What we learned about Clemson’s freshmen during season-opening win
From the opening kickoff until the final play of the game, Clemson’s true freshmen impressed Thursday night during the season opener against Georgia Tech.
The Tigers had 24 true freshmen play in all, including several that had prominent roles in the 52-14 victory.
Thursday night’s game to open the 2019 season was a moment the group had been waiting for since well before it arrived on campus.
“We’ve been talking about this since when we first started getting recruited in the group chat and everything,” receiver Frank Ladson said. “We’ve been talking about moments like this. We’ll remember this Thursday night. We’re just blessed to be out there. We were really excited about it.”
Ladson had perhaps the most impressive play of the evening by a freshman, hauling in a 21-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Chase Brice early in the fourth quarter.
Brice perfectly threw a fade pass to where only Ladson could get it, and the freshman beat his man before coming down with an impressive catch.
“Coach (Jeff) Scott had been preaching all week, when you get your opportunity make the most of it, so that’s what I did,” Ladson said. “I just thank Chase for throwing a great ball and the offensive line for giving him time.”
Ladson was unsure if he would even get to play in the opener during fall camp after having a minor knee procedure done, but he did all that he could to be ready for the start of the 2019 season. His hard work paid off Thursday.
“I knew it was a chance I wouldn’t, but I was determined to come back. I was ready to play in the opener,” he said. “It felt good, especially coming back from missing most of fall camp with my knee and everything. It felt good just to be out there with my team. The guys have been encouraging me all fall while I was out, so it felt good.”
Clemson had another freshman receiver who impressed in California native Joseph Ngata. The 6-foot-4 wide out returned the opening kickoff 32 yards and later showed off his explosiveness on a 12-yard reception. He finished with 50 kickoff return yards and 12 receiving yards.
Tyler Davis got the start at defensive tackle and showed why he was talked about so much during fall camp. Davis had four tackles, including half a tackle for loss, and played well up front.
“It was very intense. It was amazing,” Davis said. “I was kind of nervous at first, but I gathered myself.”
Other notable freshmen to contribute were quarterback Taisun Phommachanh, running backs Chez Mellusi and Michel Dukes, and defensive backs Lannden Zanders, Andrew Booth and Sheridan Jones.
Mellusi rushed for 36 yards on six carries, including six for a first down on the game’s final play. Phommachanh had five carries for 21 yards, with Dukes rushing seven times for 29 yards. Zanders had two tackles, including a tackle for loss, Booth had a tackle and Jones had a pass break up.
Extra effort
Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence made a bad mistake early in the second quarter, but his hustle afterward kept the Tigers from giving up seven points.
Lawrence threw an interception right to Georgia Tech defensive back Tre Swilling, and it appeared as though Swilling was going to return the pick for a score. Instead, Lawrence hustled back and hammered Swilling out of bounds at the 1-yard line.
Clemson’s defense then stood up, stopping the Yellow Jackets on four consecutive plays from inside the 5-yard line with Denzel Johnson getting an interception in the end zone to keep Georgia Tech off the board.
“I talk to our guys all the time about that. I don’t expect to see perfection... I want to see the heart of a champion,” Swinney said. “He gave us a chance to play goal-line defense and get an interception by Denzel Johnson because of that effort. That kind of play sets the tone for everything that we do.”
