Recapping the No. 3 Clemson Tigers’ 14-6 win over the No. 13 Auburn Tigers on Saturday night at memorial stadium.
Auburn statistically dominated the first quarter Saturday night, as star running back Kamryn Pettway ran for 53 yards on 12 carries to lead a pair of long drives that each resulted in a field goal. Meanwhile, Kelly Bryant and the Clemson offense couldn’t get anything going downfield, and had a drive end after one play on Ray Ray McCloud’s fumble.
Things appeared to get worse early in the second when Bryant was injured on a hit by Jamel Deal, although he was able to return later in the quarter. With time running down in the half, Bryant connected with Hunter Renfrow three times on a drive that started on the Clemson 12, and put the Tigers up 7-6 on a 3-yard scramble at the 48 second mark.
Bryant continued to roll early in the second half and led Clemson on a lengthy scoring drive, capped off by a 27-yard run that showcased his athletic ability in the open field to put Clemson up 14-6. Clemson’s defensive line continued to completely shut down Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham, and a sack by Tre Lamar midway through the third knocked Auburn out of field goal range.
Auburn continued to do nothing offensively after its two opening drives, and Bryant hit Renfrow on a 13-yard completion with time winding down to preserve a game-killing drive. Bryant picked up another first down with 1:20 remaining on a four-yard scramble to seal the 14-6 victory, which will look quite good on Clemson’s playoff resume by the end of the season.
Here’s what we learned from the dramatic defensive struggle on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.
3 takeaways
1. Nobody can stop Clemson’s pass rush
Everyone in the college football world knew that Clemson had the nation’s best defensive line entering the season, but Saturday’s performance took things to the next level.
Auburn’s experienced offensive line managed just 117 yards of total offense, most of which came on the two drives in the first quarter, as Pettway was ineffective for most of the game. Clemson sacked Stidham a school record eight times, with junior Austin Bryant inflicting the most damage.
If Austin Bryant continues to play at a high level alongside future NFL draft picks Dexter Lawrence, Clelin Ferrell and Christian Wilkins, every opposing offense will suffer the same fate as Auburn. Gus Malzahn’s squad has one of the most experienced offensive lines in the country, so Clemson’s defense even managed to exceed expectations.
2. Auburn’s quarterback situation hasn’t improved much
Auburn expected to have an upgrade under center after Stidham transferred from Baylor, but Saturday’s performance was not particularly inspiring.
Stidham completed 13 of his 24 pass attempts for just 79 yards, and was unable to hit a downfield pass of over 23 yards. While the eight sacks were mostly due to Clemson’s superior defensive line, Stidham showed little mobility in the pocket, which will be an issue during SEC West play.
The sophomore has flashed potential before so there’s still hope, but Malzahn will be extremely disappointing with what was expected to be one of the most explosive offenses in the nation. Auburn is in for a long year if Stidham is unable to generate any splash plays down the field during SEC West play.
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3. Kelly Bryant can lead a repeat national championship run.
The only question mark facing Clemson entering the 2017 season was quarterback play, as the rest of the roster looked good enough to reach a third straight national title game. While Bryant wasn’t exactly spectacular in his second career start, he demonstrated enough playmaking ability to beat any defense in the nation.
Bryant wasn’t asked to do too much in the passing game, while completing 19 of 29 passes for 181 yards, and more importantly making no major mistakes. The junior was much more effective on the ground with 59 rushing yards and two scores, and showcased impressive elusive ability in the open field against an athletic defense.
Clemson lost its three top receivers over the offseason, but McCloud, Renfrow and Deon Cain are able replacements. While it’s impossible to fully replace Watson’s production, Bryant’s scrambling ability could be enough for Clemson to win a second straight national title.