From the Field: Furman
Clemson opened the season Saturday, routing Furman, 48-7. Our intern Brandon Stockdale was on the field shooting pictures and here are a few things that stood out to him:
The freshman impress
Clemson’s coaching staff got a lot of guys action yesterday and it showed how much young talent the Tigers have. Braden Galloway and Justyn Ross have been a topic of conversation during fall camp. Galloway has battled an injury since before he enrolled at Clemson. Both looked smooth running their routes. The crowd of 80,000 didn’t seem too big for them either, as they both caught a touchdown.
Derion Kendrick is a guy to keep your eye on moving forward. In the second half, he won a 1-on-1 battle with the defensive back, snagging his 1st career reception. If Kendrick can continue to win those one-on-one battles, it’s going to be hard to keep the Rock Hill, S.C. native off the field.
You can’t forget about Lyn-J Dixon. Co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said during fall camp that Dixon has the same burst as Travis Etienne. That burst was on display for everyone to see with a 64-yard run that would’ve been a touchdown had it not got tackled from behind after running out of gas.
The younger guys on the defensive front like Xavier Thomas got a chance to get playing time. They held their own against Furman’s option attack, which can be a tall task in your first college game. The play that stood out was K.J. Henry’s first career fumble recovery.
Do these freshmen have a long way to go? Yes, but It’s going to be fun to see these freshman continue to grow as the season progresses.
Special teams
Greg Huegel returned from a season-ending ACL injury. Clemson fans missed him while he was gone but are glad to have him back. Huegel hit two field goals yesterday which helped him knock off the rust from being out for so long.
B.T. Potter handled kickoffs, and you would’ve thought he has been around the program for 3 to 4 years, but he’s only a freshman, folks. Potter had six kickoffs that went through the end zone, showing off his strong leg. Dabo Swinney has raved about Potter throughout the kicking competition in fall camp.
Amari Rodgers had a 62-yard punt return in the first half that could’ve gone to the house. The blocking was great bringing the stadium to its feet.
Quarterbacks
This piece wouldn’t be complete without talking Kelly Bryant and Trevor Lawrence. The two quarterbacks split duties on Saturday and each of them had their moments-- some, where they looked great, and others they’d like to have back.
Bryant got the start and looked shaky early on. He and Travis Etienne weren’t on the same page getting the snap, and he missed on some short throws as well. Once Bryant settled in, he got Clemson on the board first with a 40-yard deep ball to Amari Rodgers. He also hit a deep ball in the second half to Derion Kendrick on a vertical route.
The question that everyone has is how much has Bryant’s deep ball improved? Bryant made a case that it has, and it’s going to be interesting to learn more as the Tigers hit the road to Texas A&M.
The fans wanted to see Trevor Lawrence, who’s received all the preseason hype through the summer.
Lawrence led the offense the length of the field, ending with his first career touchdown pass to Diondre Overton.
In the second half, Lawrence hit Justyn Ross on a screen for a 15-yard touchdown pass that was well executed. He came in and showed that the moment isn’t too big for him, as did his freshman counterparts.
The ultimate question is who can come in and execute the offense? The coaches indicated yesterday that experience wins out over a young talent. Expect Bryant to be the starter moving forward, but Lawrence is going to get plenty of opportunities to prove himself. Saturday he didn't hurt his chances moving forward, becoming just the second true freshman, to pass for three touchdowns in a game equaling some Watson kid.