Previewing the Clemson Offense

Wake Forest hosts #4 Clemson on Saturday at 3:30 at BB&T Field, and faces the toughest team on the schedule.

Clemson has not been without controversy recently, as former starting quarterback Kelly Bryant was benched last Monday and then transferred on Tuesday due to the new transfer rule. Freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence, formerly the #1 prospect in the nation, was named the starter but then went out with an injury in the first quarter against Syracuse. Freshman Chase Brice, who was originally the third string, had to finish the game after having only a few reps all year, and none in-game.

Lawrence’s injury was originally believed to be a concussion, however on Monday it was announced to be just a neck strain. Yesterday he was named the starter for this weekend.

Trevor Lawrence is a big quarterback, and is already being compared to some of the best passers in Clemson history. Lawrence is 49-75 on the year, and has thrown for 693 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. His quarterback rating is 177.2. By comparison, Sam Hartman’s is 132.6. Kelly Bryant had only 2 passing touchdowns and an interception this season.

The rushing attack is led by sophomore Travis Etienne. He has 73 attempts for 594 yards and 8 touchdowns, and averages 8.1 yards per carry. Junior Tavien Feaster and senior Adam Choice are also featured in the running game. Feaster has 32 carries for 174 yards and 2 touchdowns on the year. Choice has 26 carries for 155 yards and a touchdown. Kelly Bryant was also a threat to run, with 30 attempts for 130 yards and 2 touchdowns, but Trevor Lawrence is much more of a pocket passer with 13 rushing attempts for only 15 yards.

The receiving corp is led by sophomore Tee Higgins, who has 13 catches for 252 yards and 2 touchdowns. Sophomore Amari Rodgers has 21 receptions for 218 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Justyn Ross has 9 catches for 212 yards and 3 touchdowns. Senior Hunter Renfrow (who is also now the third string quarterback) has 15 receptions for 200 yards and a touchdown. Freshman tight end Braden Galloway, Junior Diondre Overton and Etienne also have touchdown receptions.

Senior kicker Greg Huegel has made all 24 of his extra point attempts and is 5-8 on field goals with a season and career long from 49 yards.

The Tigers are 5-0 after defeating Furman 48-7, Texas A&M 28-26, Georgia Southern 38-7, Georgia Tech 49-21, and Syracuse 27-23. They are averaging 500 total offensive yards per game, 7.1 yards per play, 254 rush yards per game, 246 pass yards per game, 5 offensive touchdowns per game, and 23 first downs per game. Clemson also averages 38 points per game.

Clemson has quite a high powered offense, and quite frankly Wake’s already struggling defense stands little to no chance of containing them, even if Trevor Lawrence isn't 100%.