Why Clemson RB Gideon Davidson Has More Confidence After First Touchdown

The Clemson Tigers’ ground game was rejuvenated on Saturday afternoon in their win over North Carolina. Sophomore Gideon Davidson was the catalyst for that.

Davidson finished with 105 rushing yards on 16 carries, averaging 6.6 yards per carry while adding his first touchdown of his young career in the fourth quarter. The score ended up being one of the most important, putting Clemson in the lead on a 10-yard touchdown.

While there are plenty of ways to get the first one, the sophomore is glad he got in the end zone in general.

“I was just hoping for the touchdown,” he said after the game. “I mean, I think I can do it, it’s a great way to do it. There’s going to be more touchdowns as well, so I’ll just say it starts with one and that was a great way to start.”

Davidson got candid about reaching the milestone, saying that he was hard on himself for not being successful in that aspect of his game. With getting his first touchdown out of the way, as well as his first 100-yard game as a Tiger, he thinks he will be more confident running the football for the remainder of his career.

“I’ve been beating myself up about it, but now that I’ve got it, it’s like there’s more coming,” he said.

Saturday’s win saw glimpses of Clemson’s new offense under Chad Morris, who was calling plays from the box up top instead of on the field. Davidson also had to work with true freshman Tait Reynolds, who was making his first-ever start in college football.

However, the offense got better with the game, which included three touchdowns in the second half after going into the break down 17-6.

“I would just say we did our stuff. We did our jobs,” Davidson said. “Offensive line has always been doing their jobs. I was just more confident in the reads, in the gaps I needed to hit.”

Especially during Clemson’s two-hour lightning delay, the offense wanted to show off the energy it can truly bring.

“I would just say we were really motivated to get our there and really perform,” he said. “I mean, the past few games, you had a weather delay, and we kind of got used to it. So, we were like, let’s take this as an opportunity.”

Once the outburst happened, Davidson believes the offense can reach that consistency throughout the remainder of the season. All the unit needed was a little bit of time, and some momentum, to let it happen.

“I would say we have the ability to score,” Davidson said regarding what he learned in the win. “We have the ability to put up points.”

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