Clemson survived a 28-26 heart stopper at Texas A&M. In front of over 100,000, Clemson doesn’t need to worry about style points, but the Aggies exposed a considerable hole in the Tigers defense… the secondary, or better yet the back seven.
Kellen Mond was outstanding as the Aggie QB, throwing for over 400 yards. I don’t care how good your defensive line is, you get a mobile QB that can throw it with some decent WR’s and there’s a chance he’s going to have a field day.
That’s what Deshaun Watson and Johnny Manziel did to Alabama’s great defenses. Eric Dungey of Syracuse gave Clemson’s defense fits in their upset of the Tigers last year.
YOu know who gave Clemson fits? Eric Dungey… who know who Mond reminds of? You guessed it.
— Jeff or Jeffrey Fann (@TalkinACCSports) September 8, 2018
I said that in the first quarter. Mond has a better arm than Dungey, but is a similar type player. Syracuse had a great WR’s last year, and Texas A&M has a quality bunch too. The fortunate part for Clemson is they won’t see another offense like Texas A&M the rest of the year. Syracuse again is somewhat similar with Dungey, but can’t match receivers. FSU’s offensive line is a mess. South Carolina doesn’t have that kind talent.
I would argue NC State probably comes closest to Texas A&M can bring. That said Clemson’s young inexperienced secondary has loads of improvements to make. They were often out of position, and lost most of the one on one battles.
If Clemson is to be a true national title contender, then that secondary has got to make improvements. The good news is Clemson will have plenty of time to work on that.
What about that that QB battle?
I don’t believe Clemson wins tonight if Lawrence had played the entire second half. He made some great throws, but he started to look overwhelmed early in the half with the Aggie pass rush. He has tons potential, but right now Bryant just runs the offense better.
