The Return of the BIG Play
Like the return of your favorite burger or sandwich to a fast food menu, the Tigers have brought back the “BIG” play ability to the offense in 2018. Big plays are plays that stretch defenses and loosen up the back end (safeties) of a defensive formation. So far this season the Tigers have fourteen “big” or “explosive” plays surpassing last years total of eleven. An explosive play is commonly defined as a run of 12 yards or longer, or a pass of 20 yards or longer. This Clemson team is exciting the fanbase and getting the attention of college football fans nationwide as the 2018 highlight reel continues to expand on a weekly basis.
With the likes of Tee Higgins and freshmen phenom Justyn Ross in the wide receiver corps you have to worry about two dangerous targets with size, speed, agility and superior ball skills getting behind the defenses on each and every play. This will then create safeties second guessing their position in and out of the “box” and can cause serious mis matches personnel wise as a result. Then you open the middle of the field or the “seams” to slants and crossing routes behind the linebackers with the available space given up by the safeties being out of position. Great example can be seen this past weekend on Justyn Ross’ 57 yard touchdown pass.
If you wanted to point out the main reason for the success of the “explosive play” in the passing game, it can be attributed to the influx of talent and maturation of players stepping into starting roles. Tee Higgins and newcomer Justyn Ross along with veterans Hunter Renfrow, Amari Rodgers, Deondre Overton, Cornell Powell, Trevion Thompson and freshman Derion Kendrick are making “big plays” in the passing game all over the field this year.
Veterans Renfrow and Thompson are in charge of keeping the new arrivals and the quickly maturing sophomores aware of what it takes to play wide receiver at “WR-U”. Higgins who gained fifteen pound of muscle has shown signs of becoming a “Mike Williams” type of target downfield with his physical presence. Rodgers who benefited from limited but quality playing time in 2017, brings a more physical player to the slot position vacated by Ray Ray McCloud. Hunter Renfrow brings his shifty speed and reliable hands along with experience you cannot replace as well his knack of coming through in clutch situations to the 1st team of wide receivers.
If the trend continues, and this wide receiving corps that is currently averaging a combined 14.2 yards per reception in 2018, continues on this pace, it will stress defenses and be the thing night mares are made of for opposing coordinators to try and scheme for and against.. Oh… and if that was not enough to worry about ? You then have to worry and focus your concerns on how to contend with the Clemson run game that may be emerging right in front of us after the team ran for 309 yards on Saturday along with Travis Etienne’s 162 yards against Georgia Southern and a season average of 7.7 yards a carry for the sophomore from Louisiana.
Exciting things may await this offense in 2018 if they continue to break big plays at the current rate. Look for the Tigers to continue to stress defenses all year as this team begins to truly find itself and gel.
Wide Receiver Stats for the season:
Amari Rodgers 11 for 131 11.9 AVG
Hunter Renfrow 9 for 127 14.1 AVG
Tee Higgins 8 for 169 21.1 AVG
Justyn Ross 5 for 119 23.8 AVG
Braden Galloway 4 for 54 13.5 AVG
Diondre Overton. 4 for 30 7.5. AVG
Trevion Thompson 3 for 33 11.0. AVG
Cornell Powell 2 for 46 24.0 AVG
Derion Kendrick 2 for 44 22.0 AVG
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