TCI hands out helmet stickers to some of the top performers from Clemson’s 43-24 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday…
Jayron Kearse
There are players who cover up mistakes made by others. There are players who make plays that make people forget what somebody else might have done wrong. Then, there’s Jayron Kearse, who was an unstoppable force against the Yellow Jackets. On multiple occasions, Kearse actually stopped the option by himself, baiting quarterback Justin Thomas into pitching the ball before swarming the ball-carrier—or even doing the opposite, causing Thomas to keep the ball and get popped. A couple of his hits were the kind that end up on Sportscenter. Nobody loves to play the option any more than that guy.
Wayne Gallman
The Wayne Train was eager to roll down the tracks against a school from his home state. Gallman broke out early for a 66-yard touchdown run on the game’s third play. His play is the longest of the season for the Tigers, and it set the tone for Clemson’s offense for the entire day. The sophomore tailback added a short touchdown run late in the first quarter, as well. His handful of second half carries were more about clock management and grinding for tough yards, but he did break off an 18-yard gain later on in the third quarter.
Deon Cain
At some point, Cain was going to have a game where he opened some eyes. That day came on Saturday, as the true freshman led Clemson’s team in receptions (5) and yards (96). All five of his catches went for double digits in terms of yardage, and he caught a jump ball downfield during Nick Schuessler’s time at quarterback that covered 38 yards. Clemson has been void of a playmaker on the perimeter that can win one-on-one battles in the air, and Cain showed he could be a candidate to do just that moving forward.
Jordan Leggett
The griping and moaning about Leggett’s lack of usage—and that of the entire tight end group, as a matter of fact—can be put to rest after the work he did against the Yellow Jackets. All four of Leggett’s catches came in the first half as the Tigers were building their lead. One came on a third down play where a conversion led directly to points. He also caught a pair of second quarter touchdown passes—a 29-yarder up the right sideline with no defender in sight and another from eight yards out on a post-corner route as the game approached halftime. Leggett was a primary target for Deshaun Watson early and often, and he maximized his chances in this one.
The whole defense
This is exactly the kind of copout response I hate, but it’s the best I can do. The Clemson defense played its tail off. It allowed 71 rushing yards to a running football team. That total is the worst of the Paul Johnson era at Georgia Tech. Overall, the Tiger defense held the Yellow Jackets to 230 total yards, their lowest output in almost three full seasons. Two of those plays combined for 96 yards on downfield passes, meaning almost 42 percent of Georgia Tech’s yards came on a pair of plays. Too many guys were standouts to highlight any but Kearse, who was far and away the most destructive force on the field. It was just a solid all-around effort that deserves kudos at every level.