Rewatching the final Clemson drive of 2023

Jan 5, 2024, 2:44 PM

“LET’S GOOOOO” I yelled.

My wife, who was cross-stitching (she’s a vandy grad; go figure; love you Kathleen), nearly had a heart attack.

I think I nearly did too!

—

I rewatched that last drive today. I shouted “let’s go” again.

But I rewatched it and had a few takeaways:

1. Jay Haynes Return

Excited to see more of this young man. Foolish for Kentuckee to kick the ball like that as it gave us an extra 6-10 yards of field position.

2. Jake Briningstool

HUGE catch near the goal line. Took a big shot. Huge block and pull to get Mafah into the end zone. The physicality is what (I personally thought) was lacking from the kid. He was skiddish on jump balls early in 2023 and on this drive / late in the season he really improved. He’s going to be an ABSOLUTE weapon in ‘24.

3. No Beaux Collins

If Beaux Collins could catch and block he would be a heck of a receiver. But he dropped a ton of passes and missed some crucial blocks. I think he was also a poor culture fit - lot of talk and less results. Unfortunately we missed on a lot of receivers in the last 3~ years. But I’m glad he wasn’t out there because I think he would have dropped a crucial ball.

4. Antonio Williams

Glad he’s back. We certainly missed him. He was one of the few brightest spots in the ‘22 campaign. His surehandedness came in CLUTCH.

5. Adam Randall

I was worried he was a part of the bust gang at WR. I think up until today he might just have been. Played with more confidence and I think will prove to be an asset in ‘24.

6. Mafah Man

DUDE! What he lacks in speed he makes up in power. Edge Top-10 Clemson RB. Truthfully the player of the second half of the season. I think if we run Mafah more (like we did against the chickens) in those earlier games we come up with more Ws.

7. Mr. Klubnik

lol at all of these people that compare the guy to Will Proctor or Kyle Parker… Come on man! Klubnik has the talent and is becoming more confident game by game. He has a lot of heart and desire. You cannot coach that. So many guys like him (5*) would have dodged town early and gone to “greener” pastures but this dude has stuck it out and will be mission critical to getting the Tigers back into the playoff in 2024. He was poised on that last drive, had good protection (for once) and commanded the offense.

Overall, one heck of a drive by one heck of a team who, despite the mid-year adversity, really proved us all wrong.

See y’all in Atlanta!

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Rewatching the final Clemson drive of 2023

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