After being beaten the last time they visited The Dome, and then being on the brink of losing to the Orange at home last season, the #1 Clemson Tigers got themselves a little payback in this one 41-6.
- This defense may go about defending teams differently, but the production surely hasn’t dropped off. Brent Venables is the best in the business and is worth every penny he’s paid and then some. Tommy Devito was harassed all night long. The Tigers had eight sacks and that doesn’t even begin to describe the amount of pressure Devito felt in this one. The Orange had less than 200 total yards and averaged just 0.4 yards per carry. Through the first two games, the tackling on defense had been shaky at times. Not in this one. Defenders were wrapping up all night long and limiting the amount of yards after contact.
- No, Trevor Lawrence isn’t as sharp as he was down the stretch last season. There’s a lot more film on the sophomore now and teams will have a better grasp on how to defend him. Having said that, he still looks a little off at times. Odd to say about a guy that just went 22-39 for 395 yards, which was a career high. Nothing to see here, it’s still early. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. It will come.
- Coming in I thought the staff would try and expose the weakness the Orange have at LB with heavy doses of ETN and Lyn J Dixon. That’s not how it played out at all as the offense consistently tried to stretch the field vertically against a pretty good secondary. Whether that was the plan all along or the plan changed after ETN had his bell rung, we will never know. Whatever works though.
- BT Potter is a weapon this team hasn’t had in years. Not a knock on previous kickers in recent years, it’s just none of those guys had the leg he does.
- Chez Melussi can fly.
- Trevor Lawrence showed tonight he can be effective running the ball. He ran it 4 times for 42 yards including a late scamper that went for 25 yards.
- It’s going to be fun watching this team gel as the season moves along. They just blew the doors off of Syracuse in a game in which the offense still isn’t clicking on all cylinders. Over 600 total yards. 391 through the air and another 212 on the ground. Scary. Wait until it really starts clicking.
- 18 straight wins, a program record. It’s a great time to be a Tiger!
