What We Learned About Clemson in Week 2
Just because Clemson pitched its first shutout since 2016 and scored 49 first-half points against FCS foe Citadel doesn't mean there wasn't a great deal to learn about the No. 1 team in college football.
It's still early in the season, and the Tigers continue to provide answers to preseason questions while also creating new ones each week. However, there are still some constants.
Let's review what was learned following Saturday's 49-0 victory over The Citadel:
Young players have a ways to go
Last week was all about a glimpse into the future, seeing freshmen D.J. Uiagalelei, Myles Murphy, Bryan Bresee, Demarkcus Bowman and several offensive linemen getting their first career snaps. Aside from Murphy and Bresee, who continue to make big plays and look like bonafide rotation guys, the present was a little jarring: Too many of the young players simply aren't ready to play winning football.
After the coaching staff pulled the starters for good, Clemson produced zero second-half points in what amounted to a spring game at Memorial Stadium. Nearly 100 Tigers got on the field and the rotations were heavy so guys could get snaps, but many of them didn't play well. Swinney says the standard doesn't change when backups are in, but they didn't exactly live up to their end of the bargain as the play was sloppy and disjointed at times, especially up front on offense.
Trevor Lawrence is still winning the Heisman
Last week, we told you Lawrence was winning the Heisman Trophy, and nothing has changed, not even just nine passing attempts against The Citadel. Heisman voters are a curious bunch. There are so many of them and they each have their own criteria for picking their winner that it's hard to know exactly what you have to do to win it, but let's assume they're smart enough to look at the insane efficiency (8 consecutive completions) and ridiculous 18.7 yards per pass attempt.
Lawrence accounted for four touchdowns, including three through the air. And don't discount what you heard during the early part of that ACC Network broadcast. The announcers gushed over his off-the-field stances and lauded Lawrence for being THE outspoken face of college football. That's going to continue to be the conversation all year and raise his popularity among Heisman voters, even when he sits the entire second half.
Special teams
Remember when special teams were Clemson's bugaboo? It wasn't that long ago. In fact, we'll dive into the numbers later this week to get a feel for how it's improved, but for the second consecutive week, the Tigers dominated this facet of the game.
Swinney applauded his group's "tremendous" kickoff coverage, ability to produce 89 yards on punt returns and have no penalties on special teams. He also praised punter Will Spiers, who averaged 46 yards per boot Saturday, for flipping the field when Clemson needed him to. Kicker B.T. Potter has made every field-goal and extra-point attempt this season. It's been an encouraging start to the season for a unit that's needed to make a positive impact.
Running back room is too crowded
Coaches say you can never have too much depth, but is that true when it comes to Clemson's running back room? Fans were excited to see Bowman and fellow freshman Kobe Pace build off promising starts at Wake, but against The Citadel, they combined for 12 yards on four carries. Bowman had 10 of those on three totes. Meanwhile, Lyn-J Dixon returned to his role at No. 2 behind Travis Etienne, but the banged-up junior had just 10 yards on three carries. Darien Rencher got 28 yards on four carries and Chez Mellusi had 25 on four. Mikey Dukes fumbled one of his two rushing attempts.
Overall, it's too many guys to play, and it could stunt the growth of Bowman and Pace, who probably deserve more work than they got Saturday. The others have been there longer, and Rencher is a former walk-on who is solidly in the rotation, but it's hard to find touches for so many running backs. There will have to be some odd men out sooner than later.
Matt Stone/Courier Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Is there a new challenger to Clemson?
The problem with the first couple of weeks in any season is the gross overreactions to what we see in box scores and highlight reels. This year, that's even easier to do with fewer teams playing right now. Still, it's hard not to watch the Miami Hurricanes and be impressed with what you see from quarterback D'Eriq King and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee. It appears to be the perfect marriage to get quality efficiency and explosiveness out of an offense that's felt dormant and backward for years.
So can No. 17 Miami, which rolled Louisville 47-34 Saturday night, give Clemson a real scare inside Death Valley in three weeks? The Tigers have only played two games and didn't need the starters for the second half in those wins. Now they get a bye week and then a Cavaliers squad that hasn't played a game yet. Miami looms, and the hype around the Hurricanes, which is always strong, could produce a major game with ACC and national implications, just what Clemson needs actually. The Tigers could use a good test and bolster a schedule that everybody thought in the preseason came down to a road game at Notre Dame. We'll see what happens in the coming weeks, but it's shaping up to be a huge matchup.
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