Clemson
Clemson is 6-3 and No. 41 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 7.9 points better than an average FBS team. Last game: won 18-13 at Syracuse in Week 10.
Week 11: vs Georgia Tech, Saturday, Nov 14: the matchup, unit by unit
Why Clemson is No. 41
- Clemson's rating is 7.9: the machine's estimate that Clemson is 7.9 points better than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 41 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at 13.4, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it down 5.5.
- The biggest weekly moves: −6.4 after Week 1 (L 10-51 at LSU) and +1.4 after Week 4 (W 24-10 at California).
- Its record is 6-3. The 3 losses were to No. 3 LSU, No. 6 Miami, No. 49 Virginia Tech, by 24.3 points on average. The 6 wins came by 15.2 points on average; the best was over No. 30 North Carolina. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 44 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 40 UCLA (8.8); just below is No. 42 Illinois (7.4).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
Dabo Swinney is in his 19th season at Clemson (since 2008). This season: 6-3. At Clemson overall: 193-56, counting this season.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 9 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 178-279 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 1666 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 4-8 |
| Yards per attempt* | 6.0No. 132 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 8.5%No. 111 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 8.8%No. 129 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 341-1376 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 4.0No. 93 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 14.4%No. 56 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 19.6%No. 103 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 22.7No. 105 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 4.97No. 127 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 29.9%No. 135 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 37.9%No. 135 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 13No. 92 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 20.7No. 40 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 5.04No. 33 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 6.6No. 37 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 3.6No. 36 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 8.5%No. 9 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 13No. 38 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 31.7%No. 20 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- Tait Reynolds154-239, 1448 yds, 3 TD, 4 INT
- Christopher Vizzina14-23, 102 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
- Trent Pearman8-13, 80 yds, 0 TD, 2 INT
Rushing
- Gideon Davidson105 carries, 528 yds, 5 TD
- Tait Reynolds109 carries, 310 yds, 2 TD
- Jarvis Green41 carries, 210 yds, 0 TD
Receiving
- Bryant Wesco Jr.44 catches, 511 yds, 0 TD
- T.J. Moore37 catches, 368 yds, 1 TD
- Tyler Brown36 catches, 332 yds, 0 TD
Tackles
- Corey Myrick68
- Sammy Brown58
- Jeremiah Alexander52
Sacks
- Will Heldt7
- Jaheim Lawson3
- Amare Adams2
Interceptions
- Elliot Washington II5
- Ashton Hampton2
- Jerome Carter1
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- Tait ReynoldsMost passes in the last game9 games239 attempts86%
- Christopher Vizzina2 games23 attempts8%
- Trent Pearman1 game13 attempts5%
Carrying
- Gideon Davidson8 games105 carries49%
- Jarvis Green8 games41 carries19%
- Chris Johnson Jr.9 games38 carries18%
- Jay Haynes2 games11 carries5%
Catching
- Bryant Wesco Jr.9 games44 catches25%
- T.J. Moore9 games37 catches21%
- Tyler Brown8 games36 catches20%
- Olsen Patt-Henry9 games17 catches10%
Tackling
- Corey Myrick9 games68 tackles12%
- Sammy Brown9 games58 tackles10%
- Jeremiah Alexander9 games52 tackles9%
- Jerome Carter9 games49 tackles8%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 L 10–51 at LSU. The run defense gave ground: LSU got 5.3 yards a carry, 1.7 over what it usually gains. Its fewest yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 2 W 22–7 vs Georgia Southern. The run defense was the strength: Georgia Southern got 1.2 yards a carry, 3.1 under what it usually gains. The fewest yards a carry it has allowed all season.
- Week 3 W 28–20 vs North Carolina. The pass defense was the strength: North Carolina got 4.5 yards an attempt, 3.3 under what it usually gains. Its most yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 4 W 24–10 at California. The passing game struggled: 5.1 yards an attempt, 3.3 less than California usually allows.
- Week 5 L 13–41 vs Miami. The run defense gave ground: Miami got 5.5 yards a carry, 1.0 over what it usually gains. Lost the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 7 W 37–0 vs Charleston Southern. Charleston Southern is an FCS team, so there is no FBS baseline to grade this one against.
- Week 8 L 16–20 vs Virginia Tech. The pass defense was the strength: Virginia Tech got 5.0 yards an attempt, 3.2 under what it usually gains. The machine had Clemson by 5.9 (65%), so this was a loss it did not see coming.
- Week 9 W 36–24 at Florida State. The run defense was the strength: Florida State got 2.2 yards a carry, 2.3 under what it usually gains. The machine had Florida State by 6.6 (67%), so this was a win it did not see coming; Clemson won the turnover battle by 4.
- Week 10 W 18–13 at Syracuse. The passing game struggled: 6.8 yards an attempt, 1.1 less than Syracuse usually allows.