CLEMSON – There were not many individual explosive performances to point to from Clemson’s offensive showcase Saturday night.

In the Tigers’ low-powered 19-7 win over Georgia Southern at Memorial Stadium Saturday, Clemson’s offense finished with 149 rushing yards and 197 total passing yards. This was drastically improved from its 145 total yards in a loss to LSU last weekend, but not anywhere near the top of any Power Four offensive rankings through two weeks

Senior signal-caller Christopher Vizzina threw for 19 yards, an interception and a touchdown before sustaining an injury that kept him out for the rest of the game. His most explosive moment came in the first quarter, when he threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver T.J. Moore.

Once subbed in after three Vizzina-led possessions, freshman Tait Reynolds recorded some more explosive plays over the course of three whole quarters, like when he took off for a 16-yard first down run. His biggest play of the game, however, came off of a 43-yard pass to Moore in the second quarter.

While penalties, miscommunications and substitutions abounded for Clemson’s offensive players, Moore proved to be a steady presence for the Tigers while the game’s statistics greatly favored Clemson, but the single-digit score did not. 

After having his fewest receiving yards (31) since last October against LSU last week in the blowout loss to LSU, Moore treated Clemson’s victory Saturday as a way to remind a friendly crowd of his capabilities with, and while anticipating, the ball in his hands.

In the win, the Tampa, Fla., native led all receivers with 103 receiving yards, and, of course, the Tigers’ lone touchdown in that first period. It marked the fifth 100-plus yard performance of his career and eighth game with a touchdown on his stat line. Additionally, Moore increased his reception streak of consecutive games with a reception to 29. Only 12 players in program history hold a longer record.

On Saturday, Moore started his on-field leadership campaign early.

In the first quarter, the wideout caught the first pass of the game for a four yard gain, then forced a defensive pass interference call to get the second first down of the day for the Tigers’ offense after a muffed punt from Georgia Southern. Two plays later, Moore caught his touchdown. He also caught a nine-yard pass from Reynolds two drives later to conclude the first quarter.

Moore continued to build momentum, catching respective nine and 11-yard passes from Reynolds on the Tigers’ first drive in the second quarter. His 45-yard catch, the biggest play by any team, also came before the half.

Directly after the break, the veteran had a pair of two more catches for 13 and 15 yards.

Moore finished with 53 percent of the offense’s total receiving yards. Fellow junior wide receiver Bryant Wesco finished with 35 yards while senior Tyler Brown had 44 receiving yards.

Moore also caught seven of the 10 passes directed at him, leading all receivers in receptions. He finished with the most yards– rushing or receiving– from any player on either team.

While the Tigers did not have much rhythm to point to, Moore showed that with a new quarterback (or two) he can still be a playmaker that picks up the needed long third-down conversion or catches the unsure deep ball. Now, the Tigers will have to figure out how to transfer his– and all the receivers’– skills into more offensive firepower to stay competitive against ACC competition, which will begin soon.

Clemson will get its next opportunity this coming weekend against the University of North Carolina at Memorial Stadium.