By Reese Wilson
Last night Clemson beat Georgia Tech 52-14 in what can be described as nothing less than a beat down. The stats, and score, speak for themselves. Clemson had 632 yards of overall offense to Georgia Tech’s 294 yards. Much of Clemson’s total offense was thanks to the toughness and speed of their running backs. Travis Etienne carried the ball for 205 yards over just 12 carries, setting a new Clemson record for fewest carries before reaching 200 yards rushing. And a personal best as well. Not to mention the 3 touchdowns he added to the scoreboard, one of which involved a blazingly fast 90-yard touchdown late in the first quarter. But he was not alone, Lyn-J Dixon was happy to showcase his progress over the summer to the tune of 64 yards over just 8 carries. Other names like Chez Mellusi, the physical true freshman, and Joseph Ngata, the highly ranked Californian true freshman, also got crucial playing time last night. The offense overall looked impressive with Trevor Lawrence acting in a typical fashion accruing 168 passing yards and a touchdown to show for it. Oddly enough his most memorable and, frankly, heroic moment of the night came early in the second quarter. He was intercepted at his own 43-yard line by Georgia Tech defensive back Tre Swilling who appeared to have broken into the open and was on his way to a pick-six. Lawrence took control of the situation by chasing Swilling down and knocking him out of bounds just 2 yards short of the end zone. This was made even sweeter when Clemson’s defense held the Yellow Jackets off within their own 1-yard line.
Defensively Clemson was a subject of discussion all summer long with the fear of a potential skill gap arising due to the loss of players like the adaptable and disruptive Christian Wilkins and the star Defensive End Clelin Ferrell. What was witnessed was a group that showed tremendous potential. Defensive Tackle, Niles Pinckney, has patiently waited to gain his starting position alongside the brutal Defensive End Xavier Thomas. But these are not the names to talk about, despite their impressive performances. One defensive addition stood out last night, a player named Tyler Davis. Number 13, Defensive Tackle, 6’2”, 295 lb, and a true freshman. These are all things that will be tied to him as player but there is more than meets the eye. In his debut in Death Valley he was able to add 4 tackles to his stats alongside a half-tackle for loss due to his pressure in the backfield. His energy was on par with what to expect from a Clemson Defense and his technique shines as something more mature than someone his age. This is just a taste of what is to come. Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables commented on his athleticism last night with words like “fast”, “physical”, and “super-super smart”. From the outside looking in, he has appeared to have garnered respect from Coach Venables and this should worry anyone interested in maintaining a pocket for their quarterback.
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