This is a long post. If you don’t want to read the whole thing, just scroll down to the “fine print” towards the middle. There is also a YouTube link to the game replay at the bottom.
There’s been a lot of talk about the offense looking much better in the second half. That wasn’t my initial takeaway, so I really wanted to go back and take a closer look.
Last night I rewatched the entire game again, and did so again tonight for Clemson’s second half possessions only.
This is not intended to be slanted one way or another in terms of the polarizing QB topic at hand. This is just a breakdown of every 2nd half possession exactly how they unfolded
15:00 - 3 plays, 6 yds, :44 - PUNT (14-3 CU)
- 2 runs set up 3rd & 3, poor blocking on 3rd down leads to immediate pressure & intentional grounding call. 3 and out coming out of the half after having time to focus and make adjustments is no bueno.
9:45 - 12 plays, 63 yds, 4:06 - FG (17-10 CU)
- Errant pass by DJ on 1st down following another incompletion due to pressure on 2nd led to 3rd and 10 on the first set of downs of the possession. A 50/50 ball to a covered Dacari Collins draws a PI call to move the chains. A nifty little underhand sweep pass to Spector was a nice wrinkle. Mafah had a couple nice runs and a targeting call adds yards & removes GT’s best defensive player but ultimately the drive stalls on the 12 after a DJ TFL on 2nd down and an incomplete fade pass to Ngata on 3rd. Potter 29 yd FG is good
4:32 - 9 plays, 74 yds, 3:14 - TD (24-10 CU)
- Shipley takes the first carry of the possession 6 yards. 2nd down DJ throws the ball away under pressure, Davis Allen wide open and jumping up and down trying to get his attention. 3rd down DJ under immediate pressure from the right and hit as he steps up in the pocket. Defender wrestles him down but not before DJ manages to flip the ball to Shipley behind him, who picks up the first down. This is immediately followed by a nice seam pass to Allen over the middle, and a quick slant to Tonio Williams. Another nice wrinkle with the screen to Williams picks up another first down, then Kobe & DJ finish off the scoring drive with some power runs.
:02 - 6 plays, 37 yds, 2:03 - PUNT (24-10 CU)
- Good job of rebounding from 2nd and long to pick up a first down with a beautiful pass to a fully-extended Davis Allen. Drive stalls the next set of downs after an EJ Williams drop, short QB draw, & incomplete pass on another nicely placed ball through the hands of B Collins.
10:59 - 6 plays, 26 yds, 2:14 - FG (27-10 CU)
- Offense takes over on the GT 40 after defense forces a turnover on downs. Drive opens with a screen pass to A Williams for 8 yards. An illegal block below the waist penalty the next play gives Clemson 15 more and the ball on the GT 12. Incomplete pass on 2nd down followed by a sack on 3rd leads to another Potter FG. Commentators again point out a wide open Davis Allen in the middle of the field, jumping up and down asking for the ball on the 3rd down play.
7:31 - 4 plays, 15 yards, 1:03 - TD (34-10 CU)
- Clemson takes over on GT 15 after blocked punt. DJ’s lone pass was an incompletion to B Collins that looked a lot like the incompletion to Ngata in exactly the same spot. Not a bad pass per se just a very low percentage play. QB draw on 3rd moves the ball to the 5 then Shipley punches it in for 6.
5:15 - 10 plays, 66 yds, 3:40 - TD (41-10 CU)
- Klubnik in at QB. First set of downs highlighted by a nice rollout & pass to Will Taylor on 3rd & 6 to move the chains. Next set of downs starts with a screen for 9. CK picks up the first down on a read option, followed by a nice run by Quadzilla. Play action pass w/ pump fake to a Swinney kid in a tight window moves the ball to the goal line. Klubnik rollout pass to Taylor caps the drive for a TD.
***So here’s the fine print***
- DJ made a couple beautiful throws; the full extension grab by Allen and the perfectly placed ball that B Collins let go through his hands come to mind first. What did his best throws all seem to have in common? He had a clean pocket w/ several seconds without pressure to throw, he didn’t have to move at all, and his eyes never left his target. This is DJ’s strength - stand in the pocket and fire to the first read. He is very good at this and this is where his WR’s let him down a couple times. I’m starting to think this is partly why he looked so good in 2020 - he had elite targets in Rodgers, Powell, & Etienne who were better at getting open and not having to make DJ go through progressions.
- Starting the half 3 and out was not good. Need to come out and make a statement, or at least move the ball enough to not immediately be behind in the field position game.
- Clemson was lucky to avoid back-to-back 3 and outs to start the half, as the PI call kept the next drive alive. Clemson was also assisted by a targeting call but still couldn’t get in the end zone.
- About the Shipley flip. That was a really awesome play by both DJ and Shipley. But go back and watch it again - we are all very, very lucky this was not a sack. DJ hit several times, more or less pinballing in the pocket, and fortunate that his body just happened to be twisting to face Shipley as he was going down. A poster was correct in pointing out the moxie it took for both of those guys to be aware of where each other was and make the play happen. So I’m not trying to completely poo poo this play. But it was so, so close to another 3 and out. I also feel the need to again point out DJ not seeing a wide open Allen the play before the Shipley flip. But - that play definitely sparked the offense and the rest of this drive was by far the best of the game. Antonio Williams especially looked to provide a boost. He or Allen need to be schemed to get the ball more
- Clemson’s next possession was a punt after picking up just one 1st down and 37 yards
- The possession after that, Clemson took over in GT territory on the 40, got a 15 yard penalty in their favor, yet still settled for a FG. Taking out the penalty & yardage, the offense only actually gained 11 yards and zero 1st downs. So the ensuing 2 possessions after the galvanizing Shipley flip Clemson only managed 48 total offensive yards and just one 1st down.
- The possession after THAT, Clemson takes over deep in GT territory, on their 15, and the offense manages to punch it in.
- Lost in all of this is the almost comical disparity in talent….I made a comment in the thread last week titled “every 4-star signed by Geofffff Collins” about expecting a blank post. Well it wasn’t blank, but it was short and several of those guys aren’t around anymore. I sure would hope that Clemson would finally wear down such an overmatched opponent by the time they got to the late 3rd/4th quarter.
***Congratulations on making it this far!***
SO, in summary, the first 4 of the 5 scoring drives consisted of:
- A FG drive for 63 yds aided by PI & targeting (26 yds in penalties)
- A TD drive for 74 yds aided by an improbable non-sack turned flip play
- A FG drive for 26 yds aided by good field position and a penalty (15 yds in penalties)
- A TD drive for 15 yds aided by great field position after a blocked punt
The final scoring scoring drive, featuring the backup QB, OL, and 3rd string WR (yes, while facing only 8/11 of GT’s starting defense in garbage time) consisted of the 2nd longest scoring drive of the game.
Was the offense better in the 2nd half than the first half? 100% But was the offense really even that good in the 2nd half? Or did they mostly capitalize on some breaks committed by a bad team w/ a bad coaching staff w/ inferior talent?
*My brothers, sisters, & they/them in Christ*
These are the facts. Rewatch the game, draw your own conclusions. This is neither an indictment of DJ, nor an endorsement of CK. These are, simply, the facts.
GO TIGERS 🐅 🏈
There’s been a lot of talk about the offense looking much better in the second half. That wasn’t my initial takeaway, so I really wanted to go back and take a closer look.
Last night I rewatched the entire game again, and did so again tonight for Clemson’s second half possessions only.
This is not intended to be slanted one way or another in terms of the polarizing QB topic at hand. This is just a breakdown of every 2nd half possession exactly how they unfolded
15:00 - 3 plays, 6 yds, :44 - PUNT (14-3 CU)
- 2 runs set up 3rd & 3, poor blocking on 3rd down leads to immediate pressure & intentional grounding call. 3 and out coming out of the half after having time to focus and make adjustments is no bueno.
9:45 - 12 plays, 63 yds, 4:06 - FG (17-10 CU)
- Errant pass by DJ on 1st down following another incompletion due to pressure on 2nd led to 3rd and 10 on the first set of downs of the possession. A 50/50 ball to a covered Dacari Collins draws a PI call to move the chains. A nifty little underhand sweep pass to Spector was a nice wrinkle. Mafah had a couple nice runs and a targeting call adds yards & removes GT’s best defensive player but ultimately the drive stalls on the 12 after a DJ TFL on 2nd down and an incomplete fade pass to Ngata on 3rd. Potter 29 yd FG is good
4:32 - 9 plays, 74 yds, 3:14 - TD (24-10 CU)
- Shipley takes the first carry of the possession 6 yards. 2nd down DJ throws the ball away under pressure, Davis Allen wide open and jumping up and down trying to get his attention. 3rd down DJ under immediate pressure from the right and hit as he steps up in the pocket. Defender wrestles him down but not before DJ manages to flip the ball to Shipley behind him, who picks up the first down. This is immediately followed by a nice seam pass to Allen over the middle, and a quick slant to Tonio Williams. Another nice wrinkle with the screen to Williams picks up another first down, then Kobe & DJ finish off the scoring drive with some power runs.
:02 - 6 plays, 37 yds, 2:03 - PUNT (24-10 CU)
- Good job of rebounding from 2nd and long to pick up a first down with a beautiful pass to a fully-extended Davis Allen. Drive stalls the next set of downs after an EJ Williams drop, short QB draw, & incomplete pass on another nicely placed ball through the hands of B Collins.
10:59 - 6 plays, 26 yds, 2:14 - FG (27-10 CU)
- Offense takes over on the GT 40 after defense forces a turnover on downs. Drive opens with a screen pass to A Williams for 8 yards. An illegal block below the waist penalty the next play gives Clemson 15 more and the ball on the GT 12. Incomplete pass on 2nd down followed by a sack on 3rd leads to another Potter FG. Commentators again point out a wide open Davis Allen in the middle of the field, jumping up and down asking for the ball on the 3rd down play.
7:31 - 4 plays, 15 yards, 1:03 - TD (34-10 CU)
- Clemson takes over on GT 15 after blocked punt. DJ’s lone pass was an incompletion to B Collins that looked a lot like the incompletion to Ngata in exactly the same spot. Not a bad pass per se just a very low percentage play. QB draw on 3rd moves the ball to the 5 then Shipley punches it in for 6.
5:15 - 10 plays, 66 yds, 3:40 - TD (41-10 CU)
- Klubnik in at QB. First set of downs highlighted by a nice rollout & pass to Will Taylor on 3rd & 6 to move the chains. Next set of downs starts with a screen for 9. CK picks up the first down on a read option, followed by a nice run by Quadzilla. Play action pass w/ pump fake to a Swinney kid in a tight window moves the ball to the goal line. Klubnik rollout pass to Taylor caps the drive for a TD.
***So here’s the fine print***
- DJ made a couple beautiful throws; the full extension grab by Allen and the perfectly placed ball that B Collins let go through his hands come to mind first. What did his best throws all seem to have in common? He had a clean pocket w/ several seconds without pressure to throw, he didn’t have to move at all, and his eyes never left his target. This is DJ’s strength - stand in the pocket and fire to the first read. He is very good at this and this is where his WR’s let him down a couple times. I’m starting to think this is partly why he looked so good in 2020 - he had elite targets in Rodgers, Powell, & Etienne who were better at getting open and not having to make DJ go through progressions.
- Starting the half 3 and out was not good. Need to come out and make a statement, or at least move the ball enough to not immediately be behind in the field position game.
- Clemson was lucky to avoid back-to-back 3 and outs to start the half, as the PI call kept the next drive alive. Clemson was also assisted by a targeting call but still couldn’t get in the end zone.
- About the Shipley flip. That was a really awesome play by both DJ and Shipley. But go back and watch it again - we are all very, very lucky this was not a sack. DJ hit several times, more or less pinballing in the pocket, and fortunate that his body just happened to be twisting to face Shipley as he was going down. A poster was correct in pointing out the moxie it took for both of those guys to be aware of where each other was and make the play happen. So I’m not trying to completely poo poo this play. But it was so, so close to another 3 and out. I also feel the need to again point out DJ not seeing a wide open Allen the play before the Shipley flip. But - that play definitely sparked the offense and the rest of this drive was by far the best of the game. Antonio Williams especially looked to provide a boost. He or Allen need to be schemed to get the ball more
- Clemson’s next possession was a punt after picking up just one 1st down and 37 yards
- The possession after that, Clemson took over in GT territory on the 40, got a 15 yard penalty in their favor, yet still settled for a FG. Taking out the penalty & yardage, the offense only actually gained 11 yards and zero 1st downs. So the ensuing 2 possessions after the galvanizing Shipley flip Clemson only managed 48 total offensive yards and just one 1st down.
- The possession after THAT, Clemson takes over deep in GT territory, on their 15, and the offense manages to punch it in.
- Lost in all of this is the almost comical disparity in talent….I made a comment in the thread last week titled “every 4-star signed by Geofffff Collins” about expecting a blank post. Well it wasn’t blank, but it was short and several of those guys aren’t around anymore. I sure would hope that Clemson would finally wear down such an overmatched opponent by the time they got to the late 3rd/4th quarter.
***Congratulations on making it this far!***
SO, in summary, the first 4 of the 5 scoring drives consisted of:
- A FG drive for 63 yds aided by PI & targeting (26 yds in penalties)
- A TD drive for 74 yds aided by an improbable non-sack turned flip play
- A FG drive for 26 yds aided by good field position and a penalty (15 yds in penalties)
- A TD drive for 15 yds aided by great field position after a blocked punt
The final scoring scoring drive, featuring the backup QB, OL, and 3rd string WR (yes, while facing only 8/11 of GT’s starting defense in garbage time) consisted of the 2nd longest scoring drive of the game.
Was the offense better in the 2nd half than the first half? 100% But was the offense really even that good in the 2nd half? Or did they mostly capitalize on some breaks committed by a bad team w/ a bad coaching staff w/ inferior talent?
*My brothers, sisters, & they/them in Christ*
These are the facts. Rewatch the game, draw your own conclusions. This is neither an indictment of DJ, nor an endorsement of CK. These are, simply, the facts.
GO TIGERS 🐅 🏈
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