While the college football season might have officially kicked off two weeks ago, let’s be honest, it really didn’t kick off until this weekend when two of the Power-5 conferences got things started. The ACC and Big-12 seasons are now both underway.
As for the top ranked Clemson Tigers, they did what they were supposed to do by going into Winston-Salem and thumping Wake Forest 37-13. They might not have covered the big spread, but took care of business in impressive fashion, nonetheless.
Trevor Lawrence: The junior quarterback looked like a guy intent on winning a Heisman. He hit on almost 80% of his throws and accounted for three touchdowns. He was laser sharp and throwing darts….. Stock Up
Play Calling: Tony Elliott called a masterful game Saturday night. While the gameplan might have been pretty basic, the executions wasn’t. The Tigers made running the ball a priority and consistently attacked the middle of the field, something they have not done in recent seasons….. Stock Up
Travis Etienne: The running back had a productive night going over the century mark and averaging six yards per carry. Having said that, at times it seemed he was going down a little easier than in years past. It was only the opener though and may not be anything but coming in ten pounds lighter, it is something to keep an eye on….. Stock Up
Braden Galloway: Clemson has been waiting to see a tight end expose mismatches across the middle of the field for three years now. On Saturday they finally saw it again. Galloway had a team high five catches and Tony Elliott got him involved early. It might be a year later than it was supposed to be, but the Tigers now have a legitimate pass-catching threat at the position again….. Stock Up
Defensive Line: After a down season along the front four, Brent Venables unit looks like it will once again feature a dominating defensive line. Even without Xavier Thomas and Justin Foster, the group had their way with the Wake Forest offensive line. Freshmen Myles Murphy had two sacks and led the team in tackles. Bryan Bresee had half a sack and blocked a field goal. KJ Henry had a sack and was impressive in his first start….. Stock Up
Secondary: With Derion Kendrick and Mario Goodrich both missing this one, Clemson was forced to play some youngsters that had very little experience. Anytime you do that there will be growing pains and this game was no exception. There were definitely some bumps in the road but all in all the team will be better for it down the road….. Stock Even
And in some other action from across the country…..
Chase Brice: The former Tiger put up a fight against Notre Dame in South Bend on Saturday. Unfortunately, he just doesn’t have enough help, especially at the skill positions. However, it was an excellent first start and if the Dookies can get him some help for next season, who knows what could happen….. Stock Up
Notre Dame: Speaking of the Golden Domers, despite the win, they were not very impressive in their debut game as an ACC member. This is supposed to be a top ten team and they looked anything but against the Blue Devils….. Stock Down
North Carolina: After a slow and uninspiring start, the Cheatin’ Heels looked like a different team after halftime in the beatdown of Syracuse. Sam Howell is legit. That defense has real potential. We shall see how it plays out….. Stock Up
Big-12: Not the best weekend for the Big-12 as a whole. Iowa State was handily beat by Louisiana. Kansas was embarrassed by Coastal Carolina, this coming after losing to them last year too. Kansas State lost to Arkansas State and Texas Tech barely got by somebody named Houston Baptist. Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia all took care of business but all three of those teams saw their strength of schedule take significant hits this weekend….. Stock Way Down
