By Will Vandervort.
Each week we take a look back at what the 19th-ranked Clemson Tigers did right and what they did wrong on the field. Today we look back and grade each position in Clemson’s 34-20 victory at Wake Forest.
Quarterback: B
Cole Stoudt threw an interception early that led to a Wake Forest touchdown, but he settled down after that and played well the rest of the game. Stoudt threw touchdown passes of 18, 4 and 68 yards—through the 68-yard pass was all Artavis Scott—while completing 27 of 42 passes for 282 yards to eight different receivers. We also learned after the game Stoudt was reinjured his non-throwing shoulder but he decided to stay in the game and play through the pain. That’s why I gave him a “B.”
Running back: A
Wayne Gallman rushed for 109 yards on 19 carries, including a 30-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that sealed the win. Gallman has now rushed for 100 or more yards in back-to-back games. He averaged a 5.6 yards per carry and also caught four passes for 43 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown.
Wide receivers & tight ends: B
Artavis Scott had eight catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns, including a 68-yard catch-and-run on a jet sweep pass. Tight end Stanton Seckinger caught a 45-yard pass that got the Clemson offense going in the second quarter. Clemson’s wide receivers did not drop any passes, but tight end Jordan Leggett dropped one pass from Stoudt as did fellow tight end Jay Jay McCullough.
Offensive line: B
The offensive line played better as the game went along. They did not allow a sack in the second half and the running game got going as the Tigers ran 22 times for 119 yards in the last 30 minutes –a 5.4 yards per carry average. Ryan Norton, who did not start at center, came off the bench and played perhaps his best game of the year. Tyrone Crowder also looked good at right guard, especially late. Left tackle Isaiah Battle and left guard David Beasley also had good games.
Defensive line: B
The Tigers recorded 13 tackles for loss and nine came from the defensive line. Shaq Lawson played his best game of the season and had four tackles for loss, including two sacks. Grady Jarrett also had two sacks and had three tackles for loss. Vic Beasley, despite playing injured, was all over the field and was very disruptive.
Linebackers: B
Clemson held Wake Forest to seven rushing yards and to 0.2 yards per carry and the linebackers played a big reason why. After getting schooled on the draw plays a couple of times in the first quarter, Clemson adjusted and shutdown the Demon Deacons on the ground. Stephone Anthony, who led Clemson with eight tackles, and Tony Steward several times stood Wake Forest running backs up in the hole.
Secondary: B
Though some of the calls were bad ones, the Clemson secondary was flagged four times for pass interference penalties and once for targeting. That was 60 of Clemson’s 75 yards in penalties, which helped Wake score 13 of its 20 points. Garry Peters led the Tigers with three passes broken up, while Robert Smith had four tackles before his ejection.
Special teams: C
Bradley Pinion averaged 49 yards on three punts, while Ammon Lakip continued to be solid at placekicking with two more field goals of 28 and 39 yards. The coverage units did well, too. But Adam Humphries’ muff punt in the second quarter inside his own 15-yard line gave Wake Forest the ball and led to a touchdown.
Coaching: B
Clemson came out a little flat to start the game, but the offense and defense adjusted to what Wake Forest was doing early in the game. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was not pleased with the officiating as he fought for his team the entire game. Chad Morris called one of his better games of the season as the offense totaled 427 yards on 79 plays. The offense had long plays of 30, 45 and 68 yards that either went for scores or set up points. The defense held Wake Forest to 119 total yards. The Demon Deacons had just 32 yards of total offense the last three quarters, including minus-23 yards rushing and 0-for-10 on third down conversions.