What We Learned About Clemson After Virginia Win
Well, that wasn't the most comfortable win Clemson's had in recent memory.
But it might be exactly what the No. 1 Tigers needed. Despite some execution issues, sloppy play and a penitent for penalties against Virginia, Dabo Swinney's squad still left the field victorious, 41-23.
It was simply a game Clemson was never going to lose, but it also couldn't quite deliver the knock-out blow early enough that folks around Tiger Town are used to seeing against ACC foes. Regardless, this is a 3-0 team still atop the rankings and headed to a showdown against No. 7 Miami in Death Valley on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
The Virginia game, however, provided plenty to learn and question, so let's take a look at what happened:
'Inconsistency'
There was a stretch during Saturday night's (or was it Sunday morning's? Who remembers) press conference where Swinney said the word inconsistency five or six times in one sentence. And it's really the right word to sum up this game on both sides.
The offense, which was nearly flawless when Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne were on the field the first two games, left at least two touchdowns on the field Saturday. The defense went from a unit that produced its first shutout since 2016 in its last game to the first Clemson defense to give up 400 total yards to an ACC team for the first time since 2017.
How does that happen? Inconsistency.
"We weren't pathetic by any stretch of the imagination, but what to do you expect when you've got a bunch of newbies running around out there?" Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables asked.
Where the Tigers struggled, Venables said, was "you name it." He cited run defense, pass defense, physicality and leverage against a "mentally and physically challenging" style that Virginia played with Saturday.
Is this a cause for concern? Maybe, maybe not. It depends greatly on how coachable this group ends up being and how quickly they can improve. It won't get easier, that's for sure, against Miami QB D'Eriq King in the next game.
Still, Clemson had eight pass breakups while the offense scored on three of its four second-half possessions and went 4-of-4 in the red zone for the game.
Missing starters
Since one of the causes of Clemson's issues was defense, it looked like the first time the Tigers really needed Xavier Thomas and Justin Foster, as well as defensive tackle Tyler Davis, on the field. Neither of the two pass-rushers was healthy enough to suit up against Virginia, and Davis (knee) still wasn't good enough to go. It taxed a defensive front that overplayed its hand at times and simply couldn't keep QB Brennan Armstrong in the pocket. The good news for Clemson is once all three of those guys are healthy, it'll ease some woes and give this unit a more reliable, deeper front that won't wear down quickly against experienced offensive lines like Virginia's.
Clemson can make adjustments
One of the most important reasons Virginia was able to turn a 24-3 near-rout into a 10-point game in the third quarter was the fact that the Tigers had little film on the Wahoos while Mendenhall had the element of surprise and change. Again, it's been a while since the Clemson staff had to make real adjustments instead of just sending in every player wearing a jersey, and that meant the players had to make the necessary changes on the field. All in all, it worked out, especially up front. The offensive line took some time to get used to Virginia's style, and it certainly saw some looks it wasn't expecting, but the big boys along the line figured it out eventually and played pretty well by the time it was all said and done.
The Cavaliers aren't bad
Not many people outside of Clemson's coaches want to talk about this, but Virginia challenged the Tigers for 60 minutes because its actually a pretty good football team. The ACC stigma that it's Clemson and a bunch of weak teams is slowly moving in the other direction, and while Miami, Notre Dame and UNC will get much of the non-Tiger attention this year in the beleaguered league, don't sleep on Bronco Mendenhall's squad. What it lacks in star-studded athleticism it makes up for with clean play and 60 minutes of effort, which Clemson had not faced since LSU in the national title game 10 months ago. The Cavaliers aren't good enough to get a rematch with the Tigers in Charlotte, but they won't be a pushover for anybody in 2020. This bodes well for the ACC as a whole.
Special teams are good now, right?
So maybe it wasn't just because of the first two opponents. While the other two facets of the game struggled at times against Virginia, Clemson's special teams were just as good as they had been all season.
Lyn-J Dixon returned the first kickoff 52 yards to give Clemson momentum and set up a field-goal drive early. B.T. Potter made both of his field-goal attempts all extra points to remain perfect on the season in both categories. Will Spiers did see his average drop a bit from 44 yards to 38.3 in this one, but he had one touchback. Virginia had zero punt returns and just one kick return for 18 yards.
Overall, this unit has been above average and ranks seventh nationally in Bill Connolly's SP+ rankings for ESPN.
