden Galloway, the Tigers leaned on Davis Allen (8 catches) in clutch situations, including a big reception on a fake punt.

Syracuse is by no means an easy out. Their two prior games were lost by 3 points against FSU and Wake Forest. The Carrier Dome is a tough place to play and the Tigers came out victorious.

There is plenty of good to discuss out of last night’s game, even though a part of the fan base still thinks this is a bad team. I couldn’t disagree more.

Going back to the “Bad” section, we can bring back Sean Tucker. The Tiger defense, while letting Tucker run for 132 yards in the first half, held him to 25 yards in 10 carries in the second half. Adjustments were made at the half and Tucker was not much of a factor the rest of the game. QB Garrett Shrader shredded Florida State and Wake Forest to the tune of 320+ yards on the ground. The Tigers held the big QB to 6 yards on 7 carries. Take away their 3 big plates of the game (151 yards on three plays), the defense allowed 205 yards in 64 plays. This same Syracuse offense lit up FSU and WF to the tune of 67 points the last two weeks.

The defensive line lost two big time defensive tackles early in the season to injury. The “next man up” group has played admirably and seem to improve every game. Ruke Orhorhoro, Etinosa Reuben and Tre Williams are adjusting to their new roles and making their presence known.

Offensively, the coaches feel DJ had his best game of the year. He completed 21 of 34 passes for 181 yards. Several drops would have made this stat line look better. However, he looked a little more comfortable in the pocket. Kobe Pace picked up 76 yards on 14 carries and added a touchdown in another strong performance. Freshman Phil Mafah chipped in with 30 yards on the ground on 9 carries and caught 3 passes out of the backfield for another 27 yards. Davis Allen led all receivers with 8 catches for 49 yards including a big 4th down reception from punter Will Speirs on a fake punt.

All in all, a win is a win is a win. It’s blatantly obvious to everyone by now that this Clemson offense is not the offense of the last 6 years. Points are not coming as easily as we are all used to. This fan base is used to 40-50 points a game. Go on social media. “The Tigers are bad, admit it.” “The Tigers suck and here is why.” No, what’s bad is it’s mostly coming from our own fan base. Take a step back, realize that DJ is not yet Trevor or Deshaun. Understand that injuries play a big part in the games and that while “We Too Deep” has been a Clemson mantra the last few years, when you play games with 14 scholarship players missing, the “deep” are now having to step up and play full time. The players replacing them on the second unit are 3rd teamers. “These are just excuses.” No, these are facts. Good, bad, ugly or indifferent, Clemson is 4-2 and still in the hunt for Another Clemson Championship.