Notable PFF grades and playing time breakdown: Clemson-NC State |
Brandon Rink
· · Monday, September 23 2024
Taking a deeper look at who played and what kind of performance they put on the board out of the 59-35 win over NC State.
The number by a player's name initially is the game's snap count. The snaps are all offensive and defensive snaps and do not count special teams. Snap totals for scholarship players and depth chart members are listed in the feature (all game snaps are attached below). (PFF grades tend to run lower than school grades, so high 80 grades are on the high end, and it's a harsher grade below 60 or so. They are not an end-all, be-all, but one tool to evaluate the game.) QB: Cade Klubnik 48 snaps (147 on the season), Christopher Vizzina 13 (38), Trent Pearman 9 (14), Paul Tyson 1 (4). PFF grade notes: Klubnik has changed the narrative more than anybody from game one to game three, now up to fourth-best in PFF passing grade overall (90.9; min. 24 dropbacks). He is up to third in ESPN’s QBR metric nationally. He led the Tigers with a 91.8 PFF grade in this game (90.4 as a passer and 75 as a runner). Klubnik graded 96.6 under pressure, completing 5-of-6 passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns. He had three PFF ‘big-time throws’ in four attempts of 20+ yards, averaging 17.8 yards per attempt with a touchdown. Season to season, Klubnik is averaging a full three yards per attempt more (9.1) with seven big-time throws in ‘24. He had 11 in that category all last season and 12 total in 14 starts from 2022-23. RB: Jay Haynes 26 (50), Phil Mafah 18 (95), Keith Adams Jr. 14 (33), David Eziomume 7 (16), Jarvis Green 4 (4). PFF grade notes: Mafah put together his best-graded performance this season (78.7 overall; 78 as runner) with four runs of 10+ yards. Haynes put up a position-best 3.38 yards after contact Saturday with two missed tackles forced, and he led all Tigers in receiver grade as well (79.8). WR: T.J. Moore 34 (62), Troy Stellato 31 (83), Adam Randall 31 (80), Antonio Williams 25 (89), Misun Kelley 17 (32), Bryant Wesco 16 (44), Cole Turner 11 (59), Hampton Earle 8 (14), Noble Johnson 7 (21), Tyler Brown* NS (didn’t dress). PFF grade notes: Playing with a foot injury, Randall scored his first touchdown and posted a position-best 80.7 grade, bringing in five catches in six targets. Despite the two-touchdown day, Williams was knocked for his drop downfield on a beautiful throw from Klubnik (65.6 grade). TE: Jake Briningstool 41 (124), Olsen Patt-Henry 24 (55), Josh Sapp 9 (35), Markus Dixon 8 (16), Christian Bentancur NS (8). PFF grade notes: Briningstool caught both targets his way for 29 yards and Sapp caught his lone target for four yards. OL: Ryan Linthicum 54 (170), Blake Miller 54 (153), Tristan Leigh 54 (153), Marcus Tate 54 (79), Walker Parks 40 (110), Harris Sewell 29 (83), Elyjah Thurmon 16 (59), Mason Wade 16 (29), Trent Howard 15 (15), Ronan O'Connell 7 (7), Collin Sadler* NS (95). PFF grade notes: The Tigers’ left tackle Leigh was Clemson’s O-line standout with a 77.9 mark, which is 10 points better than any grade this season for him (67.7 vs. App State, his previous best). In his return from injury, Tate was second-best with the group overall (69.5). Parks led PFF’s team pass-blocking marks (83.4), and Leigh topped the run-blocking grades (78.8). In the snaps breakdown, Sadler was out and Tate plugged in there to tie three fellow starters in the most plays by game's end (54). Parks rotated more (40) with Sewell (29), and Howard also returned from injury for his first snaps of the season (15). PFF unit performance grades: Offense - 82.3; Passing - 88; Pass blocking - 78.9; Receiving - 71.9; Running - 78.3; Run blocking - 67.2. DL: Payton Page 30 (88), Stephiylan Green 29 (85), T.J. Parker 27 (99), Tré Williams 26 (74), Cade Denhoff 26 (67), A.J. Hoffler 25 (59), Jahiem Lawson 23 (51), Armon Mason 16 (33), Caden Story 15 (22), Vic Burley 14 (37), Hevin Brown-Shuler 14 (27), Darien Mayo 13 (21), DeMonte Capehart* 10 (57), Peter Woods* NS (54), Champ Thompson NS (15), Zaire Patterson NS (0). PFF grade notes: Parker was second only to Klubnik in team grades (90.2) with a 91.8 mark as a pass rusher (two sacks, QB hit, QB hurry, forced fumble) and three stops total. His previous best grade was the Gator Bowl versus Kentucky (80.7). Starting in place of the injured Woods, Denhoff had two QB hurries. LB: Wade Woodaz 47 (135), Sammy Brown 37 (75), Barrett Carter 33 (121), Dee Crayton 30 (50), Jamal Anderson 5 (25), Drew Woodaz NS (7), C.J. Kubah-Taylor NS (1). PFF grade notes: Carter was solid overall and led the defense against the run (84.5), with three stops and seven tackles (one missed). PFF wasn’t a big fan of Wade Woodaz’s night (44.2), tagged with two missed tackles for a 27.3 tackling grade. He hadn’t graded on PFF below 60 since the 2022 season's Orange Bowl (59). Brown played about the same in snaps as the App State game but had a defense-low 40.6 grade this time around with two missed tackles and an opposing touchdown attributed to him (min. 10 snaps; was 61.1 vs. App State). DB: Jeadyn Lukus 42 (136), Avieon Terrell 42 (134), Khalil Barnes 40 (121), R.J. Mickens 40 (121), Tyler Venables 21 (58; played in second half after targeting suspension), Shelton Lewis 33 (52), Sherrod Covil 21 (50), Ashton Hampton 19 (52), Branden Strozier 16 (40), Ronan Hanafin 14 (32), Kylon Griffin 12 (104), Kylen Webb 10 (44), Ricardo Jones 9 (35), Rob Billings 7 (15), Noah Dixon 6 (6), Joe Wilkinson 3 (3), Tavoy Feagin NS (9), Corian Gipson* NS (6). PFF grade notes: Terrell continues to anchor the secondary, posting an 84.2 mark in coverage with only two targets his way, also notching a fumble strip and recovery. Hampton scored a pick-six and ranked third overall in defensive grades (75.6), and Covil made it three DBs in the Top 4 (71.9). Featured again at nickel, Lewis suffered a starter-low 41.8 grade (37.3 in coverage) with four targets and three catches given up (42 yards). PFF unit performance grades: Defense - 58.4 (lowest PFF grade since the 2020 CFP semifinal versus Ohio State, 45.6); Run defense - 50.2; Tackling - 56.9; Pass rush - 65.5; Coverage - 65.2. Players noted as out for the season: OL Ian Reed, DB Myles Oliver, OL Watson Young, LB Kobe McCloud, OL Dietrick Pennington. ST - Special teams-only NS - No snaps listed * Been noted as injured by Clemson coach Dabo Swinney.Clemson-NC State breakdown
Offense
Defense
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