5 things we learned from Clemson’s win over Virginia
Clemson remained undefeated with a 41-23 victory over Virginia on Saturday to set up a top 10 showdown with Miami next week.
The top-ranked Tigers led by double digits the final 2.5 quarters of the game but still have plenty to clean up before the Hurricanes come to town.
Virginia finished with 417 total yards of offense, the most the Tigers have allowed to an ACC opponent since 2017, and the Tigers committed eight penalties for 65 yards. Virginia committed one.
Here is what we learned from Clemson’s performance Saturday night:
2 receivers have separated for Clemson
Clemson entered the year with several receivers vying for playing time and targets, but after three weeks, a pair of wideouts have separated from the pack. Senior Amari Rodgers and sophomore Frank Ladson Jr. had strong games Saturday against the Cavaliers, as they continue to be the favorite targets for quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Rodgers caught six passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns against UVA. Through three games he leads the Tigers in receptions with 12, yards with 206 and touchdowns with three.
Ladson had five catches for 71 yards against Virginia and is now second on the team in receptions with nine, yards with 179 and touchdowns with two.
Cornell Powell and Joseph Ngata were also expected to be a big part of the offense this season, but they haven’t produced much thus far.
Travis Etienne has made incredible strides as an all-around back
Remember when Travis Etienne’s hands were a weakness? Early on in his career, Etienne struggled with drops, but he has gotten better and better at catching the ball each season. The senior hauled in five passes for 114 yards and a touchdown against Virginia, finishing with more receiving yards than rushing yards (73).
Clemson entered the matchup with the game plan of getting Etienne the ball in space as often as possible, and the Louisiana native made the most of his opportunities, averaging 9.8 yards per touch.
This Clemson defense is still a work in progress
After the Tigers held Wake Forest to 13 points and then shutout The Citadel, it appeared as though Brent Venables’ unit might be ready to make another dominant run through the ACC. However, Virginia was able to exploit some potential weaknesses on Clemson’s defense, piling up 417 yards of offense. That marked the most yards the Tigers have allowed in a regular season game since 2018 against South Carolina and the most yards Clemson has surrendered in an ACC game since N.C. State in 2017.
Virginia QB Brennan Armstrong gave Clemson fits with his legs, finishing with 22 carries for 89 yards. He also completed 24 of 43 passes for 270 yards, with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Billy Kemp was Armstrong’s favorite target on the night, finishing with 10 catches for 96 yards.
Clemson’s offensive line isn’t creating the same push up front
The Tigers did a nice job overall in pass protection against the Cavaliers, only allowing Lawrence to be sacked twice, but the run blocking wasn’t great. The Tigers averaged 4.4 yards per carry and finished with 137 rushing yards. That marks the lowest rushing yards in a game for Clemson since last September against North Carolina. Clemson rushed for more than 200 yards on 10 occasions last season. The Tigers have yet to reach that mark this year.
Clemson could certainly use Justin Foster and Xavier Thomas
Clemson’s top two defensive ends remain out as Thomas is still working his way back from COVID-19 and strep throat that he dealt with this summer and Foster has been unavailable all year “from a protocol standpoint,” according to Dabo Swinney.
Clemson has some talented young defensive ends, led by true freshman Myles Murphy, but Armstrong had entirely too long to hold the ball on several plays against the Tigers, and he also outran defenders on a few occasions while rushing for 89 yards. With Houston transfer D’Eriq King and Miami coming to town next week, Clemson needs its defensive ends to do a better job of getting pressure and containing the quarterback in the running game.
Next Clemson football game
Who: Clemson vs. The Miami
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
TV: ABC
This story was originally published October 4, 2020 at 10:00 AM.
