For the most part, Clemson’s special teams units did well.

The kick and punt coverage teams were solid, while punter Will Spiers did a good a job in his first year as a starter.

Where the Tigers struggled was at placekicking, especially after starter Greg Huegel was lost for the season with a torn ACL, which he suffered in practice prior to the Tigers’ home game versus Boston College.

How did the Tigers grade in those areas?

Kickers: B

After getting off to a rough start, Alex Spence bounced back to make eight of his last nine kicks, including his last three from 46, 44 and 42 yards out. Prior to those three kicks, he was 1-for-7 from 32 or further. He finished the season 9-of-14 and was a perfect 6-for-6 from 31 yards and in. Spence was also 41-of-43 in extra point tires. As for Huegel, he is expected to return in the spring and will be given the opportunity to get his job back. Before he was injured, Huegel was just 2-for-4 on his kicks, but one was a career long 49-yard field goal at Louisville. He was 14-for-15 on extra points. Christian Groomes made his only attempt of the season … a 38-yard field goal. He was 2-for-2 on extra points.

Punters: B+

Will Spiers struggled against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, but for the most part he had a very good first year as a punter. His net average was over 38 yards and he averaged 40.8 per punt. He had 26 punts downed inside the 20-yard line and just four touchbacks all year. He also had 12 punts over 50 yards, including a career long 64 yards. Carson King had three punts and averaged 39.3 yards per punt.

Punt and Kickoff coverage: A

Since the 2016 national championship game against Alabama, Clemson has really cleaned up this area. Opponents averaged just 9.8 yards per punt return this year with a long of 43 yards and no touchdowns on 18 returns. The kick coverage team allowed 19.8 yards per return with a long of just 33 yards and no touchdowns on 56 returns.

Punt and Kickoff return: B-

Ray-Ray McCloud, who has decided to turn pro, averaged 12.1 yards per return and on 15 attempts for 324 yards. He scored on a 77-yard return at NC State, which proved to be big in the Tigers’ 38-31 victory. As a team, Clemson averaged 11.1 yards per return, one of the best seasons the Tigers have had in the punt return game in a long time. As for kickoff returns, the Tigers still have some work to do. Clemson averaged just 19.7 yards per return. The longest return was 39 yards by Travis Etienne in the win over South Carolina. Etienne averaged 21.6 yards per return to lead the team.