By Will Vandervort.
By Will Vandervort
Each week we take a look back at what the Clemson Tigers did right and what they did wrong on the gridiron as we grade the Tigers’ performance at every position in Saturday’s 62-48 victory over NC State.
Quarterbacks
Grade: A
Tajh Boyd set ACC single game (8) and season (41) records in touchdown responsibility as well as setting a new Clemson mark in total offense with 529 total yards. He also had a career-high 103 rushing yards, while running the ball in for three of his eight scores. For the day, he completed 30 of 44 passes for 426 yards and five touchdowns.
Running backs
Grade: A
Andre Ellington rushed for 124 yards and probably could have gone for 200, but Dabo Swinney and Chad Morris rested their star tailback at times and there was no drop in production when they did. For the second time in three weeks, Roderick McDowell rushed for 83 yards, while as a team Clemson rushed the football for 328 yards.
Wide receivers/ Tight ends
Grade: A
Sammy Watkins had a career-high 11 catches for 110 yards, all in the first half, while tight end Brandon Ford had a career day with 101 yards on five catches, including touchdowns of seven and 69 yards, while DeAndre Hopkins set the Clemson career receiving yards record when he hauled in a 62-yard touchdown pass from Boyd in the second quarter.
Offensive line
Grade: A
For the second straight week, Boyd was not touched and for the second straight week the offensive line did it against the team that was leading the ACC in sacks coming in. Clemson also rushed for 328 yards, the third time this season the Tigers have gone over 300 yards on the ground – Auburn and Duke were the other two. Center Dalton Freeman also set the all-time career mark in snaps during the game.
Defensive line
Grade: B
Though it was not a good day for the Clemson defense overall, the defensive line played pretty well. The Tigers again got good pressure on the quarterback as Clemson sacked Mike Glennon four times and pressured him seven other times. The defensive line also forced a fumble and added a tackle for loss.
Linebackers
Grade: C
Again, not great, but not bad either. Spencer Shuey again had a solid day, leading the Tigers with 10 tackles, while also getting a tackle for loss. Weakside backer Tig Willard also recorded a tackle for loss and finished the game with 10 tackles. The Clemson defense held NC State to only 104 rushing yards.
Secondary
Grade: F
Glennon threw for 493 yards, but that could have been less had the Tigers turned their head around. Glennon’s numbers usually equal a loss on any other day, but Glennon is one of the ACC’s best and he has thrown the football on every one this season. Despite giving up five touchdown passes, including a 77-yard score and a 49-yard score, Glennon only completed 29 of 53 passes. Safety Rashard Hall had the biggest play of the game, when he intercepted a second-quarter pass in the end zone that allowed the Tigers to stay in front, 27-24, at the time and then increase their lead on the ensuing possession. Cornerback Xavier Brewer had nine tackles, one tackle for loss and three passes broken up. With that, no one could cover State’s Tobias Palmer, who had 219 yards and three touchdowns on seven catches. Mario Carter also had seven catches for 107 yards.
Special Teams
Grade: F
Palmer was unreal. Besides his 219 receiving yards, he also had 277 return yards and finished the game with an ACC record 496 all-purpose yards. The kickoffs were short all day and Spencer Benton struggled punting the ball, too. He finished with a net average of 30.7 yards. The lone bright spot for the Tigers was Chandler Catanzaro who made field goals of 46 and 43 yards.
Coaching
Grade: B
It’s hard to say, but the team as a whole did come ready to play. The offense was once again magnificent with the 754 yards it gained to go along with their 62 points. The defense did give up a lot of points and yards, but when it needed to make a play, it got them. The special teams were awful and the Tigers will need to get that fixed before South Carolina comes to down with its powerful and explosive return game.