Clemson wasn’t lights out either on offense, however they did enough to come away with the win. Quarterback Kelly Bryant was 19-29 for 181 yards. He also carried the ball 19 times for 59 yards and provided the two touchdowns for Clemson. More importantly he didn’t turn the ball over. Bryant was the leading rusher for the Clemson. Ray-Ray McCloud was the leading receiver for Clemson with six catches for 81 yards. The win puts Clemson at 2-0 and in the updated polls they stayed at #3.
The Clemson defense registered 84 tackles including 14 for a loss and 11 sacks. Defensive end Austin Bryant had seven tackles including four for a loss and lead the team with 4 sacks. Dorian O’ Daniel, a linebacker led the team in tackles with 14. He also had two tackles for a loss and added 1.5 sacks.
The only bright spot on offense for Auburn was running back Kamryn Pettway. He carried 22 times for 74 yards. It was a rough day for quarterback Jarrett Stidham. He was 13-24 for 79 yards. He was also on the wrong end of the 14 sacks. The loss drops Auburn to 1-1 and a ranking of #15.
UP NEXT
Auburn as one last game before the SEC schedule starts. They take on Mercer at home on Sept. 16.
Clemson starts ACC play with another test at No. 17 Louisville next Saturday.
CLEMSON HEAD COACH DABO SWINNEY
On the hard-fought, defensive nature of the game:
“I feel like I’m back at Alabama in 1988 after that one. What a tough, gritty game. That’s such a reflection of the heart of our guys. You have to find ways to win games, especially early in the season, and I’m just really proud of our guys, particularly on defense. Hats off to those guys. 11 sacks and 14 tackles for loss. Our defensive line controlled the game. Really, all three levels of the defense played well. I can’t say enough good things.”
On the overall performance of the team in the win:
“This is the type of game that you can really use to help your team grow when preparing for conference play. I can’t say enough about the way that Kelly Bryant performed. Hunter Renfrow, Ray-Ray McCloud and a lot of our playmakers were great. Special teams played well, too. It was just a great all-around performance.”
On the high number of players who entered the game for the Tigers:
“That’s something that we feel like is a strength of our team. We love our depth. And, actually, there were some other guys who we would’ve liked to have gotten into the game tonight. But just for guys who got the playing experience tonight, that’ll be great for their growth moving forward.”
On the fan support at Death Valley:
“I just appreciate the environment and the atmosphere that they helped create tonight. I know this was a low-scoring slobberknocker, but they stuck with us and helped create a good energy for us tonight.”
