5 things we learned from Clemson’s win against Georgia Tech
Clemson opened the season with an impressive 52-14 victory over Georgia Tech Thursday night. Here is what we learned from the win before the Tigers host Texas A&M next Saturday:
Travis Etienne will shoulder a bigger load in 2019
Clemson’s star running back had only 12 carries against the Yellow Jackets. Most of those came in the first half before Etienne exited the game following the first drive of the third quarter. Clemson relied on three running backs in 2018, limiting Etienne’s carries as Tavien Feaster and Adam Choice also saw early playing time. That won’t be the case this year. Etienne had 10 carries in the first half, with the only other running back to get a carry being Lyn-J Dixon, who received four. Thursday night marked just the fifth time in Etienne’s career that he has received at least 10 carries in the opening half and only the second time in the past nine games.
“Last year naturally we had (three) guys that were battle tested. Right now we’ve got two guys, well one-and-a-half, because Lyn-J played last year but he played mostly towards the end of the game behind those other three guys,” co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Tony Elliott said. “I think that he’ll naturally get the early series early on.”
Patience is key for Lawrence
Trevor Lawrence has all the confidence in the world in his ability to make every throw, and that’s for good reason after he led the Tigers to a national title as a true freshman last year. With that said, Lawrence can be overconfident at times and try to squeeze balls into tight windows that aren’t there. We saw some of that Thursday night as Lawrence threw a pair of interceptions in the first half and had two other passes that were nearly picked off. Georgia Tech sat back in coverage and dared Clemson to do its damage on the ground. The Tigers did for the most part but also got greedy a couple of times. Lawrence and the offense must continue to be patient moving forward and take what the defense is giving them.
“He’s not perfect,” Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said. “Just play within the system, don’t do too much.”
Lawrence is improved as a runner
While Lawrence wasn’t overly sharp in the passing game (13-123, 168 yards, 1 TD, 2 int.), he did show off an improved pocket awareness and running ability. Lawrence rushed three times for 24 yards, including a 14-yard run on third-and-10 in the first quarter. He also had a 22-yard scramble called back because of a hold. In addition to getting positive yards when he tucked the ball to run, he also extended plays and bought time for his receivers to get open. If Lawrence can continue to be a threat with his legs it will make it even tougher on defenses than it was last year when the Tigers averaged 44 points and 527 yards per game.
“He’s done a really good job of making the right decisions first and foremost, and he’s a much better runner than people give him credit for,” Elliott said.
Defense is a work in progress
Clemson had to replace seven starters on defense, including all four of its starting defensive linemen. The Tigers held Georgia Tech to 294 total yards and 14 points in the opener, but there were also plenty of mistakes. Clemson’s new starters at linebacker — James Skalski and Chad Smith — “have to clean up some tackling but managed the game really well,” according to defensive coordinator Brent Venables. The front seven is fairly inexperienced as it is replacing six of seven starters, and the Tigers will need to have a good week or preparation before No. 12 Texas A&M comes to town.
“We’re going to be a work in progress for a little while. That’s just the way it is,” Swinney said. “We’ve got to play. We’ve got to get in some situations. But we will get better.”
B.T. Potter can be a weapon
Clemson’s new starting field goal kicker boomed his only attempt through the uprights from 51 yards out, and the kick had plenty of distance. The Tigers face a pair of ranked teams the next two weeks in Texas A&M and Syracuse in what could be the toughest tests of the season. It had to be reassuring for Swinney to see his new kicker drill a long field goal heading into a critical stretch of the season where there could be close games.
This story was originally published August 31, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
