Ups and Downs: Clemson Fends Off Late Boston College Rally
CLEMSON - While it certainly wasn't pretty, a win is always better than a loss.
No. 25 Clemson (3-2, 2-1) knocked off Boston College 19-13 on Saturday night in Death Valley, handing the Eagles (4-1, 0-1) their first loss of the season.
Ups
Defense: While it was far from perfect, the Clemson defense once again helped keep the Tigers in this game. Brent Venables' unit played admirably considering the Tigers were missing both Tyler Davis and Bryan Bresee, still holding Boston College to just 1.4 yards per rush and sacking BC quarterback Dennis Grosel four times on the night.
Offensive Line and Running Game: Clemson rushed for 231 yards and almost six yards per carry, and much of the credit goes to the Tigers' offensive line. With Will Putnam unavailable, Matt Bockhorst moved over to his spot at RG, with Hunter Rayburn starting at center. It was by far the best effort from the group this season. Sophomore Kobe Pace finally had a breakout performance, rushing for 125 yards and catching two balls for 41 more.
Phil Mafah: The freshman reminded fans on Saturday night that the Tigers actually have two pretty good first-year backs on the roster. Mafah received his first action of the season, carrying the ball seven times for 58 yards. Three of his first four carries went over ten yards, with one going for 28, as fans got a glimpse at the upside the young back brings to the field.
B.T. Potter: The veteran kicker was money against Boston College, drilling all four of his field-goal attempts.
Downs
Injury Bug: The injuries just keep piling up for this Clemson team. Braden Galloway, Justyn Ross and Will Taylor all left injured. Taylor was seen on crutches in the second half. The Tigers were banged up coming into this game and can ill afford to lose many more players.
Third Down Conversions: The offense finally started to have a little success on Saturday night. However, drive after drive stalled. Clemson was just 3-14 on third down (and 0-1 on fourth down).
Clemson now gets next weekend off, before returning to action on October 15, when the Tigers head up north for a Friday night affair with Syracuse.
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