Takeaways from home-opener victory for Clemson football
The Clemson football team took care of business Saturday afternoon in its home-opener against The Citadel in front of more than 18,000 fans.
The Tigers blanked the Bulldogs on their way to a 49-0 victory and absolutely looked impressive in doing so, even if it was against an FCS opponent.
As we continue to breakdown the victory, here’s a look at three takeaways for Clemson football following the game.
3. Tigers have work to do in depth-building, especially on the offensive line
There’s no doubt that the Tigers have talent all over the field, but the depth still has a ways to come.
D.J. Uiagalelei and Taisun Phommachanh both got plenty of time at quarterback Saturday afternoon, which is good for them as they move forward.
One of the units that I was most disappointed in was the second-string offensive line.
That group was going up against a Citadel defensive line that had been on the field for a while and they just didn’t get much of a push for the vast majority of the afternoon. Rushing was affected greatly by the lack of push generated and both quarterbacks were also hurried out of the pocket, as well.
2. That defense is nasty
Who cares if it was The Citadel? The defense pitched a shutout and that should be celebrated.
The Tiger defense was flying around all afternoon. Whether it was the starters, backups or the third-stringers, they were making plays and doing an excellent job of getting in the backfield and creating havoc.
There were plenty of big-time hits and the unit looked like a bunch of monsters from top-to-bottom.
The secondary still has some work to do as they continue to develop, but it’s clear that the talent is there and this unit has a chance to be one of the best to ever play under Brent Venables.
1. The Tiger offense can score at will this season
Through the first two weekends of the season, it’s pretty much become apparent that this starting offense is going to be able to score pretty much at will.
The starters scored every single time they were on the field against The Citadel and that group is going to continue to just get better as they gain more chemistry.
The playbook seems more creative and the Tigers are taking advantage of the middle of the field more so than what we saw last year. And then there’s also the crisp accuracy from Trevor Lawrence that we’ve seen through the first two weeks.
Clemson football will have a bye week this coming Saturday before being back in Death Valley against the Virginia Cavaliers Saturday, Oct. 3.