By Will Vandervort.
Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris said the first half of the Georgia game was the best first half any of his offenses has played in a season-opener since he has been in Tigertown.
Through the first 50 plays last week, his offense executed at a high level as the 23rd-ranked Tigers totaled 276 yards and scored three touchdowns. If it wasn’t for a couple of dropped passes it could have been more. But something happened from the time the half ended until the start of the second half.
The team that went into the locker room with Morris for the break was not the same team that came out. As everyone knows, the Tigers got only one first down and 15 total yards in the second half.
“The momentum turned and the lack of leadership really showed,” Morris said.
As the old saying goes, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” Morris was not about to let what happened in the loss to Georgia happen, again.
After his offense racked up 392 yards and 34 points in the first half of Saturday’s 73-7 victory over S.C. State, he stayed on his team throughout halftime and into the second half as the Tigers responded with 39 more points and 343 yards.
“The challenge today at halftime was, ‘Look, we played a really good half, but we did last week, too,’” Morris said. “The challenge was to come out and be aggressive, be fast and keep pushing the tempo. We are going to just really put it on them.”
Clemson (1-1) opened the second half with a six-yard D.J. Howard touchdown to cap a seven-play, 53-yard drive that gave the Tigers a 41-0 lead with 11:30 to play in the third quarter. They followed that with a 24-yard Ammon Lakip field goal and then a 34-yard Deshaun Watson to Jay Jay McCullough touchdown pass for a 51-0 lead.
It did not stop there. After defensive back Jadar Johnson intercepted a pass and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown, Artavis Scott caught his second touchdown of the game on an eight-yard pass from Watson.
Freshman running back Adam Choice scored the final touchdown on a four-yard run that made the score 73-0 with 8:36 to play in the game.
“I put it on our guys,” Morris said. “I wanted to see what they could handle and try to strain them as much as we can in a game setting.”
They handled it pretty good. The Tigers finished the game with 735 total yards, including 467 yards from their quarterbacks. Cole Stoudt and Watson combined for 456 yards and four touchdowns on 30 of 40 passing.
Stoudt was 22 of 31 for 302 yards and one score, while Watson was 8-for-9 for 154 yards and three touchdowns.
“Both of our quarterbacks played well – they all did,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said.
The running backs played well too. The Tigers rushed for 268 yards on 51 carries with freshmen Wayne Gallman and Adam Choice leading the way. Gallman had 77 yards on 10 carries, while Choice rushed for 74 yards on 12 carries, including his touchdown.
“They definitely provided a spark,” Morris said. “I think they give us that ability that if they touch the ball, they can go the distance on any play.
“You are going to see them a whole lot in the next couple of weeks.”
In a couple of weeks, Clemson will be traveling to top-ranked Florida State – the defending national champions. And though there are still things to work on, the Clemson offense showed off its potential, which is good, as long as it doesn’t disappear in the second half.