CLEMSON FOOTBALL

Inside Look: Grading Clemson versus Syracuse
Clemson's turnover-forcing defense made some key plays.

Inside Look: Grading Clemson versus Syracuse


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No. 1-ranked Clemson pulled away after things got tight in the third quarter of a 47-21 win over Syracuse over the weekend. We take a deeper look into the game with the help of Pro Football Focus:

Three standouts (offense)

RT Jordan McFadden

Playing his second-highest snap total of the season (86), McFadden graded the best of any on the Clemson offense (76.3), allowing a couple QB pressures but grading well in the run game (76.5).

RB Travis Etienne

Etienne said he didn’t have his best game but he was still a top playmaker for the Tiger offense, slotting behind McFadden in overall grade (74.7) despite missing significant snaps due to cramps. With a lighter day in the receiving game, Etienne did tally his second-most rushing attempts this season (16) for 85 yards and three touchdowns, including 53 yards after contact.

WR Amari Rodgers

When the Tigers needed a spark, they turned to Rodgers in the passing game and he nearly came down with Clemson’s most explosive play of the game, if not for an excellent PBU by a Syracuse DB to rip out the ball. He was targeted 10 times and came down with eight catches for 91 yards. He averaged 12.1 yards after catch (some catches being behind the line of scrimmage).

Offense grade notes

Offensive notes

* Trevor Lawrence said postgame that he would've graded his performance "below average" and that's where PFF had him, with a 66.7 grade and 68.7 passing (second-worst behind the Miami game, 61.6 and 63 respectively there). He had his worst passer rating of the season (88.3) and yards per attempt (6.7). Lawrence finished 1-of-7 for 18 yards throwing over 20 yards downfield with a touchdown and an interception. Beyond 10 yards, he was 5-of-15 for 104 yards -- making 22 of his completions coming from 10 yards and in.

* The Heisman race will likely come down Lawrence versus some other talented QBs nationally. Per PFF, he currently grades fourth-best as a passer among starters with multiple games (91.6), behind BYU's Zach Wilson (94), Alabama's Mac Jones (92.9) and Oklahoma's Spencer Rattler (91.7). Of that group, Lawrence has had three more drops from his receivers (12) from the next nearest (Rattler, 9). Jones' targets have only three drops on the campaign.

* Tight end Davis Allen continued to make an impact when targeted with his third touchdown Saturday -- and he now has eight catches in nine targets for 169 yards.

Three standouts (defense)

S Nolan Turner

Turner is back here after another interception and an 82.1 grade in 48 plays, allowing one completion in four targets his way for seven yards and making a stop in three tackles.

DB Jalyn Phillips

Phillips graded out best on the defense in just into double-digit plays with a 90.4 mark, picking off a pass and grabbing a tackle as well.

LB Mike Jones Jr.

Jones Jr. was on the field as much as Turner and posted an 81.9 grade with an interception he returned deep into Syracuse territory and a pair of stops.

Defense/special teams grade notes

* Only 14 of the 21 points had any ties to the defensive effort and one TD came after a punt block set the Orange up in the red zone. So out of the effort Clemson is actually graded the best versus an FBS opponent this year (85.3) with strong performances in run defense (85.3; second-best of season) and coverage (85.2; best of season).

* Overall on the season (min. 2 games and 10 snaps per), freshman defensive end Myles Murphy grades in the top-5 nationally at his position (fourth overall, 88.7) with a 92.6 mark against the run. Redshirt junior Jordan Williams grades just outside the top-10 nationally among defensive tackles at 81.7 and freshman Bryan Bresee isn’t far behind with a 78.8 mark in 188 graded plays. Freshman linebacker Trenton Simpson has made a good impression already with a top-15 grade nationally in his 66 graded snaps (80.5) -- James Skalski is among the nation’s best as well with a 78.1 mark in 169 graded snaps. In the secondary, Derion Kendrick paces the nation with a 88.9 grade -- not allowing a reception in seven targets. Turner is just outside the top-10 at his position (78.9) and PFF grades Jones Jr. with the safeties as well with a 78.6 mark.

* With a mixed bag on special teams Saturday, the Tigers graded at 67.6 overall, which ranked fourth-best out of six games.

Three downs

DT Nyles Pinckney

The graduate interior lineman didn’t have his best day with a defense-low 57.7 grade and 57.8 on run defense. He’s currently fifth-best among Clemson defensive tackles grading (min. 2 games and 10 snaps per; 64.3 grade).

WR Frank Ladson Jr.

Ladson registered a drop in a third-straight game and graded his worst of the season (53.8) with two catches in four targets for 29 yards.

C Cade Stewart

Stewart graded well below his O-line teammates (55.5) with a 50-mark in 34 run blocking plays and also some snap issues on Saturday. His 60.8 grade on the season sits almost five points below the next O-line starter (Matt Bockhorst, 65.5). -- Brandon Rink

(Grades and stats via Pro Football Focus)

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