Clemson won the 2016 National Championship, but did it make a good grade in The Clemson Insider’s positional reviews for the season.
Here is a look at the offense.
Quarterback: Grade A
A lot of the national media made a big deal in regards to Deshaun Watson’s 17 interceptions, but when you break down those interceptions, just 10 of those were actually his fault. Was he perfect? Absolutely not, but he more than proved through the course of the year he was the best quarterback in the country. In the national championship game against Alabama the two-time Davey O’Brien and Manning Award winner broke his own record for passing yards in a title game with 420 yards on 36-of-56 passes with three touchdowns and most importantly no interceptions. For the season, Watson completed 388-of-579 passes for a school-record 4,593 yards and an ACC record 41 touchdown passes. He also totaled 5,219 yards of offense and had 50 touchdown responsibilities.
Running back: Grade A
This might somewhat be a high grade considering Wayne Gallman rushed for nearly 400 yards less than he did a year ago, but that’s not on him. Gallman still ran as hard as he normally did and he did average 4.9 yards per carry and scored 17 touchdowns. But because of the way defenses were defending the Tigers and with all the weapons they have on the outside, co-offensive coordinators Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott chose to run Gallman just 232 times. Gallman rushed for 1,133 yards this season and set a couple of career records along the way. C.J. Fuller also emerged as a more than capable backup, especially in the passing game where he caught touchdown passes against South Carolina and Ohio State. He also averaged 4.5 yards per carry. Though limited, freshman Tavien Feaster showed glimpses of what he is capable of doing. The highly touted running back out of Spartanburg rushed for 221 yards, averaged 6.0 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns.
Wide receiver: Grade A
Mike Williams and Deon Cain definitely made a difference in the national championship game. The two—Williams because of injury and Cain due to a suspension—did not play in last year’s championship and it limited the Tigers’ big-play ability in the passing game. But that was not the case in last week’s championship game against Alabama. Williams caught eight passes for 94 yards and scored on a four-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. He also made two big-time receptions on the Tigers’ last two drives. Cain hauled in five passes for 94 yards, including a 43-yard catch-and-run on a screen pass that jumped started the Clemson offense in the second quarter. Then there is the hero from the national championship game, Hunter Renfrow. The sophomore was again magnificent in the College Football Playoff, especially against the Crimson Tide where he caught a career-high 10 passes for 92 yards, including the winning touchdown with one second left in the game. Renfrow, who missed four games because of injury, was Watson’s go-to guy in crucial situations all year. Tight end Jordan Leggett had a record breaking year, catching 46 passes for a record 736 yards and a record seven touchdowns. He leaves his Clemson career as the all-time record holder for yards, receptions and touchdowns. Artavis Scott finished second on the team with 76 receptions and scored five touchdowns, while Ray Ray McCloud was third with 49 catches for 472 yards and two scores.
The offensive line: Grade B
The national championship game was a microcosm of the season. At the beginning of the game, the Alabama defensive front was blowing them off the football and getting to both Watson and Gallman in the backfield. But as the game wore on, they got better, especially in pass protection. The season was much the same. They started off slow, but got going late, especially in the running game where they had 200-yard plus rushing games against Wake Forest, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and Ohio State. Pass pro was good all year, but they did give up a season-high four sacks in the championship game, and gave up 21 for the season. The Tigers averaged a pedestrian 4.3 yards per carry and averaged just 169.5 yards per game, way down from the 223.0 yards they averaged last season. Center Jay Guillermo, left tackle Mitch Hyatt and right guard Tyrone Crowder earned All-ACC honors. Freshman Sean Pollard came in at mid-season and did a great job filling in for Jake Fruhmorgen, who left the team for personal reasons.
—Photo Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
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