For Clemson's defense, last week's game against Syracuse started pretty much business as usual.
Over the first 15 minutes, the Orange didn't move the ball. On top of that, they threw it right to Nolan Turner and the defense helped out the offense with a short field that resulted in a field goal.
Clemson was up 17-0, and any concerns about the absence of Tyler Davis and James Skalski had basically faded into nothing pretty much as everyone anticipated.
Here were the results of Syracuse's first six carries by running backs:
0 yards
2 yards
Minus-2 yards
2 yards
minus-2 yards
1 yard
On the final play of the first quarter, after Syracuse blocked a punt and took over at Clemson's 20, Sean Tucker found an opening and ran for 8 yards:
A few plays later, after Syracuse passed to convert a third-and-12, Tucker got the ball again:
Not long thereafter, Tucker ran for 21 on this cutback:
And this too:
So after those first six runs in the first quarter netted one yard, Tucker's next six carries went like this:
8 yards
7 yards (TD)
21 yards
6 yards
12 yards
7 yards
That's 61 yards on six carries.
Tucker had to leave the game with an injury thereafter and did not return. His replacement, Cooper Lutz, had a 7-yard run off the goal line in the third quarter but was otherwise stuffed on the same zone runs that Tucker succeeded on in the second quarter.
Lutz does not appear to be the back Tucker is, so that's a factor. And so is Clemson's ability to make adjustments and tighten up.
If Skalski and Davis were coming back this week, we'd give this passing mention and move on.
But they aren't coming back this week. Skalski is going to be out a while after undergoing surgery. There's some hope for Davis to return next week against Notre Dame, but if he does we doubt he'll be anywhere close to full strength.
On top of that, Mike Jones injured his hamstring last week and might not play Saturday. Defensive tackle Jordan Williams sat with an injury last week so we'll see what happens there.
We are zeroing in on this area for this week's edition of our video review, not in the interest of projecting doom and gloom but in the interest of addressing reality.
The reality is that Skalski and Davis are two major, major absences.
While most of the concern on the outside centers on what happens next week against the Irish, the fact is Boston College's offensive line and offensive style will present a challenge to a short-handed defensive front.
Maybe it's instructive to go back to the Miami game and look at what the presence of Davis and Skalski can mean:
The following devouring of a Miami zone run is interesting because if you look you can see a cutback lane there. Davis is owning his guy, but there's quite a lot of space there for a cutback.
But aggression rules the day as Baylon Spector flies in from the backside to make the play:
Against Syracuse, here Spector comes off the backside just the same. But by this point in the game Clemson had begun to own the line of scrimmage and that's a big factor too:
More trench ownership here, making you think Tucker wouldn't have done much better than Lutz here:
This is a well designed play by Syracuse. Instead of running zone, they pull the right guard and tackle to give Jake Venables as false read and pull him away from the path of the play:
Spector blitzes up the middle and gets caught up in the wash. Nyles Pinckney loses his battle and is blocked.
Justin Mascoll takes the give.
The play-side safety (Nolan Turner) is playing the give all the way, as is Jones.
The backside safety (Lannden Zanders) also drifts to those false keys and is on the other side of the opposite hash.
That leaves ... basically no one. If Rex Culpepper keeps on that play it's a big gain. Clemson was fortunate there.
Yesterday we asked Dabo Swinney about his defense's ability to tighten up on those runs in the second half and we wondered whether the main ingredient was more disruption by the offensive line. Here was his response:
"They really popped us backside a couple of times. So we did a better job with some backside discipline. They caught us once for 12 yards and then one maybe for 20 off of cutbacks where we just didn't do a good job and our outside contain guy didn't squeeze like he needed to. We had one guy get up the field too high and they got underneath us. So just some fundamental stuff. But we tightened it down."
OK, one more not-so-good play. Credit to Syracuse for noticing Trenton Simpson was in the game for Jones. They went right after the freshman, seeing if he'd bite on the handoff going away from him.
He did. And he lost contain:
Hey, that's just a freshman mistake. He's learning. Tip your cap to Syracuse and move on.
But now to the end of the play, Jalyn Phillips coming out of nowhere to save the touchdown (and to set up the interception by Phillips in the end zone).
To truly appreciate this...
... you have to get a look at this:
Yes, that's Phillips over there on the far left of your screen at the 30 yard line.
Impressive.
FROM THE TIGER FAN SHOP: Click HERE for more in-season DEALS on officially-licensed CLEMSON apparel and gear!
Over the first 15 minutes, the Orange didn't move the ball. On top of that, they threw it right to Nolan Turner and the defense helped out the offense with a short field that resulted in a field goal.
Clemson was up 17-0, and any concerns about the absence of Tyler Davis and James Skalski had basically faded into nothing pretty much as everyone anticipated.
Here were the results of Syracuse's first six carries by running backs:
0 yards
2 yards
Minus-2 yards
2 yards
minus-2 yards
1 yard
On the final play of the first quarter, after Syracuse blocked a punt and took over at Clemson's 20, Sean Tucker found an opening and ran for 8 yards:
A few plays later, after Syracuse passed to convert a third-and-12, Tucker got the ball again:
Not long thereafter, Tucker ran for 21 on this cutback:
And this too:
So after those first six runs in the first quarter netted one yard, Tucker's next six carries went like this:
8 yards
7 yards (TD)
21 yards
6 yards
12 yards
7 yards
That's 61 yards on six carries.
Tucker had to leave the game with an injury thereafter and did not return. His replacement, Cooper Lutz, had a 7-yard run off the goal line in the third quarter but was otherwise stuffed on the same zone runs that Tucker succeeded on in the second quarter.
Lutz does not appear to be the back Tucker is, so that's a factor. And so is Clemson's ability to make adjustments and tighten up.
If Skalski and Davis were coming back this week, we'd give this passing mention and move on.
But they aren't coming back this week. Skalski is going to be out a while after undergoing surgery. There's some hope for Davis to return next week against Notre Dame, but if he does we doubt he'll be anywhere close to full strength.
On top of that, Mike Jones injured his hamstring last week and might not play Saturday. Defensive tackle Jordan Williams sat with an injury last week so we'll see what happens there.
We are zeroing in on this area for this week's edition of our video review, not in the interest of projecting doom and gloom but in the interest of addressing reality.
The reality is that Skalski and Davis are two major, major absences.
While most of the concern on the outside centers on what happens next week against the Irish, the fact is Boston College's offensive line and offensive style will present a challenge to a short-handed defensive front.
Maybe it's instructive to go back to the Miami game and look at what the presence of Davis and Skalski can mean:
The following devouring of a Miami zone run is interesting because if you look you can see a cutback lane there. Davis is owning his guy, but there's quite a lot of space there for a cutback.
But aggression rules the day as Baylon Spector flies in from the backside to make the play:
Against Syracuse, here Spector comes off the backside just the same. But by this point in the game Clemson had begun to own the line of scrimmage and that's a big factor too:
More trench ownership here, making you think Tucker wouldn't have done much better than Lutz here:
This is a well designed play by Syracuse. Instead of running zone, they pull the right guard and tackle to give Jake Venables as false read and pull him away from the path of the play:
Spector blitzes up the middle and gets caught up in the wash. Nyles Pinckney loses his battle and is blocked.
Justin Mascoll takes the give.
The play-side safety (Nolan Turner) is playing the give all the way, as is Jones.
The backside safety (Lannden Zanders) also drifts to those false keys and is on the other side of the opposite hash.
That leaves ... basically no one. If Rex Culpepper keeps on that play it's a big gain. Clemson was fortunate there.
Yesterday we asked Dabo Swinney about his defense's ability to tighten up on those runs in the second half and we wondered whether the main ingredient was more disruption by the offensive line. Here was his response:
"They really popped us backside a couple of times. So we did a better job with some backside discipline. They caught us once for 12 yards and then one maybe for 20 off of cutbacks where we just didn't do a good job and our outside contain guy didn't squeeze like he needed to. We had one guy get up the field too high and they got underneath us. So just some fundamental stuff. But we tightened it down."
OK, one more not-so-good play. Credit to Syracuse for noticing Trenton Simpson was in the game for Jones. They went right after the freshman, seeing if he'd bite on the handoff going away from him.
He did. And he lost contain:
Hey, that's just a freshman mistake. He's learning. Tip your cap to Syracuse and move on.
But now to the end of the play, Jalyn Phillips coming out of nowhere to save the touchdown (and to set up the interception by Phillips in the end zone).
To truly appreciate this...
... you have to get a look at this:
Yes, that's Phillips over there on the far left of your screen at the 30 yard line.
Impressive.
FROM THE TIGER FAN SHOP: Click HERE for more in-season DEALS on officially-licensed CLEMSON apparel and gear!
Last edited by a moderator:
