Notable PFF grades, snaps for Clemson clinching CFP spot against SMU

TJ Parker continues to be a force (ACC photo).

by Brandon Rink - Staff Writer - Dec 9, 2024, 10:43 AM

Taking a deeper look at who played and what kind of performance they put on the board out of the 34-31 win over SMU.

Clemson-SMU breakdown

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. This feature has PFF’s snap count, as opposed to Clemson’s official stats not in yet (No special teams tracker this week either).

(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.)

Offense

QB: Cade Klubnik 74 snaps (871 on the season), Christopher Vizzina NS (85), Trent Pearman NS (17), Paul Tyson NS (4).

PFF grade notes: Klubnik earned ACC Championship MVP honors with his four touchdown passes in a lower PFF grade day (65.8) than most of his standout season so far (88.1 season grade). Within that lower grade, he wasn’t determined to have a ‘big-time throw’ for the first time this season and instead did have two turnover-worthy plays.

Klubnik tallied two connections of 20+ yards and both were touchdowns. His other touchdown passes were within 10 yards, grading best in that range as a passer (79.2). All four of his touchdown throws were in non-playaction passing concepts, where he averaged 6.9 yards per attempt.

RB: Phil Mafah 48 (632), Jay Haynes* 22 (150), Keith AdamsJr. 3 (76), Jarvis Green NS (15), David Eziomume NS (26; three games of four for redshirt).

PFF grade notes: With Mafah limited and Haynes hurt mid-game, SMU’s stout run defense shut down this area of the game for Clemson. In 29 rushes, Clemson had one missed tackle forced and only 1.7 yards after contact with no runs of 10+ yards. Mafah did lead Clemson in pass-blocker grade over seven snaps there (81.5).

WR: Antonio Williams 70 (662), Bryant Wesco 68 (447), T.J. Moore 43 (489), Cole Turner 20 (274), Adam Randall 5 (229), Tyler Brown 4 (74), Misun Kelley NS (80), Hampton Earle NS (42), Noble Johnson NS (50).

PFF grade notes: Wesco was a force in his best grade versus a Power conference opponent (79.1). He posted a career-best eight catches for 142 yards (67 yards after catch) with a first multiple-TD game (2). After sitting out to preserve a redshirt down the stretch, Tyler Brown returned for his first action since the FSU game, but he did not have a target in four snaps.

TE: Jake Briningstool 55 (652), Olsen Patt-Henry 29 (281), Josh Sapp 2 (109), Christian Bentancur NS (17; three games), Markus Dixon NS (29).

PFF grade notes: Briningstool hauled in his sixth and seventh TDs of the season as a go-to red zone target for twin five-yard scores.

OL: Ryan Linthicum 74 (914), Blake Miller 74 (876), Tristan Leigh 74 (693), Marcus Tate 69 (591), Walker Parks 43 (651), Harris Sewell 36 (531), Chapman Pendergrass NS (39), Ronan O'Connell NS (7; four games), Mason Wade NS (29; three games).

PFF grade notes: Clemson got some much-needed continuity again, with just the rotation at right guard between Sewell and Parks. PFF wasn’t a fan of the run-blocking overall (42.5), with five grades sub-55 for Leigh (54.8), Sewell (53.2), Tate (51.3), Parks (47.9) and Miller (45.4). Miller had top marks in pass blocking (77.1) and Linthicum was on the low end there (44).

PFF unit performance grades: Offense - 60.8; Passing - 70.8; Pass blocking - 61.7; Receiving - 63.4; Running - 60.6; Run blocking - 42.5

Defense

DL: T.J. Parker 76 (559), Payton Page 60 (526), Peter Woods 60 (338), Cade Denhoff 58 (338), Jahiem Lawson 30 (354), Stephiylan Green 24 (300), DeMonte Capehart 13 (218), A.J. Hoffler 12 (238), Tré Williams* 8 (286), Hevin Brown-Shuler NS (49; four games), Champ Thompson NS (41; two games), Darien Mayo NS (33; three games), Vic Burley NS (84), Armon Mason NS (93), Zaire Patterson NS (26), Caden Story NS (56).

PFF grade notes: Parker paced Clemson’s D-line grades (73.8) with seven pressures (one sack, two QB hits, four hurries) and a defense-best six stops. Working up to double-digit snaps this game, Capehart didn’t stuff the statsheet but did lead the interior defenders grades-wise (69.8), with one stop. Woods had one stop in 60 snaps and two pressures for a 55.9 grade.

LB: Barrett Carter 88 (763), Wade Woodaz 88 (632), Sammy Brown 81 (375), Jamal Anderson NS (78), Dee Crayton NS (154), Drew Woodaz NS (14; two games), C.J. Kubah-Taylor NS (7; two games).

PFF grade notes: Clemson went from a season-worst grade on tackling versus South Carolina (35.9) to a season-best against SMU (90.8), and that started with freshman standout Sammy Brown, who led the way in grading overall (76.6) and in tackling (86.1), with five stops. A second game back from injury, Wade Woodaz had an 83.5 mark on tackling, who was picked on in coverage with eight targets but allowed just 10.2 yards per catch and had a pass breakup. Carter posted a defense-best run defense grade (84.7) with five stops.

A common critique of the defensive snap count the previous week, Brown played a career-high 81 snaps, after being limited to 36 versus South Carolina.

DB: Avieon Terrell 88 (742), Khalil Barnes 87 (742), R.J. Mickens 87 (674), Ashton Hampton 58 (386), Jeadyn Lukus 30 (525), Kylon Griffin 11 (365), Shelton Lewis 7 (192), Ricardo Jones NS (146), Rob Billings NS (31), Ronan Hanafin 2 (89), Tyler Venables NS (160), Corian Gipson NS (14; four games), Kylen Webb NS (25), Sherrod Covil NS (123), Branden Strozier NS (73), Noah Dixon NS (6; two games), Tavoy Feagin NS (11; two games), Joe Wilkinson NS (3; two games).

PFF grade notes: Hampton paced Clemson’s grades in the secondary (70.7) with one catch in four targets his way for six yards, notching a pass breakup. It was a busy day for Terrell with 11 targets and 10.4 yards per catch allowed in nine receptions (63 overall grade). It was a high-traffic day for Barnes as well, with eight targets, five catches (for 79 yards) with a touchdown allowed and an interception (58.3 overall grade). Mickens was right there on three catches his way to render negative total yards (-3), and he tallied his sixth grade above 70 this season (70.6).

Clemson CB Ashton Hampton in the ACC Championship Game:

🐅 38 Coverage Snaps
🐅 6 Yards Allowed (4 Targets)
🐅 1 Pass Breakup
🐅 39.6 Passer Rating Allowed@ClemsonFB pic.twitter.com/L3tpn0yIQm
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 9, 2024