Clemson Football: Studs & Duds from the victory vs. Virginia

Duds

The offensive line performance for the majority of the night

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the game Saturday night was the offensive line performance for the majority of the night.

The Tigers didn’t get any kind of a push up-front in the running game and there were far too many times where Trevor Lawrence was hurried, forced out of the pocket or sacked by the Virginia pass-rush. You’ve got to give credit to the Cavaliers for disguising their blitzes, but the truth of the matter is that the offensive line was just outplayed for most of the night.

Defense failing to contain Brennan Armstrong

Brennan Armstrong may not be Steve Young, but he’s much better than most want to give him credit.

Armstrong was elusive and the Tigers simply couldn’t take him down. He escaped the pocket and did an excellent job finding the first down marker time and time again.

Lack of a pass-rush for much of the evening

Clemson also didn’t use much of an exotic blitz package. The defensive line didn’t create much pressure for most of the night and the lack of a pass-rush was something surprising I thought we wouldn’t see.