TCI hands out grades by position group in Clemson’s 20-17 victory at Louisville on Thursday night…
Quarterbacks: C
It is true that expectations for Deshaun Watson are borderline unattainable, but he did not come close to meeting them. Whether the Todd Grantham scheme, something with the personnel, or just simply a bad night, Watson seemed to struggle mightily throughout the game. His first interception was a poor throw he floated into double coverage. The second one was a fine decision, but the ball was woefully underthrown. Watson did throw a pair of touchdowns and ended up accounting for 253 yards of total offense, but it didn’t look very good at all.
Running Backs: A
Other than a transcendent performance against South Carolina a year ago, Wayne Gallman enjoyed his best game as a Tiger. He rushed for 139 yards on 24 carries and seemed to singlehandedly move the Clemson offense at times. There wasn’t much room for a committee to form—C.J. Davidson had four carries for nine yards, and no other back touched the ball—because Gallman was so good. In fact, when he was not on the field, it was noticeable.
Wide Receivers: C+
Much credit goes to Louisville for shutting down the vertical passing game. The Cardinals have been good at taking the ball away from throwing quarterbacks under Todd Grantham because they have defensive backs that can cover a lot of ground. With that being said, Clemson’s wideouts were not particularly good or effective on Thursday night. Without charting the game, it seems at least half of Clemson’s catches came in the horizontal passing game, and it’s hard to grade receivers when that is the case.
Offensive Line: A
Could there have been a worse first quarter for the Clemson offensive line? Both right tackles went out with injuries, meaning second-team right guard Maverick Morris had to slide over to tackle. There were moments in which the freshmen up front looked like youngsters, but those became less numerous as the game progressed. Mitch Hyatt looked very good, snaps were a non-issue, and the injuries did not derail a running game that pushed past the 200-yard threshold. It was a super performance up front by the Tigers.
Defensive Line: A
It is hard to imagine the Clemson defensive front having a more dominant performance. The two ends—Kevin Dodd and Shaq Lawson—combined for three sacks, and tackle Carlos Watkins added another sack. Louisville’s running game isn’t elite, but Brandon Radcliff is a big, strong runner who can finish off plays and he averaged only 2.4 yards per carry. For the game, the Cardinals managed only 19 yards on 28 carries, a testament to the Tigers’ defensive front. The only reason this is not an A+ grade is that Louisville has had struggles on the offensive line, so it was far from Clemson’s toughest test in that regard.
Linebackers: A+
I did not see a single negative play from the linebacking corps in the entire game. Of course it was not a perfect performance, but there were no glaring issues, and the group certainly stood out for what it did right. Ben Boulware was a man possessed once again, blowing up the A gap on a regular basis and making life miserable for the entire backfield. B.J. Goodson led the Tigers with nine tackles in the game. Even Travis Blanks and Dorian O’Daniel had a tackle for loss apiece.
Defensive Backs: A-
It was right after the game, so there might have been more, but Brent Venables mentioned on the radio only one time where a coverage bust occurred. That is an impressive success rate when facing an opponent that drops back to throw 40-plus times. Cordrea Tankersley had a breakout performance, and Mackensie Alexander was unseen once again as he closed down one-half of the field. T.J. Green and Jayron Kearse were both fantastic from start to finish, as well.
Special Teams: C-
Because fans tend to expect positive results, the most talked-about aspect of special teams will be kick coverage due to the 100-yard return. It is true that kick and punt coverage is and has been a major issue, as are kick and punt returns. Clemson simply cannot expect to win any of these aspects of play on any game, regardless of the caliber of opponent on the opposite sideline. However, the kicking game was good, with Greg Huegel answering the bell to convert a pair of field goals in his first road game. Andy Teasdall put half of his six punts inside the 20, too. Despite what folks might tend to dwell on, special teams were more of a mixed bag than an overall weakness.
Coaching: A
Venables calls a brilliant game on a regular basis, and this one was no different. Louisville chose to go with Kyle Bolin at quarterback, and given his status as more of a stationary presence in the pocket, Venables sent Boulware right up the middle for much of the game to bother his process. The defensive adjustment to a more mobile Lamar Jackson under center cost Clemson an early timeout, and Louisville had some success against it, but the Cardinals did not stick with that formula for long stretches. There was some consternation on social media and the message board regarding offensive playcalling because of the abundance of horizontal throws, but that was seemingly more about personnel and opponent than preference. Clemson had a backup guard at right tackle for much of the game and is still breaking in a plethora of new receivers. Plus, no Mike Williams means no consistent threat to go get the ball in the air, so the passing game will trend shorter. The result was over 400 yards of offense, which is never an indicator of a poor gameplan.