Clemson VS Florida State: Postgame Impressions
By: Grayson Mann
Clemson traveled to Tallahassee for their matchup against the Florida State Seminoles. Clemson looks to make it six straight, whereas Florida State looks to etch its name back into the lore of this rivalry. Here is what happened in this chapter of the rivalry.
The game opened up with a seventy-five-yard touchdown drive by the Seminoles. FSU used a variety of motions and screens to move the ball down the field and prevent the front seven of Clemson from having an early impact. How would the Tigers respond? Their answer to the Seminole touchdown drive would be a three-and-out, set back by an unnecessary roughness penalty courtesy of Blake Miller. Penalties on the road play an essential role in success when settling down a hostile crowd and keeping drives alive. Clemson would overcome a slow start and force a Seminole punt. Myles Murphy came flying off of the edge and forced Travis inside, and prevented him from making plays with his legs. Clemson would make the most of their second possession, with DJ having a signature play for his career, escaping a safety blitz, and finding Antonio Williams for a 59-yard score. Antonio is a star, continuing to make play after play. The first quarter would conclude with the Tigers tied with Florida State at seven a piece. The Seminoles would have the ball short of the goal line, with a significant decision looming for Norvell’s offense.
The second quarter began with a Seminole touchdown five seconds into the second. A tremendous second effort for FSU’s fullback was rewarded with the second Florida State touchdown of the night. We have a unique opportunity to see what this team is genuinely made of tonight. They face a talented and very young FSU team with an excellent home crowd. How they respond to early adversity will tell us a lot. Clemson would together another incredible scoring drive utilizing their playmakers in unique ways. You can tell Streeter feels more comfortable within the offense, calling for different formations and motions to give this offense more to work with as the season has progressed. Clemson would finally make their stand in the second quarter with two outstanding plays from Nate Wiggins. Wiggins would have a PBU on fourth down and forego the interception to allow the Clemson offense to have better field position. Clemson would allow B.T. Potter to drill a 47-yard field goal to put the Tigers up three. Myles Murphy, who was going into halftime, was already having a great game, forced a fumble on a sack, and set up Clemson for another drive. The Tigers would take care of business in three plays, with runs from Shipley and DJ stretching the Tiger’s lead to ten going into the half. Clemson’s middle eight have been very efficient, taking advantage of the opponents’ mistakes and setting themselves up for success in the second half. Going into the third quarter, the question remains: Could this Tiger team pull away for a dominant victory or allow the Seminoles to hang around?
Clemson would start the third quarter coming out swinging. A Shipley kickoff return to the plus side of the field would set up a trick play from the Tigers that gave Clemson a 31-14 lead early in the third. Suddenly out of nowhere, FSU would hold up the white flag and run a fake punt that did not work. Clemson would stretch their lead to twenty with another B.T. Potter field goal and make it twenty-seven unanswered points on the road. Something notable about the Tigers tonight is the effort given on each play. Shipley and Mafah are the most potent examples, making second efforts to set up easy conversions and move the chains. The third quarter would end with a sack but was erased by a penalty.
The fourth quarter began with a goal-line stand, with K.J. Henry putting the exclamation point on what should be a solid statement by the Tigers. Clemson held firm in the end zone and played out the bend-don’t-break statement to perfection. Unfortunately, Clemson could not repeat the process and would give up six to the Seminoles, which would shrink their lead to fourteen. Clemson would continue to play not to lose and escape Tallahassee with a 34-28 victory. The Tigers gave up a ton of yardage and played it safe offensively. Regardless, Clemson makes it seven straight this season and now focuses on undefeated Syracuse.
