There was a fair share of things to critique in Clemson Football in the 35-12 win against the Furman Paladins on Saturday. The defense wasn’t efficient, the offensive line struggled against an FCS defensive line, and there was a muffed punt.
The brightest spot for the Tigers was quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. DJU scored touchdowns on his first five drives, two of which were passes. It was refreshing to see DJU perform well.
Getting lost in the shine of DJU’s good performance was a good day for the Clemson receivers. The Tigers had five receivers with 3+ receptions on Saturday.
Beaux Collins led the Tigers in receiving yards again following his performance against Georgia Tech with 57 yards on 4 receptions and one touchdown. It was good to see him remain consistent.
Freshman Antonio Williams also had another good day following his debut against Georgia Tech when he led the Tigers in receptions. Williams had three receptions for 39 yards.
The starter in the slot, Brannon Spector, also had three receptions. Specter’s average per reception was 8 yards, while Williams’ average was 13 yards. This is a combination of targets further down field for Williams, combined with more YAC.
The two veteran players who needed to bounce back after underwhelming days against Tech were Joseph Ngata and EJ Williams, and both responded.
Ngata had three receptions for 44 yards, giving him the highest average per reception for the team at 14.7 yards. EJ also hauled in three receptions for 38 yards.
Getting lost in the shine of D.J. Uiagalelei’s performance was a good day for the Clemson football receivers
It was not a perfect day by any means. EJ did have one drop in the second half that stuck out like a sore thumb. DJU’s lone interception happened on a quick pass to Spector, who stopped his route on the play. It is difficult to tell who made the mistake there. It might simply have been that both players anticipated the other’s intentions incorrectly.
We also have to circle back around to DJU. He did a wonderful job of distributing the ball Saturday, rarely locking in on one guy. We probably need to compliment Streeter and Richardson for a good day of play calling for the passing game too.