By Ed McGranahan.

By Ed McGranahan

The most striking numbers from Saturday’s game with Ball State were 80, 61 and 59-0-1 and 6.3.

Eighty represents the number of Clemson players that appeared in the game. That included four quarterbacks, three kickers, two punters and two long snappers including walk-on fifth-year senior Sam Van Gieson had never played a down.

After beating Auburn to open the season, it was precisely what Clemson needed. Leading 45-10 at halftime, Clemson had scored more points than it did in 12 games last season.

“At some point you’ve got to play,” said Dabo Swinney. “To have that opportunity to get those guys in a game makes practice better, makes meetings better and hopefully they’ll be able to grow from that experience.”

Nine players were credited with runs from scrimmage, and 12 caught passes including war hero Daniel Rodriguez.

Could it have been more perfect?

“I don’t think so,” said quarterback Tajh Boyd, “not from what we were trying to accomplish.”

Boyd was sharp, completing 19 of 23 including three to Nuke Hopkins for touchdowns. He again flashed his newly discovered agility to escape the rush and keep a drive alive.

“When the lights are on and the crowd’s out there, you start to get a sense of where these guys are,” Boyd said, “and I think these guys responded really well.”

The second number was the distance of Spencer Benton’s field goal on the final play of the first half. It broke the school record by four yards and the ACC record by three feet.

Besides being a remarkable kick by a player who’d been relegated to kickoffs and backup punter for three seasons, it was significant because Benton provides Clemson one more offensive weapon in an already deep trove.

Rod McDowell – not Andre Ellington – was Clemson’s leading rusher. Ellington scored two touchdowns on 13 carries after rushing for 228 last week in the Georgia Dome, but it was more important given his history for the other backs unlimber. Charone Peake caught more passes than Hopkins and they did not commit a turnover.

The only issue was an apparently minor tweaked knee by left guard David Beasley. Clemson ran 55 plays in the first half and would easily have eclipsed 100 had the coaches not pulled the plug. Offensive coordinator Chad Morris said players were checking with him during the game to get a count.

“This is what you’ve got to have,” Morris said, remembering letdowns last season against Troy and Wofford.

Clemson’s record when it amasses 500 yards is 59-0-1 – the third chapter in this soliloquy. Historically, 500 yards is a fair barometer of success for Clemson teams. The only game a Clemson team did not win with 500 yards was the 20-20 tie with Virginia in 1991.

When you consider that Clemson opened the season with back-to-back 500-yard games for the first time in 32 years, it’s beyond reach to speculate what the numbers might have been had Sammy Watkins been available.

Watkins, who has been working with the scout team, has this week’s game with Furman and another week of practice to hit stride for Florida State. Who can forget how quickly Watkins introduced himself last season.

“He’s going to be like a rocket shot out of a cannon,” said Boyd.

Finally, 6.3 was Ball State’s average per rush against the Clemson defense, skewed by touchdown runs of 54 and 21 yards. It was unquestionably the most disconcerting number of them all. There seemed to be improvement against Auburn as the game matured, so it’s difficult to grade this one accurately, but defensive coordinator Brent Venables was not amused.

Venables was pleased with the pass rush, although Ball State’s offensive line couldn’t hold a candle to many Clemson will encounter down the road. And Swinney liked what he saw of the secondary which limited Ball State to 128 yards and forced two turnovers.

“It starts with the run game,” Venables said. “We’ve got to be more consistent.”