– Jimmy asks which freshman has the best chance to make an impact Saturday.
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“I am very proud of our defense”, Malzahn said. His first game since past year.
Watson opened his Heisman Trophy candidacy completing 19 of 34 passes for 248 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The 40-yard boot put Clemson on top 16-3 as the game headed to the fourth.
The Clemson Tigers take on the Auburn Tigers today in a college football game on the first marquee Saturday evening of the 2016 schedule.
Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney have a chat before the game.
Facing a fourth-and-goal from the Auburn 1-yard-line, Clemson inserted defensive linemen Christian Wilkins (6-4, 310) and Dexter Lawrence (6-5, 340) as part of a jumbo package.
“They say defense is usually ahead of the offense, and it certainly was tonight”, Swinney said. “We go all the way down and leave them with 83 yards to go and no timeouts”, Swinney said.
Swinney nearly had to do just that. However, Watson was able to escape pressure on a few occasions to keep plays alive, and he picked up a big first down on a run on the final drive of the game.
Both teams can certainly take positives out of the game, as Auburn’s defense showed plenty of fight, while Clemson welcomed back star wide receiver Mike Williams, who missed almost all of last season with a neck injury.
His last throw almost haunted the dreams of Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney.
“It’s a great experience for our team, ” Swinney said. The Auburn defense held Clemson Heisman hopeful quarterback Deshaun Watson to 4-9 passing in the first quarter.
That Clemson offense scored 38.5 points per game last season, with some of the main players still in place this year.
Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson passes during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Auburn, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016, in Auburn, Ala.
Gallman needs just two more 100-yard rushing efforts to match Raymond Priester’s career Clemson record, set from 1994-97.
Clemson made it 10-3 on a 30-yard field goal by Greg Huegel, capping another drive that was kept alive on a pass interference call against Javaris Davis.
Johnson had 94 yards on 23 carries for Auburn, which gained 224 of its 262 yards in the second half. In receiving, Clemson football is loaded with Artavius Scott, Mike Williams and Hunter Renfrow.
If you merged all three quarterbacks together: White’s arm, Franklin’s legs and with Johnson’s size, you’d have Cam Newton – perhaps that’s what Malzahn was going for Saturday.
Those were the only times a year ago the Tigers failed to scratch the scoreboard in the first quarter. We may continue to do that.
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Now, before you start wondering if or how the Giants will move up in next year’s draft, this seems like a good time to remember that there are plenty of other draft-worthy players that will be on the field for each school in this game. When digging deeper, he circled the missed chances like Williams’ first-half, mid-field fumble and Watson’s interception that kept things tighter than they should’ve been. “I take responsibility for that, driving the team, driving the offense, making sure everyone’s getting set and being focused on that play at the moment”. Auburn has produced eight 1,000-yard rushers since 2010, most among FBS teams. He was in a neck brace for most of the season and didn’t see the field again. Auburn PK Daniel Carlson has made 98 consecutive PATs, the fourth-longest streak in program history.
