Spring Game Observations: Offense missing key pieces, Peter Woods leads mid-years |
CLEMSON – The spring game, along with spring practice, is in the books and fans will have to wait 142 days until the Tigers take the field at Duke on Sept. 4th. Until then, we have some observations based on what we saw Saturday.
*Domonique Thomas broke off a 20-yard run early and finished with 14 carries for 63 yards. He has earned praise from head coach Dabo Swinney and running backs coach CJ Spiller for his work ethic. Right now he looks like the best option as a third-team back behind Will Shipley and Phil Mafah. *We wondered how the tight ends would be used in Garrett Riley’s offense. Jake Briningstool caught an early pop pass for a big gain and then caught another pass on the sideline for a first down. Sage Ennis and Josh Sapp each had a moment here and there, but the best thing to see was the tight being utilized in the middle of the field. Briningstool finished with three catches for 56 yards. *The tight ends had to be good, because it was evident Saturday just how thin the Tigers are at wide receiver right now. With Troy Stellato, Beaux Collins, and Adam Randall all sidelined, Will Taylor at baseball, and a few more set to join the team over the summer, we saw a lot of Hampton Earle and Hamp Greene early. Brannon Spector, Cole Turner, and Antonio Williams were the starters and Williams led that group with five catches. *We’ve heard all spring that defensive end Cade Denhoff has taken big step forward this spring and he delivered a big hit early on Ennis. He was active when he was out there. *Freshman defensive tackle Peter Woods is a monster. On one drive he stooped a run in the A-gap, flushed Cade Klubnik on the second play, and then threw an offensive lineman down on the next play. There was one play where I saw him use his left arm to stymie an offensive lineman and it opened a clear path to Klubnik who wisely threw the ball away. When Ruke Orhorhoro and Tré Williams and Payton Page all return, it will be interesting to see who trots out first against the Blue Devils. All of those guys are good and have NFL potential. Woods is just different. He also blocked a late extra point that kept the score at 13-13. *Raise your hand if you’ve heard of Liam Boyd before Saturday. The walk-on out of Asheville didn’t play last season but nailed a 51-yard field for the first points Saturday. He also showed a big leg on kickoffs and right now appears to be a viable threat to scholarship kicker Robert Gunn. *Offensively, we saw a lot of inside zone, stretch plays and crossing routes that take time to develop. The vertical game that everyone wants to see wasn’t really evident, but I put that more on the fact that the wide receivers are just so thin right now. Cade Klubnik finished 18-of-33 for 190 yards and two interceptions. Both turnovers were tipped balls. *I was a little – a little – surprised to see freshman offensive lineman Zack Owens run out at left guard early. It’s not that often you see a 6-7, 350-pound behemoth lining up on the interior. All in all, I thought the freshmen offensive lineman (Harris Sewell and Ian Reed) held their own. There were a few mistakes but that’s to be expected. *The mid-year enrollees all had their moments. Stephiylan Green rushed Klubnik in the second quarter, and Vic Burley and Woods and TJ Parker all flashed. Linebacker Jamal Anderson got his hand on a ball that turned into an interception and Khalil Barnes almost killed one wide receiver on a screen play, and late in the game, he picked off a pass and went 22 yards for the TD and a game-clinching score for the White team, to make it 20-13. This group is going to be really good and all will play this season. *Punter Jack Smith had a few big kicks, but Aidan Swanson averaged 44.2 yards per kick and was the more consistent of the two. That’s what we’ve heard all spring.
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