Clemson 52 Pitt 17: Position Grades

A look back at how each position group fared in third-ranked Clemson's dominating 52-17 win over Pitt on Senior Day in Death Valley.

It took Clemson all of three plays to knock off any rust from the three-week layoff. 

After an opening three-and-out on their first offensive series, the Tigers exploded for a school record 31 first quarter points as third-ranked Clemson knocked off Pitt 52-17 on Senior Day Saturday in Death Valley. 

Position Grades

Quarterback: Trevor Lawrence certainly didn't look like a guy that hadn't played in five weeks. In what was very likely his final home game, Lawrence threw for 403 yards and 2 touchdowns, while completing 70% of his passes. It's a shame he had to miss so much time because he is absolutely playing at a level worthy of winning the Heisman... A

Running Back: Travis Etienne looked fresh and as explosive as he's looked all season. For the first time in four games he did not fumble the football. Lyn-J Dixon had his best game of the season. He showed patience, and ran with a purpose. Same with Chez Mellusi. All averaged over 5 YPC against a defense that came in allowing just 2.4 YPC. Darien Rencher had a big third down catch. Overall, one of the better games from this group as a whole all season... A

Wide Receiver: Cornell Powell continues to shine. He now has back-to-back games with more than 150 receiving yards. Only Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins have ever done that at Clemson. Amari Rodgers also reeled in 10 of his 11 targets. E.J. Williams made his first career start and helped sparked the offense after the opening three-and-out. Somehow this group continues to get it done despite being hamstrung by injuries. It might not have been perfect but it was pretty close... A

Tight End: Braden Galloway and Davis Allen haven't been major factors in the offense most of the season, but they are consistently making plays when their numbers are called. The two combined for three catches and 43 yards. Galloway did have the one drop though... B+

Offensive Line: Pass protection wasn't great but it was solid against one of the best pass rushing teams in the country. Interior run blocking was better than what it's been over the past few games. Especially considering Pitt routinely puts seven or eight in the box to stop the run... B

Defensive Line: Tyler Davis finally returned after an extended absence and the results speak for themselves. Kenny Pickett rarely had time to get comfortable as the Tigers recorded 6 sacks and 8 TFL. Xavier Thomas looks to be rounding into form just in time for the stretch run. Pitt rushed for just 0.7 YPC. It was a dominant and suffocating performance... A+

Linebacker: James Skalski was back, a little earlier than expected, and what a difference having him on the field makes. Mike Jones Jr was back too. Baylon Spector played well, as did Keith Maguire. Freshman Trenton Simpson also stood out. He is getting better every week, and his versatility allows him to play in more than one spot... A 

Secondary: Nine games in and the backend of this defense is starting to show signs of why Dabo Swinney raved about them throughout fall camp. Clemson picked off Kenny Pickett four times on the day. Mario Goodrich had two interceptions, and Malcolm Greene and Andrew Booth Jr. each had one. It was arguably the secondary's best performance of the year and they did it without Derion Kendrick, Sheridan Jones, and Jalyn Phillips, all of who have played substantial snaps this season... A

Special Teams: B.T. Potter was just 1-2 on the day and had a miss from 41-yards out. Will Spiers averaged 41 yards per punt, which is a little down from what we've seen in previous games. Only one of his six punts were downed inside the 20. Aidan Swanson did have a 50-yard boot downed inside the 20 late. Also had another punt blocked... B-

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