Clemson Displays QB Depth -- Kinda -- in Edging Syracuse

Published on 29-Sep-2018 by Alan Adamsson

Football - NCAA    NCAA Football Daily Update

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Clemson Displays QB Depth -- Kinda -- in Edging Syracuse

Whenever a young kid decides -- or has someone decide for him -- that he's slinger material, he's gotta know the risk of awkwardness that comes with the territory.

Especially when college scholarships are offered and accepted.

For the next 4-5 seasons, they all learn to talk in terms of rainbows and unicorns, but in practice and games, it's an isolated, dog-eat-dog environment out there.

 

Kelly Bryant apparently never saw it coming, so now he's going. Being a senior and getting beat out in-season by a freshman is, understandably, upsetting.

College football's version of free agency -- graduate transfers -- saw 19 QBs among its ranks this season alone. Some, like Washington State's Gardner Minshew, saw this route as a way to enhance his profile. Most, like Miami of Ohio's Alex Malzone, see the writing on the wall where they're at and just want to find a place to play.

Bryant, out of anger or resignment to fate, chose the latter. The question is, did he act too quickly?

 

Nothing says concussion protocol quite like that.

What a time to be Kelly Bryant!

 

Alrighty, then.

What a time to be freshman Chase Brice, whose window of experience just opened wider.

 

Clemson's 27-23 victory was, of course, a team effort. Brice's contribution was to maintain the vital QB position's relevance, and dude did his job.

The Tigers needed his contribution if they were gonna win. Syracuse is the real deal. Dino Babers has developed a buncha believers up there.

 

 

For all Brice and his teammates did to advance the cause, Eric Dungey and his crew matched it.

Their o-line was solid. Dungey got credit for bulling into the end zone on their goaline score, but that wouldn't have happened without 6-6, 293lb soph Airon Servais being his snowplow:

 

One Orange lineman, Cody Conway, was an unintended victim of the RPO.

In one of the game's crucial plays that apparently seems to be going unnoticed, dude was the culprit downfield on the late-developing fourth-down jump pass. His internal count must've concluded the ball had already been thrown and it was time to support the receiver downfield.

 

If that play had stood, it could've all but sealed triumph for the 'Cuse by keeping possession, burning clock, and possibly even scoring a major.

It's on such things that entire seasons can be determined. Kinda like rash decisions by QBs.

With all that in mind, Nick Saban clearly knows how fortunate he is to have Jalen Hurts right about now.