Clemson scored early and often as it rolled to a 56-3 victory over Kent State on Saturday in Death Valley.
Here is a look at the numbers that came out of Saturday’s game.
1: Kent State only threw the ball five times. Regardless of the amount of the attempts, to hold an opponent to just one yard in the passing game is insane. The Clemson secondary was locked down in the times they were tested. Kent State had a below average passing game last season, only throwing for a total of 1,700 yards. That being said to hold a team that had 1,700 yards in the passing game last year to one yard is a great accomplishment.
8.2: Wayne Gallman was in control of the starting running back position for so long there was speculation of who would take over. Not only who would take over, but would they be able to do it. To the pleasure of the Tigers, there was no weakness in the rushing game. With nine different people carrying the ball, the Tigers averaged 8.2 yards a carry. That is a top level ground game that could pay dividends if continued throughout the season.
8-8. A couple of years ago, Clemson had some problems converting extra points consistently. Saturday that was not the case. They were able to efficiently put in the extra point. This is significant because Clemson has a no holder (Will Swinney) and a new snapper.
27. The Tigers had 27 people get in on tackles on Saturday. Although they were able to sub in players due to the dominating performance they were able to put in, players were still making plays. You saw no decline in the defensive performance.
61: Coming into this season there has been a lot of hype surrounding Cane. With Mike Williams and Artavis Scott moving on to the NFL Cane has been expected to be the go-to guy for this Clemson team. The Tigers’ got what they were looking for on Saturday. Cane only had two receptions on three targets, but one of those catches was a 61 yarder. Cain is a player with a big-play tendency and he showed it in the blowout win.
77: Something that was already well known, Bryant can run the ball. Bryant has always been known for his mobility and it was on full display on Saturday. His mobility against Kent State was smooth and effective. He was able to average 11 yards a carry and was able to get into the end zone on an 8-yard run. His capability outside the pocket and on the ground was shown.
236: Bryant was excellent throwing the ball as he completed 16 of 22 passes for 236 yards. He was patient in the pocket, didn’t panic and delivered the ball with precision and confidence. He had one interception off of a deflection which wasn’t his fault. He averaged 14.75 yards a completion with a 72-percent completion percentage.
80,121. A small-time opponent wouldn’t bring out this many people at most schools, but that is not the case for Clemson. Coming off a national championship season, the large number of people attended watched the unveiling of the national championship banner as well as watch their Tigers take the field for the first time this season.