By William Qualkinbush.
Just a few short months ago, Germone Hopper was seated squarely in Dabo Swinney’s doghouse. His work ethic lacked, his on-field production suffered as a result, and there were youngsters nipping at his heels and threatening to replace him.
Fast forward to the present and much has changed for Hopper. He is now a valued part of Clemson’s passing game with freshman phenom Deshaun Watson at the helm. The new and improved role for Hopper was put on display in front of the home fans in Saturday’s 50-35 win over North Carolina.
Coming into the game, Hopper had played in 15 career contests and amassed 220 yards from scrimmage—213 on receptions. In the first three games of the 2014 season, he only managed 66 receiving yards.
But the sophomore broke out against the Tar Heels, recording a career-best 139 receiving yards on three catches, including a pair of touchdowns. It was his second career multi-touchdown game.
“(Offensive coordinator Chad Morris) told us to be prepared to take some shots,” Hopper said. “I thought we took very good advantage of it.”
Hopper was not the only Tiger receiver to enjoy success on a red-letter day for the young quarterback Watson. Sophomore Mike Williams had career highs in catches (six) and yards (122) and hauled in his first two touchdowns of the season. It was the first time the Tigers had two 100-yard receivers in the same game since the Georgia Tech matchup last season.
In addition, true freshman Artavis Scott caught a career-best eight passes for 66 yards and a score.
“We just came in here thinking we had to do what we normally do,” Scott said. “If we execute like we know we can do, everything will take care of itself.”
Half-a-hundred. Never before had a Clemson team scored exactly 50 points in a game until Saturday. The impressive offensive output marked the third consecutive time the Tigers put up at least that many points against the Tar Heels in Memorial Stadium. It was also the fourth consecutive home game in which Clemson reached or surpassed the 50-point plateau on offense dating back to last season.
Live up to the hype? Much was made before the game about the potency of both offenses, and the 85 combined points between Clemson and North Carolina was the third-most in the series. But it did not match the 97 points scored the last time the two teams squared off in 2011, when Clemson beat North Carolina 59-38.
Palmetto pride. Clemson now has a 36-19-1 record all-time against North Carolina and boast wins in five of the last six meetings between the schools. But the Tigers’ dominance of the Tar Heel State goes beyond its flagship school.
Clemson has beaten its last six opponents that hailed from North Carolina and is 10-1 over its last 11 such matchups. The Tigers will face off against North Carolina schools twice more in 2014, including next week’s matchup with N.C. State.
Extending streaks. The Tigers gained 528 yards in Saturday’s win, meaning they are now 74-0-1 all-time when they surpass the 500-yard plateau. The Clemson defense also held the Tar Heels to 84 yards rushing in the game, the third consecutive game in which the Tigers have held the opposition to less than 100 yards on the ground.
Safety for Shaq. Shaq Lawson was credited with a sack and a safety when North Carolina’s Marquis Williams was called for intentional grounding in the end zone late in the second quarter. It was the first safety earned by the Clemson defense since Spencer Shuey did it against Georgia Tech on October 6, 2012—a span of 24 games.
Closer to history. Vic Beasley’s two-sack day moves him dangerously close to a milestone revered in Clemson football history. His 27 career sacks are third all-time, behind only the 28 earned by Michael Dean Perry and the late Gaines Adams in their respective careers.
Other defensive notes. Robert Smith’s first interception of the season came in the fourth quarter. It was his third career pick. Also, Jayron Kearse was the lone Tiger defender who posted double digits in tackles. His ten tackles led the team, meaning a different player has led the team in tackles in each of the season’s first four games.