Five Clemson football players who grew up before our eyes against Boston College
The Clemson football team needed every ounce of effort it could get from every available player Saturday afternoon against the Boston College Eagles.
The Tigers were entering the game without starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence– who tested positive for COVID-19– and were looking to remain undefeated on the season.
Things didn’t get started as they had hoped.
Boston College led by as many as 18 points in the first two quarters and took a 28-13 lead into halftime. Despite the Eagles’ solid lead, Clemson football came roaring back in the second half and didn’t allow BC to score a single point in the second half. The result was a 34-28 win for the Tigers.
It wasn’t just Lawrence who was out, though. Clemson was without several starters- including James Skalski, Tyler Davis, Mike Jones Jr. Frank Ladson Jr., Joseph Ngata– and that meant we would see a ton of young bodies get playing time in important situations.
Here’s a look at five Clemson football players who grew up before our eyes on Saturday.
5. Trenton Simpson
Freshman LB Trenton Simpson got the first start of his career Saturday, replacing Jones Jr at that SLB spot.
The result? Simpson came away with three tackles and a sack. Simpson spent time covering one of the best tight ends in the conference in Hunter Long and he did a solid job not only in coverage, but providing run support.
He still has some development ahead, but there’s no doubt that Simpson is going to be a special defender in the future and he showed that Saturday.
4. Jake Venables & Joseph Charleston
For this next spot, we have the only tie on our list.
Jake Venables got the second start of his career Saturday afternoon with James Skalski out at that middle-linebacker spot.
Venables did miss on a couple of tackles, but you have to appreciate the effort and tenacity that he played with. In the end, Venables posted six tackles with one tackle for loss.
And then there’s the effort of Joseph Charleston.
Just like Venables, he had a few times where he was out of position, but for the most part he played a solid game. Charleston finished the game with seven tackles- good enough for second on the team- and he is proving more and more to be a significant factor at the safety position moving forward.
3. Cornell Powell
When you talk about growing up, you typically are speaking of freshmen, redshirt freshmen and sophomores who are just getting their first significant playing time.
Most of the time, seniors who have been in the program for years have already seen their growth, but we have to talk about Cornell Powell.
Powell finished the afternoon with 11 catches for 105 yards- a career high- and he was the most consistent and reliable wide receiver option on the day.
Powell showed a toughness and ability that we haven’t seen before and it’s something that he can build on as we progress towards the remainder of this season.
2. Bryan Bresee
Bryan Bresee has already been given significant playing time and snaps well before the Boston College game, but he looked like the leader on the defensive line Saturday.
Bresee finished the afternoon with two tackles and a sack. That sack came at the end of the game and allowed the Tigers to get a safety, the ultimate exclamation point.
Bresee is proving why he was ranked as the No. 1 player in the nation coming into the Clemson football program and he continues to get better week-in and week-out. Don’t be surprised to see him take a leadership role on that defensive line as we move forward into this season and certainly into next year.
1. D.J. Uiagalelei
We can’t say enough nice things about the performance that D.J. Uiagalelei posted Saturday afternoon.
On short notice, Uiagalelei found out that he would be making his first career start and he exceeded expectations by a long shot.
The true-freshman finished the day completing 30-of-41 passing attempts for 342 yards and accounted for three touchdowns- two in the air and one on the ground.
Boston College brought pressure and tried to make Uiagalelei beat them. He did just that.
Even in the face of adversity when Clemson was down 18 points, Uiagalelei remained upbeat and poised.
Uiagalelei was a leader on that offense and proved to Tiger fans that the future- both the near future against Notre Dame and the long-term future following this season- is in safe hands.