One way to look at this win
Clemson fans have expressed a lot of opinions the last couple of days after their Tigers went into Atlanta and came out victorious, 41-10, over Georgia Tech.
There are all kinds of opinions and views on the team, the win, quarterback play, you name it.
For instance, last year, Clemson struggled against GT, eeking out a 14-8 win in Death Valley. The Tigers held a 14-3 heading into the last few minutes of the game. There was a lot of late game drama that put fans on notice that the 2021 version of the Clemson Tigers might struggle. Indeed they did.
Fast forward to 2022, Clemson fans are still hesitant to fully go ALL IN with this year’s team, having fears of the 2021-offense still trotting out on the field. The first half of the GT game on Monday, there were a LOT of “sighs, here we go again.” Let’s take into consideration that a 14-3 halftime lead means that the Tigers scored as much in the first half this year as they did the whole game last year. It’s minor but it’s true.
Last year, the Tigers were outgained 298-284. QB DJ Uiagalelei completed 18-25 for 126 yards, and Will Shipley scored the Tigers only two touchdowns. This year, DJ completed 19-32 (had 5 drops) for 209 yards, and Shipley, once again, scored two touchdowns. Oh yeah, Clemson put up 41 points by the end of the game.
At the end of the half, there were many, MANY skeptics posting on social media about DJ and the offense. “Same offense as last year.” “DJ has shown no progress.” “Bring in Klubnik!!!!” Hate to hear this from Tiger fans but these types of comments were expected and maybe even warranted. However, football games are not limited to 30 minutes. It’s a 60 minute game.
The offense started to impose its will on the Yellow Jackets. In the second half, the Tigers put together five scoring drives, but people don’t want to give credit where the credit is due.
Freshman phenom Cade Klubnik entered the game with 5:15 left in the game and engineered a 10 play scoring drive to end the Tigers scoring for the night. He is as advertised but just like with Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence, Coach Dabo Swinney has no plan to rush him into the starting lineup. Klubnik made his Clemson debut at exactly the right time. As much as many fans want to see a change at quarterback, it probably isn’t going to happen just yet. Patience is a virtue. All good things happen to those who wait. Dabo has proven time and time again his ability to run this program and make those decisions.
In summary, enjoy the win. There were far more good than bad. Savor every game. Before you know it, NC State will be coming into town.
