Analysis: Takeaways from Clemson's wild win over the Wildcats

Jonathan Weitz came up clutch again.

by Ryan Kantor - Contributor - Sun Dec 31 14:46:13 GMT-04:00 2023

Clemson defeated the Kentucky Wildcats to win the Gator Bowl, reach the nine-win mark, and head into the offseason with momentum. It was a slog for most of three quarters. Entering the fourth quarter, Clemson trailed 21-10. Then things got wild. The teams combined for a Gator Bowl record 42 points and five turnovers in the fourth quarter. Clemson was on the receiving end of four turnovers, which played a huge role in their first double-digit fourth-quarter comeback since trailing 24-14 to Alabama in the 2017 National Championship Game (2016 season).

Clemson won 38-35 thanks to a clutch 52-yard field goal from Jonathan Weitz, several big-time throws from QB Cade Klubnik, and the coaching staff entrusting Phil Mafah with the ball from inside the five-yard line. Here are some of my key takeaways from the game.

Jonathan Weitz Ends on Fire

The finance sector employee turned bleached-blonde kicker made the difference in Clemson winning their last two games. He entered the Palmetto Bowl just 5-for-11 but went 3-3 in a 16-7 victory that did not include a Clemson offensive touchdown. Then, in the Gator Bowl, he knocked in two more before attempting a long 52-yard field goal. The kick was straight, hit the bottom cross-bar, and then bounced through. It was the final kick of his collegiate career and allowed him to end with six straight made field goals to finish 11-17 on the season.

Shipley Injured

Will Shipley seldom seemed to have any running room, but fought for every inch. His 11-carry, 29-yard performance doesn’t look good in the box score, but I thought he did everything he could. His 60-yard kick return set up the aforementioned 52-yard field goal from Weitz. Unfortunately, he also injured his knee as he rolled and popped up at the end of that kick return. As of this writing, he is scheduled for an MRI.

Phil Mafah Collects 4 TDs

Phil Mafah had TD runs of one yard, one yard, 29 yards, and three yards. Clemson finally came to terms with what works near the goal line and had no shame in pounding the ball into the end zone. Clemson needs Mafah to choose to return for his senior season, and they need to keep using like they finally began to in the Notre Dame game.

Line Woes

Clemson’s offensive line struggled mightily. There were eight sacks allowed and numerous times when Klubnik was hurried. By my eye test, the tackles seemed to struggle most, but upon digging into PFF grades, it seems the struggles were across the board. Matt Luke will have a tough job ahead of him after the Tigers missed on all four players they targeted in the transfer portal.

Getting Walker Parks and Marcus Tate back will help, but Ryan Linthicum may be the X-factor. It seems to me they could have all but promised a strong transfer to a starting spot if they didn’t believe Linthicum could be very good next season. Other options to replace Will Putnam at center include Trent Howard and Harris Sewell.

Growing Pains in the Secondary

Clemson was without Nate Wiggins, Sheridan Jones, Jeadyn Lukus, and Andrew Mukuba in the secondary. It wasn’t a perfect look at the 2024 secondary (they’ll get Lukus, Tyler Venables, and the incoming freshmen and lose Jalyn Phillips), but it still serves as a useful look ahead. Unfortunately, it was a scary one.

Avieon Terrell and Shelton Lewis started at cornerback, and for much of the first half, Lewis – who had been excellent in limited snaps – got picked on. He had the last laugh though, as he provided tight coverage late and even made the game-sealing interception. At safety, Khalil Barnes and RJ Mickens made some mistakes resulting in big plays as well. Clemson shouldn’t be this bad in pass coverage next season, but perhaps I got a little overly optimistic about how far along some of the young talent was, and at least a small step-back from this season’s elite pass coverage should be expected.

Wide Receivers Still Weren’t Explosive, but Antonio Williams Came Through Late

Jake Briningstool led all Clemson pass catchers in targets (10), catches (9), and yards (91). Given Clemson's apparent weakness at wide receiver, we expected him to do that for much of the year, but he was inconsistent. Williams had six games with under 20 receiving yards while also posting three games over 90. He finished the season with 498 yards and will need to up that total next season to 600 or more to help out a wide receiver corps that loses Beaux Collins and will count on freshmen to make an instant impact.

The starting trio of Troy Stellato, Adam Randall, and Tyler Brown combined for just 112 receiving yards (although Brown did have a nice 18-yard carry). Stellato and Randall were steady enough but aren’t especially explosive and Tyler Brown didn’t get targeted much at all. Williams seemed to be on a limited snap count coming back from injury, but on the Tigers' final TD drive, he reminded everyone what he is capable of. His speed and agility helped create a 16-yard reception on Third-and-18. They’d convert on fourth down and then hit him again for 11 yards before a completion to Jake Briningstool and a Mafah run put Clemson ahead for good. He had 604 yards as a freshman last year before this year’s injury-hilted campaign. Clemson needs him to exceed his freshman numbers next year if they expect the passing game to progress.

Barrett Carter

Carter already elected to return in 2024 for what will be his fourth year at Clemson. This season had been a slight disappointment in terms of his individual performance, but he ended it with a spectacular performance in the Gator Bowl. Carter had a 0.5 sack, recovered a fumble, and made an excellent play where he tipped a pass and then intercepted it. After the season-opener against Duke, he admitted that he didn’t feel he was in good enough shape. With a renewed focus, it is very possible – and I’d even argue likely – that 2024 is the type of year that makes him a first-round draft pick.

Clutch Klubnik

For most of the day, Klubnik looked just “okay.” He didn’t make any terrible mistakes – the INT was more so on the blocking TE – but he seemed a tick slow on his decisions, and several balls were thrown high. Prior to the final TD drive, he had just 193 passing yards, no TDs, and an INT. Everything changed on the final drive. He was methodically driving the team down the field when the pass-blocking failed him. He threw it away to avoid a sack, but it was (correctly) called as intentional grounding. Third-and-18 spelled doomsday, but he hit Williams for 16 yards and Mafah converted on fourth down. Klubnik connected on more two big passes before Mafah would run in the game-winner. Klubnik picked up 71 passing yards on the 68-yard drive (that’s not a typo) and finished with 264 yards (30/41). It wasn’t a virtuoso performance, but it was a clutch one he can build on heading into his junior campaign.

Turnovers were the Difference

Clemson had more than its fair share of catastrophic turnovers early in the season. The nature of them definitely became less catastrophic as the year wore on, but what really shifted was Clemson’s defense coming up with turnovers. Against Kentucky, the Tigers forced fumbles and were quick to jump on them. They wasted one by throwing an interception on the very next play (Cade was hit as he threw thanks to a missed block), but forcing turnovers was the biggest reason Clemson won the Gator Bowl and the driving factor in their five-game win streak.

Thank you

With the end of Clemson’s season, this is my final post-game analysis article for the year. I have again enjoyed sharing with you all and thank everyone who had read and commented on these articles. Additionally, thank you to everyone who took the time to subscribe to my YouTube channel. This football season didn’t turn out quite as successful as expected for the Tigers, but I’m proud of how the team never quit and how the fans supported them even when most of the big goals were out the window. The future remains bright. Happy New Year!