Five biggest surprises (so far) for the 2020 Clemson football season
The Clemson football team may have one loss on the season, but there has been no surprise in terms of the Tigers’ goals as we head into the ‘Championship Phase’ of the 2020 season.
Clemson football sits at No. 4 nationally and the Tigers are just a few wins away from getting back to the ACC Championship and having an opportunity to avenge their loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this past week and secure a bid in the CFB Playoff.
As we look back at the season that has been, here’s a look at the five biggest surprises (so far) for the Clemson football team.
5. B.T. Potter‘s consistency
It’s not surprising that B.T. Potter is having success. Everyone knew that Potter had the talent to be one of the best kickers in the nation and he has one of the strongest legs to ever set foot in the Clemson football program.
That being said, there still were too many times last season where he simply was inconsistent.
That hasn’t been the case so far this season.
Potter is 14-of-18 on field goal attempts (two of those were blocked) and has a long of 52 yards this season. He is perfect from attempts of 29 yards or less and is also perfect on attempts of 40-49 yards.
We all knew he had this in him, but you can’t say you were expecting him to come out in this fashion.
4. Derion Kendrick‘s relative quietness and the occasional holes in the secondary
It may not be a shock to everyone, but many Clemson football fans were of the belief that Derion Kendrick had an opportunity to be an All-ACC caliber player- potentially even more- before it was all said and done.
That simply hasn’t been the case so far.
Kendrick has struggled to even get on the field at times- he’s been shown some ‘love’ by the coaches- and even when he has been on the field, he’s been relatively quiet in terms of his production.
In addition to Kendrick, that entire secondary has been less than advertised. Dabo Swinney called it the most talented defensive backfield he’s ever coached, but they haven’t lived up to that billing as of yet. There have been too many holes and difficulties with this group that we simply weren’t expecting.
3. Cornell Powell‘s emerging stardom
How about Cornell Powell?
Swinney warned about how talented Powell was and how he had been a star in practice leading up to the season for the Tigers, but no one actually penciled him in as a legitimate receiving threat.
To this point, Powell has 31 catches for 418 yards and three touchdowns- which is good enough for third on the team in receiving yards, just behind Amari Rodgers and Travis Etienne.
Powell has made important catches that have moved the sticks and has been as consistent as any receiver, especially over the past couple of weeks when he has really emerged.
2. The struggles of both the offensive & defensive lines
This part is two-fold and we’ll begin with the offensive line.
Obviously, everyone had questions about an offensive line that was going to be replacing four starters, but I don’t think anyone realized they’d have this much trouble. Clemson hasn’t been able to run the ball on basically anyone despite having the best running back in the country.
That’s mostly due to the struggles that the offensive line has had, in particular the interior OL. That group has to get better and it’s been a surprise, at least in my opinion, to see them pushed around by some of the other lower-level defensive lines that they’ve faced.
Speaking of the defensive line, do you remember the billing of this group coming into the season? They were as deep as any Clemson football DL we’ve ever had- including the Power Rangers.
Unfortunately, this group hasn’t been able to get to the passer consistently and there have been a lot of injuries, as well. The overall result has been disappointing and surprising, though there have certainly been some bright spots with that group and there’s definitely reason to believe the young unit can continue to improve.
1. Trevor Lawrence‘s positive test, and DJ Uiagalelei’s subsequent greatness
Obviously, the most surprising news of the season came when it was reported Trevor Lawrence had tested positive and would miss two games during the season.
Lawrence, who was one of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy, was forced to self-isolate as he dealt with minor symptoms and it was certainly a shock to the system for Clemson football fans, especially as the Tigers struggled to beat Boston College at home and then lost to Notre Dame on the road in double overtime the next week.
But it wasn’t Lawrence’s replacement fault.
D.J. Uiagalelei was brilliant in his two starts, missing very few throws and there’s no doubt that he showed the future is bright at the position when Lawrence leaves to enter the NFL Draft following this season.
It’s not really surprising that Uiagalelei was great, but it was fairly surprising to see him throw for nearly 800 yards in two weeks, account for six touchdowns and not turn the ball over one time in his two starts.