No. 1 Clemson won its 2019 ACC Championship Game rematch with Virginia on Saturday night in Death Valley, however the 41-23 outcome leaves lots of room for enhancement as this years squad looks to go back to that very same College Football Playoff phase in 2020..
Trevor Lawrence looks great in the box rating with 329 passing backyards and 3 goals on 25 of 38 passes, as does Travis Etienne with 73 rushing lawns and a goal on 14 efforts with a team-high 114 receiving backyards and a goal on 5 catches, however there was incongruence to the offense that allowed the four-touchdown underdogs to hang around throughout the night. While the lead was never cut to less than 10 points after the late stages of the very first quarter, Virginias unrelenting effort kept Clemsons starters in the video game deep into the 4th quarter for the very first time this season..
One of the huge questions for Clemsons offense entering into the game was how the death video game had actually developed after a week off and 2 weeks separated from its last FBS competition. What we saw against Virginia exposed that its a combination of experience and youth, with senior Amari Rodgers (6 catches on eight targets for 72 backyards and 2 touchdowns) and sophomore Frank Ladson Jr. (5 catches on 7 targets for 71 backyards) as the favored targets with Etienne functioning as the all-purpose whatever offending weapon that is the secret sauce to the 2020 Clemson offense..
The interesting thing about evaluating Clemson as a championship game contender is that we dont need to wait till the College Football Playoff to do it in 2020. The ACC has more teams that are top-25 quality than it did a year back, and those tests pop up on the Tigers schedule starting next week with a see from No. 8 Miami. The Hurricanes were off in Week 5 and getting ready for this high-profile match, and their mix of elite protective line have fun with a potent offending attack produces a fantastic test..
CBS Sports was with you the whole way upgrading this story with the current from Virginia at Clemson on Saturday night. This story will be updated shortly with additional takeaways from Clemsons ACC success..
You hate to say its great for you, however its usually excellent for you. We got a little Robitussin tonight,” Dabo Swinney informed the ACC Network after the game.
The reality that Virginia was able to keep pressure on Clemson is a nod not only to its defense but new starting quarterback Brennan Armstrong and his ability to make plays with his legs. Armstrong led Virginia with 89 hurrying backyards on a team-high 22 attempts to match with 270 passing lawns and three passing goals. He was selected off two times, however one of those interceptions was among the biggest catches– offense or defense– that youll see all season by Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth..
The truth that Virginia was able to keep pressure on Clemson is a nod not only to its defense however brand-new starting quarterback Brennan Armstrong and his ability to make plays with his legs. Armstrong led Virginia with 89 hurrying yards on a team-high 22 attempts to match with 270 passing lawns and three passing touchdowns. The exciting thing about judging Clemson as a national champion competitor is that we dont have to wait till the College Football Playoff to do it in 2020.
