TRAV & TREV BEGIN HEISMAN CAMPAIGNS, NO.1 CLEMSON RUNS AWAY FROM GEORGIA TECH 52-14
- 2019-08-30 07:41:37
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The Tiger runs down
The Hill with the National Championship Trophy:
The new championship
banners are unveiled:
The Most Exciting 25
Seconds in College Football, right into your living room:
CLEMSON, SC - Travis
Etienne's 2019 Heisman campaign started with a bullet, as he rushed for 205
yards and 3 touchdowns on just 12 carries in the Defending Champs' 52-14
blowout of Georgia Tech on Thursday night. He may have an early lead on
backfield mate Trevor Lawrence in the Hesiman race, but don't expect that to
last too long. Trevor didn't put up the big passing numbers to which we're
accustomed--he was 13-23 for 168 yards and a TD in just under 3 quarters of
work--but he exhibited the running game that Dabo said he'd worked so hard on
in the off-season. Trevor rushed 3 times for 24 yards and the Tigers' first
touchdown of the season, and he had another great 23-yard burst negated by a
holding call. Trevor's running ability this season will create nightmares for
defensive coordinators. They will be forced to employ a spy on Trevor, which
will open things up in the passing game with all those great receivers. After
just 4 interceptions in 15 games last season (one was a fluke off the back of
Cervenka's helmet on a screen pass at Tech), Trevor threw 2 in the first half
tonight. However, the first of those picks might have been a defining moment
for his Heisman campaign. With a 21-0 lead, rather than chalk it up to a
pick-six and jog after Swilling as 95% of quarterbacks would have, Trevor went
on a full sprint for 40 yards and dove to knock Swilling out of bounds at the
2-yard-line and prevent the touchdown. His incredible effort play was rewarded
by the defense, as Denzel Johnson intercepted a pass tipped by Jamie Skalski on
4th down. Folks, that was a "Heisman moment" if there ever was one,
and don't be surprised if you see that replayed more than any of his TD passes
this season. It was also a galvanizing moment for the team and strengthened
Trevor’s position as team leader. When his teammates see the Heisman
front-runner giving that kind of effort with a 21-0 lead, it can’t help but set
a huge example and fire them up to play for him. You never like to see an
interception, but that one was better than a touchdown.
It was a somewhat
subdued night for Justyn Ross compared to what we’re used to, but Tee Higgins
made a spectacular catch on a one-on-one play for a 62-yard score. Higgins
averaged a TD every 5 catches last season, and he bested that with a TD on 4
catches tonight. Ross did make an outstanding diving catch on a long pass, but
his knee just caught the sideline before his toe touched in bounds. Freshman
Frank Ladson was coming off minor knee surgery about three weeks ago, and we
were unsure if he would play tonight, but he made a diving catch on a perfectly
thrown fade route from Chase Brice. Fellow freshman Joseph Ngata was also
impressive both in the passing game and on kick returns. Chase Brice looked fantastic.
He was 5-7 with a TD, and his two incompletions were perfectly thrown passes
over 20 yards that should have been caught for touchdowns. One was dropped by
Cornell Powell and the other by freshman Brannon Spector, wearing Hunter
Renfrow’s #13. What a rare luxury to have a proven backup quarterback like Chase
Brice, especially in this day and age!
The defense played
well overall, allowing just 14 points on 294 yards with backups playing much of
the game. You have to also keep in mind that it was a total mystery what kind
of offense Tech would run with a brand new coaching staff and a team full of
players that have played in a completely different offense for years. Tech ran
a lot of its old option plays, as I expected the would, and brought a few
surprises that the defense wasn’t expecting, but Venables and company did a good
job with their in-game adjustments. Freshman DT Tyler Davis got the start, as I
thought he might, and was as advertised. The defense recorded 3 sacks—including
a first for redshirt freshman K.J. Henry—and could have been credited with
another by Xavier Thomas on a zone-read play in which he tackled the QB for a 10-yard
loss. The defense also created three turnovers: interceptions by Denzel Johnson
and Tanner Muse and a fumble forced by Chad Smith and recovered by Xavier
Kelly. There was also a muffed punt by Tech recovered by Baylon Spector,
setting up the first score.
The coverage units on
special teams played well, and B.T. Potter made his only attempt from 51 yards—the
longest field goal since Catanzaro in 2013. Will Spiers averaged 40 yards on his
3 punts, landing 2 inside the 20.
There will be plenty
for the coaches and players to work on after they review the film, but it was
an impressive statement by the Defending Champs in a rare opener against an ACC
opponent. My score prediction was 55-17, so I nailed the margin of victory and
was just 3 points off for each team. The Tigers racked up 632 total yards,
including 411 on the ground and 5 rushing touchdowns. They had explosive plays
both through the air and on the ground and won the turnover margin for a fourth
straight game—the longest streak since 2013. The atmosphere in Death Valley was
electric, and it will be even more so when No.12 Texas A&M comes calling
next week!
DABO PRESS CONFERENCE AND COACH/PLAYER INTERVIEWS HERE
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