Clemson's blowout win over NC State proves their progress

Garrett Riley has watched on as his offense has exploded over the last two games.

Ryan Kantor - Contributor - Monday, September 23 2024

Clemson’s offense delivered an overwhelming offensive outpouring two weeks ago, vs. Appalachian State. True freshman playmakers made their first impact, QB Cade Klubnik attacked downfield without hesitation, and the offensive line dominated. Tiger fans were rightfully excited to see it all come together.

Still, it was against a Sun Belt team. While App State has knocked off Power Four teams in the past (e.g., Michigan [2007], Texas A&M [2022]), there’s no doubt the ACC provides a higher level of play. When App State was blown out by South Alabama this week, you had to wonder how much stock to put into Clemson’s performance vs. the Mountaineers.

The Tigers proved the progress was real by putting on a similar performance with explosive play after explosive play, quickly subduing the NC State Wolfpack. After beating Clemson in two of the past three seasons, NC State was embarrassed in Death Valley. The Tigers burst out to a 28-0 lead, entered halftime up 45-7, and grew the lead to 59-14 before NC State made some progress on Clemson’s defensive back-ups to finish with a final score of 59-35.

Clemson’s improved attention to detail was apparent just a few plays into the game. Klubnik offered the handoff to the running back and then pulled it away for himself. Meanwhile, offensive linemen Marcus Tate and Tristan Leigh were pulling across to lead the way on his run. Each picked up their block perfectly just a split second before Klubnik raced by. Seven yards up-field, Troy Stellato raced towards the defensive back in position for the tackle and pushed him out of the play. The other defensive back was screened by Stellato and couldn’t get around in time. Klubnik then showed off his speed and raced for a 55-yard touchdown to put Clemson up 7-0.

On their next possession, the blocking was not as perfect. TE Jake Briningstool let the defensive end slip by and pressure Klubnik. Klubnik rolled right to escape, Antonio Williams saw this and adjusted his route up-field. While sprinting out, Klubnik delivered a perfect ball that only Williams could catch. It went for a 31-yard touchdown.

A little later, Clemson ran a play action near the goal line. Klubnik was pressured and had to throw off his back foot, but still hit Williams perfectly in the end zone to put Clemson up 21-0. A 38-yard TD run by Phil Mafah on the first play of the next drive extended the lead to 28-0 and effectively put the game into garbage time.

Aaron Murray did another breakdown of Klubnik and called him “tremendous” on “95% of his throws.” If you were hesitant to take too much from the App State performance, that’s certainly understandable, but now you have solid evidence of major progress from Clemson’s signal caller.

We’re seeing what OC Garrett Riley’s offense looks like when run properly with a solid offensive line, dangerous playmakers, and a QB who isn’t gun-shy or hesitant – and it looks good.

There’s not much to critique from this game, but one thing that stands out is the defensive depth. For the third game in a row, Clemson’s defense faltered down the stretch. Peter Woods being held out with injury is a major caveat, but the reserves that came in during garbage time weren’t always where they needed to be, got penalized, and surrendered 21 fourth quarter points. The Tigers have to hope the extra reps earned in the last two games will serve them well.

As a final thought on this game, it is worth noting that after a tough season-opening performance from Adam Randall, he was Clemson’s leading receiver in this contest with 69 yards and a TD. He unfortunately has a toe injury and will miss about three weeks. Clemson has developed good depth at wide receiver, so this shouldn’t present a major issue, but the Tigers will hope he can return and pick up where he left off with a strong performance.

Looking ahead, the defensive resistance should increase with Stanford and Florida State next. Each won this week behind great defensive efforts. Stanford went to Syracuse and stifled QB Kyle McCord and the Orange offense that had been humming. Meanwhile, Florida State took down a 3-0 Cal team despite only scoring 14 points. This will provide more chances for the offensive to grow as competition increases. Going 11-1 with a battle against Miami for the ACC’s automatic bid and likely bye looks more probable each week.