Troy vs. Clemson: Game Grades, Analysis for Tigers
It wasn't the way the experts had it picked, but the Clemson Tigers were able to escape with a 30-24 win over the Troy Trojans. The Tigers held a 27-10 lead, but the Trojans fought hard in the fourth quarter and were an onside kick away from a potential upset.
The Tigers, who were a big favorite in this matchup, led by just three points at the half. Clemson's offense was limited all day, and quarterback Deshaun Watson never really found a rhythm with his wide receivers. Troy held Clemson to just 25 yards rushing in the first half, and the Tigers finished the game with just 122 yards on the ground.
Watson finished the game 27-of-53 passing for 292 yards and three touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions. He was not as accurate in this game, and Troy's defense did a solid job of keeping him out of rhythm.
For the Trojans, they were led offensively by wide receiver Deondre Douglas, who finished with 11 catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Brandon Silvers was 24-of-42 passing for 233 yards and two touchdowns.
You can find the full box score for the game here, courtesy of NCAA.com.
Pass Offense
1 of 6
The passing offense was not in sync today. Watson wasn't as accurate as we are accustomed to seeing, and the Clemson wide receivers dropped a lot of passes. The short passes to the boundary got the offense moving a bit more in the second half, but the rhythm just wasn't there for the passing attack.
Statistically, Watson finished with 292 passing yards and three touchdowns, but the grade here is still a C-minus because of dropped passes and overthrows. The Tigers need to shore up on some of these mistakes before traveling to Georgia Tech in two weeks.
Grade: C-
Run Offense
2 of 6
The Tigers were never able to get the ground game going, and in turn it hurt the ability to pass the ball down the field. Troy's defense did a good job of closing up the middle, and it's the reason the Tigers averaged only 3.8 yards per carry on Saturday.
It was disappointing to see Clemson fail to get Wayne Gallman going, who rushed only nine times for 34 yards. The offensive line did not do its job in the trenches, and that's evident by the 122 total rushing yards by the Tigers. The only reason it's not an F here is because of Watson's ability to get 55 yards and some timely scrambles.
Grade: D-
Pass Defense
3 of 6
The defense played well in this game, especially in the first half. Clemson came away with three interceptions, thanks to Jalen Williams, Kendall Joseph and Dorian O'Daniel. Troy rarely threw the ball down the field, but it found success with short passes across the middle in the second half.
Troy finished with 245 yards through the air, but overall it was a good effort from this group. The secondary still has some issues to fix, but getting three interceptions is a solid day.
Grade: B+
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Run Defense
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Troy totaled 141 rushing yards, but 66 of those yards came on the long touchdown run by Jabir Frye. Clemson's defensive line was solid once again in this game, and multiple Tigers were often in the backfield. Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence continue to impress as young players, and senior Carlos Watkins also had a good outing.
Troy averaged 4.3 yards per carry, and Clemson's defense put the Trojans in a lot of long-yardage third-down situations. The entire Tigers defense played well, but it started with pressure from the Tigers defensive front.
Grade: A-
Special Teams
5 of 6
It was a pretty clean day for the Tigers on special teams, except for the mishap by Ray-Ray McCloud in the second quarter. After returning a punt for 74 yards and what appeared to be a touchdown in real time, replay officials determined that McCloud actually dropped the ball before crossing the goal line.
It was a stupid play, but the Tigers have to feel positive about McCloud's punt returns today. He totaled 96 yards on three punt returns, which comes out to an average of 32.0 yards per return. His speed and elusiveness in the open field will be dangerous for this team down the stretch.
Greg Huegel was 3-of-3 on his field-goal attempts, and true freshman Tavien Feaster also got in on the action with a 22-yard kickoff return.
Grade: A
Coaching
6 of 6
The offensive game plan could have been better, but at some point, it is about players making plays. Watson was inaccurate in this game, and the receivers didn't offer much help. At one point, Watson had completed only two of his last 12 passes, but the play-calling was better in the second half.
Getting Gallman involved in the run game could have helped, but offensive coordinator Tony Elliott rebounded well. When the runs between the tackles weren't working, the offense kept the rhythm going with short to intermediate passes on the outside.
The defensive staff called a good game, allowing only 386 yards in a game that saw a lot of players rotated in. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables got a lot of players in the game today, and that is a plus for Clemson moving forward.
Grade: B-
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