Tiger Tracker: How did Clemson perform against Boston College?

Offense: C

It seemed to be a vanilla game plan for Clemson, with a lot of dive plays right into the teeth of the Boston College defense. The plan didn't allow the offense to find a rhythm for much of the ball game, and as a result the Tigers scored just 7 points through three quarters.

Kelly Bryant never looked comfortable passing as he threw his first interception since the Kent State game and had his first multi-interception game of the season. The Tigers were stuck in bad field position for the majority of the day, thanks to excellent punting from Boston College. The Tigers rarely were able to flip the field. So why does the offense get a passing grade?

TNT. The combination of Tavien Feaster pounding away at the defense and tiring them down, and freshman Travis Etienne using his speed to bust off some huge runs in the fourth quarter. Clemson young running back duo salvaged what was a forgettable day for the offense. This one-two punch is going to be deadly moving forward, paired with Bryant's ability to run the football. A Clemson run game this dynamic is something that the Tiger offense simply hasn't had in a long time. 

Defense: B

The defense wasn't as dominant as they have been in previous games, getting pushed around at times against the power running game of Boston College. But they held up well enough to only allow the Eagles seven points, and forced a few critical turnovers and sacks. An overall lack of interest seemed to permeate through the entire team, but even a disinterested Clemson defense was too much for Boston College. 

Special Teams: B+

A missed extra point was the only blemish in what was an overall good day for the special teams. Alex Spence did well on kickoffs in place of the injured Greg Huegel, and Will Spiers had another solid day punting the ball. Ray-Ray McCloud got in on the action, flashing his quickness on a 56-yard punt return that set up a short field and a Clemson touchdown. The Tigers were much improved here from a week ago. Questions still remain about Alex Spence's ability to kick field goals, though. He didn't get a chance to kick one in this game, but said he's comfortable in perfect conditions from, "About 52-yards out."

Coaching: B

While the game plan on offense felt mundane and caused a forgettable outing, the Tigers did what they needed to do to get out of Death Valley with a win. Clemson didn't have to open things up too much ahead of their GameDay match-up at Virginia Tech (4-0, 0,0).

It wasn't pretty, but the Tigers eventually wore the Eagles down and took care of business in the fourth. That's all you need in a game like this. Plus, the coaching staff may have discovered the explosive combination at running back that they've been looking for all season.