What We Learned from Another Close Clemson Win over Boston College
Maybe it's year after year of easy covers, no sweats, good injury luck and playmakers who were just better than the guys on the other side.
The college football gods got tired of seeing some things come seemingly easy for this squad during the regular season. Or maybe it's just this team can't find its fastball. Every year is different. Youth plays a huge role. The offensive line has struggled, and the defense has had to carry a massive burden.
Regardless of the reasons, Dabo Swinney's team simply can't play anything but a nail-biter. Take FCS foe South Carolina State out of the equation, and Clemson has played four FBS teams decided by a combined 25 points.
Heck, this program won by at least that amount of points 27 times in the previous three seasons. That's pretty sobering.
These close games, two of which went against Clemson this season, have provided more insight into the team than blowouts, but they've also made for too many uncomfortable moments for the team and the fan base.
But this program is interesting, that's for sure. Here's a look at what was learned following Saturday's close 19-13 win over Boston College:
Can't give up now
Clemson may not be able to fully overcome its offensive issues. The lack of explosiveness, efficiency and sometimes bizarre playcalling likely won't drastically improve, especially when you compound it with injuries, which we'll get to later. Sure, there are still fixable things on this team, but for the most part, you are what you are, and that's a team that isn't capable of rolling past ACC teams the way it has in the past.
That being said, Clemson's reign in the ACC isn't over. And while that might not be a great selling point to the fan base, the players and coaches can take solace in that fact. NC State, which will need to lose two games for Clemson to get back to first, nearly lost to Louisiana Tech on Saturday in a huge letdown situation. Wake Forest just edged Louisville to stay undefeated, but the Demon Deacons come to Death Valley in November, when seemingly the Tigers should be somewhat better than right now. So there's a lot that can happen in this weird ACC, so the Tigers can't just throw the season away yet. Surviving Saturday ensured that.
Clemson offensive line can block
It took until Week 5, but the offensive line looked the most capable it has all season. Granted, there were still some issues but it was nothing like the previous games against FBS teams. With Matt Bockhorst going from center to right guard because of an injury to Will Putnam, and Hunter Rayburn snapping the ball, the front five got more push, protected D.J. Uiagalelei better and had an edge to it. Bockhorst looked like he had been playing the wrong position and desperately wanted to go hit somebody instead of thinking so much.
It's at least something to build on, and it's hard to think he'll be back at center the rest of the season, barring something crazy happening. That's a good thing. It wasn't his position, and he's one of the better players on this line. He's certainly one of the most experienced. It actually sets up quite nicely: When Putnam returns, move Bockhorst back to his natural position of left guard, and the Tigers have their best five...finally.
Individual defensive standouts
Lost in all of the offensive issues and close games is a defense that's being led by some standout performances. It's not like anybody is overlooking this side of the ball in terms of a unit, but Brent Venables gets a ton of the credit, and deservedly so. However, what cornerback Andrew Booth and defensive end Xavier Thomas have been game-changers, and that showed against Boston College.
Booth consistently made NFL-level open-field tackles. He's being asked to take on that role, and his fundamentals have improved greatly from earlier in his career. He's playing with first-round NFL draft potential down after down, and that isn't going unnoticed in the scouting world. Meanwhile, "XT" finally looks like "XT." His commitment to this season is going to earn him a shot at the pros, and the pass-rusher's power was especially impressive against BC. Thomas doesn't need to get a huge step on the edge. He can simply move his blocker off his spot and then pursue. His technique is sound, and his effort is the best it has been.
Backfield finds a new pitch
Kobe Pace was a huge reason why Clemson beat a BC team that's not great on defense, and he deserves plenty of recognition for his 125 rushing yards when the Tigers needed it most. With Will Shipley out, Pace HAD to step up, and he did. That said, there is something different about freshman running back Phil Mafah. Don't misinterpret "different" for "better." Mafah has seven career carries, a much smaller sample size than Pace and Shipley. And when the game was on the line in the second half, Pace is the guy they trusted.
But Mafah represents the change-up to the fastball in the Clemson backfield. Pace is a straight-ahead runner who hits the hole and tries to bounce off defenders. Shipley, who's out for a month with a leg injury, does whatever necessary to get yards, an important trait to have. Mafah is the guy who can get to the edge and make people miss, something Clemson's sorely lacked this year. Three of his first four carries went for 10 yards or more, including a 28-yard spinning scamper. This is exactly what the Tigers need more of to challenge defenses, so expect to see more of Mafah.
Tested depth wins
Before we get into Clemson overcoming even more injury adversity, here's a look at what all happened Saturday night, not counting the losses of Shipley, Bryan Bresee and Tyler Davis:
- Leading receiver Justyn Ross left the game with a head injury and didn't return.
- Tight end Braden Galloway left the game with a head injury and didn't return.
- Putnam couldn't play because of a toe issue.
- QB Will Taylor suffered a knee injury; no update yet on his long-term status.
- Receiver Frank Ladson Jr. was limited with a groin issue.
- Receiver E.J. Williams, an early part of the game plan, battled knee soreness.
- Defensive backs Mario Goodrich, Fred Davis and Joseph Charleston all missed the game with injuries.
- Not injury-related, but tight end Davis Allen was disqualified in the first half for targeting.
Yeah, it was that kind of night. It's been that kind of season. Sage Ennis came in at tight end to make a key catch with Clemson backed up on its own goal line. Defensive tackle Tre Williams played through injury because there wasn't much help behind him and pushed a good offensive line around so others could make plays. Give this team credit for battling through all the injuries and not using it as an excuse. Still, how much more of a hit can the depth chart take? The good news: Clemson won't have anybody get hurt this Saturday.
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