Stumbling And Rumbling
If you saw a box score that included a final score of 34-7, you probably thought that the Tigers handled business without breaking much of a sweat.
That wasn’t the case Saturday afternoon, as Clemson needed four full quarters to defeat Steve Addazio’s scrappy Boston College team.
Clemson slept-walked through most of the game, especially the first half, and the Death Valley atmosphere was not its normal self. Clemson fans went from not having much to cheer about, to cheering anxiously after Boston College tied the game up 7-7 late in the 3rd quarter.
“The fourth quarter was Clemson football as far as how we compliment each other,” head coach Dabo Swinney said after the offense finished the game with 27 unanswered points. “Offense, special teams, defense. That’s why it was 27 unanswered. We just dominated the game.”
The day started with the offense not being able to get into a rhythm. Boston College’s defense showed vastly different schemes that hadn’t been shown all season, frustrating Kelly Bryant and the rest of the offense. Clemson did not convert on a third down conversion until midway through the second quarter on a big scoring drive.
The Tiger crowd was hitting the snooze button all afternoon until Taylor Hearn provided a jolt off of a Bryant fumble. The ball was knocked loose, Hearn scooped it up and the big man rumbled and stumbled his way for 12 yards to get the first down.
The moment gave the crowd and offense some life, resulting in the games’ first touchdown eight plays later with Bryant scoring on a run from 11 yards out. Bryant accounted for 40 of his 106 total rushing yards on that one drive.
After that drive, Clemson’s offense spiraled back into frustration not being able to get anything going. Boston College’s defense and punter played a major role in that discomfort.
The average starting field position for the Tigers midway through the third quarter was its own 14-yard line. The offense had to make up a lot of ground on the day and just when you thought they were in rhythm, they stalled giving Boston College some life.
The Eagles were able to start a drive on Clemson’s 37-yard line and tie the game up at seven when AJ Dillon scored from one yard out. With 3:30 left in the third, the Clemson crowd was stunned and really started to get anxious.
Clemson’s defense did not budge.
After a three-and-out gave Boston College the ball back with a chance to take the lead, the Tiger defense rose to the occasion. The Eagles were forced into a three-and-out of their own and had to give the ball back to the struggling Clemson offense.
Then, the offense finally woke up.
Clemson got the ball back at the start of the fourth quarter and started playing with more of a sense of urgency. On third-and-nine, Bryant completed a 23-yard pass to Diondre Overton that set up an Adam Choice touchdown run on the next play. Overton’s lone reception turned out to be the play that put the Tiger offense back in a groove and allowed Clemson fans to breath again.
The Tigers got the ball four times in the fourth quarter and scored a touchdown on every drive.
Travis Etienne put the nail in the coffin and was the story of the fourth quarter.
The freshman fourth-string running back busted open another long touchdown run for 50 yards that put the game out of reach for the Eagles.
“That No. 9, man, what a great game. What a fourth quarter,” Swinney said praising Etienne. “That’s what you can do when you’ve got depth and you can wear people down. He’s just gaining confidence by the minute. Thought he did a great job on our kickoff return, so I love what I’m seeing.
“He’s going to be special.”
An AJ Terrell interception set up Etienne to close the game out. With the ball on the 41-yard line, Etienne got the ball on four straight plays against the worn down defense. He bounced off tacklers and willed his way in for his second touchdown of the game showing the crowd what Clemson coaches see in practice every day.
In a game where many people thought it wouldn’t be close, Clemson had to do what it prides itself in doing: overcoming adversity.
“One thing that we've really been talking to the offense about is what are the common traits of Clemson's offense through the years. What is our DNA of the Clemson offense? It goes back seven or eight years since coach Swinney's been our coach,” coach Jeff Scott said. “One thing we always talk about is Clemson’s football team and Clemson's offense is we respond in adversity. Whenever those tough times come, we know how to respond.”
When things weren’t clicking for much of the day, Clemson found its spark when it mattered most. That’s a takeaway any Clemson fan should be pleased about before a big road test next week.
The Tigers finished the game with 342 rushing yards while managing to only give up 97. Etienne finished as the team’s leading rusher with nine carries for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
When the offense was stumbling, they persevered.
When the offense persevered, Clemson rumbled its way to victory.