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Clemson Football: The Good, the Bad, and the Sus – Duke edition

By John Chancey

Sep 4, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers safety Kylon Griffin (18) and wide receiver Antonio Williams (0) after a game against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 4, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers safety Kylon Griffin (18) and wide receiver Antonio Williams (0) after a game against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Clemson Football debuted in Durham Monday night, and it did not go the way almost anyone thought it would. The Tigers lost 28-7, and their ambitions of a return to the College Football Playoffs are over for all intents and purposes.

Here is a quick summary of the good we saw on Labor Day, the bad we saw, and the suspect things the performance indicates.

The good

It might seem like there wasn’t very much good, but that simply isn’t the case.

  • Clemson led Duke in first downs 29-17.
  • Clemson wasn’t good in third-down efficiency (7-15), but they were better than Duke (5-15).
  • Clemson had more total yards (422) than Duke (374).
  • Clemson had more passing yards (209) than Duke (175).
  • Clemson had more rushing yards (213) than Duke (199).
  • Clemson was only penalized once all evening on a false start.
  • Clemson possessed the ball longer than Duke (33:33 to 26:27)

Does this sound familiar? It should.

There were a few good individual performances.

  • Congratulations to Will Shipley on a fine night. Shipley had 114 yards on 17 carries and eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark for his career. He also had the Tigers’ lone touchdown reception.
  • Antonio Williams had a good night with seven receptions.
  • Beaux Collins had five receptions.
  • Jeremiah Trotter had nine tackles and 1.5 TFLs.
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