The Morning After: No. 1 Clemson handles Virginia, 41-23
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Well, it certainly wasn’t pretty.
By no stretch of the imagination did anything look perfect for the Tigers (3-0, 2-0 ACC) on Saturday night against Virginia (1-1, 1-1 ACC). But a win is a win, and with this one comes plenty of room for improvement. Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence might have said it best in his postgame presser:
“We’re in a pretty good position when we’re kind of disappointed in an 18-point win,” joked Lawrence.
Clemson walked away with a 41-23 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers last night, marking the Tigers' 300th all-time conference win. They are the first program in the ACC to achieve the milestone.
Here are a few of the most important moments and storylines from Saturday’s historic win.
TRAVIS TIED AT THE TOP
Clemson running back Travis Etienne, Jr. made an early-season statement in the Heisman race on Saturday night. Accounting for nearly 200 yards of total offense, Virginia had no answer for his prolific presence in both the Tigers’ rushing and passing attack.
Etienne’s first touchdown of the night — a 16-yard tackle-breaking scamper to put Clemson up 10-0 near the conclusion of the first quarter — was a landmark score for the senior. It made last night his 38th career contest accounting for at least one score for the Tigers, tying him for most all-time with Louisiana Tech’s Kenneth Dixon and legendary Florida Gator quarterback Tim Tebow.
Despite the magnitude of the accomplishment, Etienne said he hadn’t been informed of the record until after the game.
“I was unaware of it coming into the game,” the star running back said. “But after the game, coach told me about it. It’s a humbling experience. I’m thankful that God put me in a great place to be able to accomplish these things. I just want to thank everybody who’s been a part of my career.”
DEFENSIVE VULNERABILITIES
It’s not very often that Tiger fans are even slightly concerned about defensive coordinator Brent Venables’ unit following a game, but Saturday’s contest posed a few unwanted questions that likely won’t be answered in full until next week.
There were some shaky moments in the secondary. The Cavaliers nearly kept pace with the Tigers in terms of total offense, netting 417 yards on the evening compared to Clemson’s 466. The Clemson defensive line was only able to apply a limited amount of pressure to Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong, a recipe for trouble against any signal-caller.
Couple the ineffectiveness of the Tiger pass rush with Armstrong’s escapability and dual-threat skillset, and the mobile QB was able to carry the Cavalier offense to a respectable performance against a Clemson team allowing just under seven points per game coming in. Armstrong finished the game with 270 yards passing and three touchdowns, racking up an additional 89 yards on the ground.
Venables was fairly blunt in speaking with the media after the game.
“We were okay,” Venables said, matching his words with a hand gesture. “Just okay. We’ll take the win, but we’ve got a lot of learning… a ton of improvement that we need across the board.”
When asked what specific improvements were needed most from his players, he wasn’t able to zero in on a singular aspect.
“Name it. Run defense, pass defense, leverage, physicality, all of it.”
RODGERS SHINES
“Touchdown, Amari Rodgers.” Be ready to keep hearing those words throughout the remainder of the season.
Clemson wide receiver Amari Rodgers seemed to be open all night, as his two-touchdown stat line hardly did his performance any sort of justice.
Rodgers finished the evening with six receptions for 72 yards and two scores, continuously finding himself open in crucial moments early on in the game. The connection between Trevor Lawrence and Amari Rodgers was seamless and present when it mattered most.
“Amari had a big-time play where he had to show his strength and get over the top of [a Virginia cornerback],” said head coach Dabo Swinney. “He had a great game, very, very productive.”
ANDREW BOOTH JR: #SCTOP10?
It wasn’t all gloom and doom for the Tiger defense on Saturday night.
Early in the third quarter, the Cavaliers were driving and looking to make the game into a one-possession affair. Down by just 14 points, Brennan Armstrong floated a pass to the front corner of the end zone, looking to connect with his massive target, 6-foot-7 receiver Lavel Davis.
Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth — who measures in as seven inches shorter than Davis — had other plans.
“He’s a big body, so I tried to box him out,” said Booth of his extraordinary play. “Then, I just came down with it.”
Perhaps most importantly, Booth was injected with a healthy dose of confidence following the interception, something Booth said had been an internal struggle as of late.
“That’s actually one thing I’ve been battling with,” he admitted. “Trying to keep my head up. It’s been a battle of me vs. me. That’s definitely a confidence booster. I really needed that.”
FINAL WORD:
Was this a game to write home about? Not even close. There were enough glaring miscues throughout the affair to raise a few eyebrows heading into a matchup where such mistakes won’t be as affordable. But to match the miscues were plenty of highlights, including Nolan Turner’s second-quarter interception and the career-high performances from both Spector brothers.
And as they’ve set the standard for doing in years prior, the Tigers will undoubtedly address the appropriate areas in practice this week and come out ready to play next Saturday against No. 8 Miami.
Rest easy, Tiger fans. It wasn’t pretty, but Clemson got the job done.
