One Last Rewind: Boston College
Clemson’s final road game of the season provided a test for Dabo Swinney’s Tigers but a dominant defense and a steady effort on offense secured a 27-7 win, punching their ticket to Charlotte for the ACC Championship in December.
Eagles bring the heat, Tiger offense finds enough answers
The plan for Boston College on defense was to disguise coverages and throw off Trevor Lawrence. The Eagles would often present Lawrence with one look in pre-snap and adjust as the ball was put in play during the first half. Despite that, Lawrence finished the game 29 of 40 for 295 yards with one passing touchdown. He also managed to pick up his first rushing touchdown as a Tiger as well.
Clemson found the end zone in the first half, with the ‘Fridge’ package, but throwing a different wrinkle in this time, as Lawrence connected with tight end Milan Richard on a play-action pass, for his first touchdown of the season. Later, Lawrence hit Derion Kendrick on a 32-yard completion before a Greg Huegel field goal put Clemson up 13-7 in the second quarter.
Clemson came out of the half and responded with a 64-yard drive, using just three plays, to extend their lead to 20-7. With Clemson recent defensive efforts, that score effectively put the game away.
The biggest concern may be that at times, Lawrence looked like a freshman Saturday. He missed on some deep throws that he’d like to have back. He again misjudged a slide falling just short of a first down and Swinney ripped into him. Those are teachable moments for the young quarterback, but a mistake like that in the playoffs could be costly.
Boston College’s offense struggles without Anthony Brown
When Christian Wilkins landed on Boston College quarterback Anthony Brown, knocking him out of the game in the first quarter, it felt like the Eagles were in for a long night.
What was already an uphill battle against a stout Clemson defense, became even more of a challenge. Having to lean on running back A.J. Dillon would normally be a good thing, but Clemson knew what was coming, and that forced Boston College to struggle offensively. Brent Venables’ squad held the Connecticut native to 39 yards in the game eliminating him from being an issue.
The Eagle offense was held to 113 yards of total offense, eight first downs and nine, yes, nine yards rushing. The nine yards rushing is second only to the performance by FSU a few weeks ago. This defense is stiff and they assert their will at every opportunity.
Looking for revenge
With the win, Clemson punched their ticket to the ACC Championship in Charlotte on December 1 at Bank of America Stadium, the fourth straight division title for Dabo Swinney’s Tigers is an ACC record. This senior class has now won 50 games in their decorated careers in Tiger Town. They will have a chance to become the first group to ever win four outright ACC Titles and play in the College Football Playoff every season of their career.
The Tigers will likely match up against Pitt in just a few weeks, assuming the Panthers can defeat Wake Forest this weekend or Miami in the regular season finale. The good news is that motivation won’t be a problem since it was Pitt that derailed Clemson’s undefeated season in Death Valley two years ago, 43-42. Expect Clemson to come out inspired in the Queen City when the time comes.
One final thought: This weekend, Clemson can’t overlook a 7-3 Duke team coming into town. David Cutcliffe’s squad will be ready to roll, and quarterback Daniel Jones is a talented kid. Don’t sleep on his ability. Another primetime national audience will get to see Clemson up close and personal and it’s another weekend for the Tigers to solidify their elite status. As long as the Tigers are focused, they should roll over the Blue Devils and into a rivalry showdown against South Carolina.