Instant Analysis: The floodgates and playbook open as No. 2 Clemson smashes Seminoles
CLEMSON -- Dabo Swinney couldn’t do anything but sit back and listen to some of the criticism coming his way the past two weeks. Many fans were a tad concerned after the offense looked sluggish and out of rhythm in Chapel Hill.
For those wondering when the Tigers would start to open up their playbook, you now have your answer. Against Florida State, the Tigers played like a team that was tired of hearing the outside noise from the past couple of weeks.
The playbook was opened, and so were the floodgates as Clemson racked up 45 points and 553 yards of total offense in this year’s rout of Florida State that felt all too similar to last year’s.
The game was over when…
The Tigers held a 14-point lead going into the second quarter and were looking for an early knockout punch. Trevor Lawrence, who played a near-perfect game outside of one interception, was in the midst of an 8-play drive when he ran a draw on third-and-5 and gained the first down.
He took a pretty clean shot from Florida State cornerback, Hamsah Nasirildeen, who then stood up and had a few words for Lawrence as he clapped in the quarterback’s face. Lawrence acknowledged Nasirildeen and went right to the huddle.
We’ve seen this before.
Three plays later, after a Travis Etienne 3-yard rush and an incomplete pass to Justyn Ross, Lawrence found Ross in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown on a beautiful third-and-7 throw. Instead of going to celebrate with Ross, who began to make his way over to the sidelines with the rest of his teammates, Lawrence ran straight ahead to the end zone.
A bee-line right to Nasirildeen.
Lawrence had a few quick words for the Florida State cornerback as Nasirildeen walked toward the sideline. Just another example of the low key fire that Lawrence plays with and doesn’t show often.
And another lesson: when you piss Trevor Lawrence off, he’s going to remember it.
As for the game, the Tigers took a commanding 21-0 lead and never looked back. It was the early knockout Clemson was looking for, and it was Lawrence that delivered the devastating blow.
They stole the show…
It’s hard to ignore Lawrence’s stat-line, especially given many who questioned what was up with his game after his performance at North Carolina. Clemson’s golden boy was precise and nearly perfect from the opening kickoff.
Lawrence finished with 170 yards on a 17-of-25 clip for three touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for a touchdown on one of his six attempts and 40 yards rushing. Heck, Lawrence even caught one of his own passes after it was batted at the line of scrimmage.
But Clemson won the game emphatically because of the balance it established. Travis Etienne got 17 carries for 127 yards and even threw a pass to Ross on the second play of the game. Clemson had 320 rushing yards and 230 passing yards.
Speaking of Ross, he looked more in form as he led Clemson in catches with five for 61 yards and caught two touchdown passes. All-around, a tremendous showing from a Clemson offense that finally looked the way we thought they would look.
Matchup of the game…
Clemson’s defense completely shut down the Seminoles when the game was still actually a game.
Going into the game, we thought that Florida State running back, Cam Akers, had to have a big day for the Seminoles to have a chance for the upset.
Akers was covered and smothered like some Waffle House hash browns from the opening kick. He finished with nine carries for 34 yards, one of them being a run for 15. That wasn’t nearly enough to help for Alex Hornibrook and James Blackman.
In Akers’ three games against Clemson, he’s rushed for 81 yards on 32 carries for an average of less than three yards per carry.
The defense was dominant, especially in the first half, and wreaked havoc all evening long. By halftime, the Tigers were outgaining the Seminoles 367 to 63. If Clemson hadn’t taken its foot off the gas in the second half, it could’ve gotten ugly as the floodgates opened early.