Find out how TCI rated the performance of each position group during Clemson’s 41-10 victory over Appalachian State on Saturday…
Quarterbacks: B+
It was not Deshaun Watson’s best performance on Saturday, but he did more than enough to put Clemson’s offense in prime scoring position throughout the day. An interception put a damper on things early, but he settled in and had a fine game overall. Nick Schuessler and Kelly Bryant both struggled to get anything going in the handful of series they shared late in the game.
Running Backs: B-
Wayne Gallman was outstanding out of the backfield, but the rest of the group wasn’t very good at all. Appalachian State aggressively attacked the line of scrimmage, and it appeared most of the backs were at least a little bit hesitant to hit open holes. The longest run by any back not named Gallman was nine yards. That will not cut it in conference play.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: B
Charone Peake shook off some early nerves to have a tremendous two-touchdown game. Artavis Scott also enjoyed an outstanding game. Nobody else really stood out from the receiving corps, but there was not a lot of bad, either. It was a fine performance overall. One potential concern was an occasional lack of quality blocking on the edge in the horizontal passing game. That must be shored up before too long.
Offensive Line: C
See, this is why I did not give this group an “A” grade last week. The level of competition increased this week, and the Clemson front appeared to adjust rather poorly. The Tigers barely averaged three yards per carry, and much of the blame for that falls at the feet of this crew. The line of scrimmage routinely fell into the hands of the Mountaineer defense, leaving very little room for the Tiger tailbacks to maneuver. A particularly bad snap ended up creating a minor injury for Watson—he exited for one play—and it was far from the only questionable one. This group still has major questions to answer heading into conference play.
Defensive Line: A
It was an outstanding all-around game for this group of players. Tiger linemen absolutely brutalized Mountaineer ball-carriers all game long, and six of the teams’ ten tackles for loss came from the front four. Carlos Watkins took an interception back for a touchdown, and Shaq Lawson added three tackles for loss by himself. Even the second and third teamers that played had moments of productivity.
Linebackers: A
Ben Boulware led this group by getting inside the head of Appalachian State quarterback Taylor Lamb and disrupting every single snap of the ball. He was far from the only impactful linebacker, however. B.J. Goodson had a handful of tackles, including one for loss, and he added a quarterback pressure of his own. This group is clearly not the deepest or most talented, but the frontline guys are good enough to make up for that when they play like they did on Saturday.
Defensive Backs: A
Much of the credit for the Mountaineers’ difficulty to throw the ball has to go to the pass rush, but the downfield coverage was impeccable, too. T.J. Green and Jayron Kearse were monsters at safety. Nobody predicted Ryan Carter would have a big impact, but the redshirt freshman had two tackles and broke up a pass in an impressive effort from the nickel position. When an opposing quarterback completes barely 30 percent of his passes, a bunch of the credit has to go to the guys in the back of the defense.
Special Teams: B
It was a decent day for the special teams on Saturday. Greg Huegel got some field goal chances, and he made two of his three tries, including a 47-yarder at the end of the game. However, he also missed kicks on consecutive plays that were negated by penalties midway through the first quarter. Adding those in makes his numbers a bit less desirable. After a horrible first week, Andy Teasdall averaged 43.5 yards per punt and sent three of his six kicks inside the 20. Ray-Ray McCloud’s 73-yard kick return was also a highlight.