I’m up to the Wake Forest game right now and have noticed a lot of things. The QB situation is obvious so needs no discussion. The things that stand out to me are this:
1) Most teams played their hearts out against the Tigers and had some amazing plays that they didn’t replicate the rest of the season. Syracuse and TAMU come to mind. Tech started out well in their first drives. GASO did really well. Clemson is clearly the game everyone’s circled on their calendar.
2) The running game was never in doubt. Etienne, Feaster, and Choice were solid performers and the line did a nice job of opening holes. Even when the pass game was frustrating the RBs were making plays.
3) The first quarter and the fourth quarter were completely different games and the slow starts to the first quarter didn’t indicate in any way whatsoever the final score
4) Big plays against the Tiger defense happened, but overall the defense prevailed on downs. A blown coverage in the middle for a 30 yard gain was easily followed up with two tackles for loss and a sack.
5) The team started at a #2 ranking then got demoted to #4 without losing, but finished the season as the BEST EVER with a 15-0 record and crushing the lauded Crimson Tide.
I have high expectations for this season but reviewing last season has left me with a pretty good perspective on how I plan to watch the games this year. There won’t be the same QB drama and I expect the offense to operate more fluidly in early games but, even if every drive and quarter isn’t perfect there’s really no reason to be concerned