Louisville vs. Clemson: Game Grades, Analysis for the Tigers

It wasn’t pretty for the Clemson Tigers, but they were able to come up with enough plays defensively to win the game.

On the last play of the game—a fourth down from the 3-yard line—Clemson batted down Will Gardner’s pass to seal the 23-17 win.

It was a terrible performance offensively for both teams, but both defenses found ways to keep the game close. This game saw four combined turnovers and only 22 combined first downs.

Deshaun Watson injured his right hand early in the first quarter and was not able to return to action. Cole Stoudt came in at quarterback and made a lot of bad plays, but ultimately he did enough to give Clemson an opportunity to win.

The defenses dominated, and both units proved to be among the best in the nation, but it was Clemson who made the most plays down the stretch.

You can find the stats for the game here, courtesy of NCAA.com.

Position Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Passing Offense	D-	D+
Rushing Offense	D-	C
Pass Defense	A	B-
Run Defense	A	A
Special Teams	A	A
Coaching	C	C

Passing Offense

The Tigers could not get anything going through the air, finishing with only 157 yards. Stoudt actually finished 20-of-33, but that can be credited to numerous screen passes. He threw one interception but often tossed the ball into traffic.

This was the worst passing performance of the season for Clemson, and I’m not sure how much of a difference Watson would have made. He was 2-of-6 passing with one interception before leaving the game.

Rushing Offense

As bad as the passing offense was, the rushing offense was only slightly better. Adam Choice provided a spark, rushing for 61 yards on 16 carries, but he was the only back who got anything going.

Watson, who left the game in the first quarter, finished second in rushing for the Tigers with only 10 yards. Wayne Gallman and C.J. Davidson only carried the ball a combined six times, but Choice gave the Tigers exactly what they needed in the fourth quarter.

Pass Defense

Clemson’s defense played well against the pass when Reggie Bonnafon was in the game for Louisville, generating a lot of pressure.

Once Will Gardner entered the game, Louisville started to get production through the air. Gardner made some big plays, and the Tigers had a couple of miscues in the secondary.

The touchdown pass from Gardner appeared to be the result of a blown coverage, and Robert Smith took a poor angle on the long pass late in the game, so the Tigers still have room to improve. Overall, it was a solid performance, and the ability to tackle in space really stood out from the secondary.

Run Defense

The Tigers played a tremendous game up front. The front seven was very aggressive and only allowed 52 rushing yards. Louisville’s leading rusher—Dominique Brown—only averaged 2.8 yards per carry, and his longest run was nine yards.

The linebackers were heavily involved in the run game, and it was just a dominating effort in this aspect.

Special Teams

If it wasn’t for special teams, the Tigers would have lost the game. A punt return touchdown and three field goals resulted in 16 of Clemson’s 23 points.

Adam Humphries’ 72-yard punt return got the crowd going and put the Tigers up 7-0. Ammon Lakip has struggled at times this season, but he played well and made some important kicks. This group gets the highest grade possible.

Coaching

Chad Morris made a mistake by lining up in the shotgun formation on certain plays, and his play-calling was rather conservative at times. I understand it’s tough to be aggressive with Stoudt in the game, but the offense never got into a rhythm because of the lack of first downs.

Brent Venables called a great game defensively, and coach Dabo Swinney handled the game well, so this unit grades out about average.