Looking back: UVA was just what the doctor ordered for Clemson football

Clemson football slept walked through the first two games of 2020.

Saturday night’s 41-23 victory over Virginia is the attention-getter the 2020 Clemson football program needed as the schedule and competition ramp up. If you had watched the Cavaliers two weeks ago against Duke, you would have seen that UVA looked a lot like they did in 2019. Bronco Mendenhall has developed a hard-nosed, well-coached,  developmental football program in Charlottesville.

The concern going into Saturday night was that Virginia could stress the Tigers in their execution on both sides of the ball. The Cavaliers were successful in creating much-needed discomfort.

So much has been said about the talent on the 2020 Clemson roster. Virginia came into Death Valley Saturday without regard for the talent they were facing. The Cavaliers fielded a battle-tested team, especially along the lines of scrimmage, and frustrated the Tigers for most of the night.

Clemson football’s experienced talent was able to assert themselves when they had to have it.

Yes, I am going to heap a ton of praise on Virginia. They had an exceptional game plan and executed it well. The difference in the game? Clemson’s playmakers were better than their competition.

Travis Etienne was dead to rights on his touchdown run, both of Amari Rodgers touchdown catches, Andrew Booth’s interception in the end zone were examples of athletes making plays at critical moments.

That is the difference between winning and losing in college football.

With Miami up next, there is a lot that needs to be cleaned up – tackling being high on the list. This running into ball carriers hoping they will go down is going to have guys running for an extra 5-10 yards Saturday.

It cannot be said enough but the Clemson football offensive line has to find a way to be more physical at the point of attack. Lastly, the Tigers must cut down on penalties, especially the dead ball variety.

The coaching staff should have the full attention of the team as they put Saturday night to bed and look ahead to Miami. Missed assignments, mental errors, and one on one matchups will only be magnified moving forward.

Clemson football will be better having played a hard-fought game against Virginia and will be prepared for a rejuvenated Miami team Saturday night.