Snap judgements: Clemson takes care of business, blows out SC State

Clemson did exactly what it needed to Saturday evening against SC State, taking control early, emptying the bench and building some confidence heading into ACC play.

Sure, there were mistakes, particularly offensively. But the running game got going after doing nothing last week against Georgia, and Clemson led 28-0 in the first quarter before cruising to the win.

Some of the highlights offensively included Justyn Ross finding the end zone in his first home game since 2019, Will Shipley scoring the first two touchdowns of his career and Will Taylor continuing to make plays on offense and special teams.

Through two games, the Tigers still haven’t allowed a touchdown defensively as SC State’s only points came on a field goal late in the second quarter.

Here are some early takeaways from Clemson’s 49-3 win:

Will Shipley makes case to be RB1

The freshman blamed himself for not making more of his opportunities last week against Georgia. He certainly made his share of plays Saturday against SC State. Shipley had a game-high 80 yards on 8 carries and finished with a pair of touchdowns, showing off his power and speed in the win.

Shipley’s 13-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter was particularly impressive as he bounced off a couple of would-be tacklers and made his way into the end zone. Shipley, Kobe Pace and Lyn-J Dixon continue to get carries, but Shipley appears to be separating himself.

Tigers running game gets going

Shipley wasn’t the only ball carrier to have success. The Tigers rushed for 242 yards while averaging nearly 7 yards per carry. In addition to Shipley’s strong performance, Pace had 7 carries for 68 yards and a score, and Dixon had 4 carries for 27 yards. D.J. Uiagalelei added a pair of rushing touchdowns.

The backs seemed to do a much better job of finding holes and cut back lanes, as well as making defenders miss. Obviously it’s easier to do that against the SC State Bulldogs than the Georgia Bulldogs, but it’s still good to see nonetheless.

D.J. Uiagalelei still has room to improve

The Heisman hopeful entering the season was better against SC State, but he still wasn’t great. Uiagalelei finished 14 of 24 passing for 171 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. He also rushed for two scores.

Uiagalelei’s interception came on a screen pass that was high and off target, and he had another would-be interception that was dropped. Uiagalelei makes some throws that are jaw-dropping but continues to miss some easy throws as well.