Dabo Swinney was far from happy with his team’s performance on Saturday night. It didn’t matter in the end one bit though as the head coach was still left smiling after No. 2 Clemson clinched another ACC Atlantic division title by topping a beat up No. 17 Boston College squad 27-7 on a chilly night at Chestnut Hill.
Injuries might have been the biggest news to come out of the rather ho-hum game on both sides. Tigers starting left tackle Mitch Hyatt missed most of the second half with what appeared to be a shoulder injury while Eagles starting quarterback Anthony Brown left after just six snaps in the first quarter once he went down awkwardly following a hit. After heading to the locker room, the young signal-caller did not return to the game and probably ended what ever slim chances his team had to pull off the upset in the process.
That’s not to say Steve Addazio’s program gave up though, as they fought an uphill battle on both sides of the ball against a much more talented squad and kept things close for a few quarters. E.J. Perry replaced Brown under center but it was tough sledding on offense to get anything going (113 total yards) as the backup finished 12-of-21 for a respectable 98 yards. His arm was unable to loosen up the box at all for tailback A.J. Dillon though, who did overcome that bum ankle to start the game but rushed for just 39 hard-fought yards.
Two bright spots for the dudes on the hill? Defensive end Zach Allen was everywhere for the Eagles and had four tackles, multiple QB hurries and a pass breakup for good measure. He certainly flashed plenty for the NFL scouts on hand and looked like he could certainly be a player with all those All-Americans on the Tigers’ defensive line. Michael Walker also had a nifty punt return for a 74-yard touchdown that he took back after it hit a defender and bounced into his arms.
As for Clemson, their destruction of conference opponents trailed off a bit in the game but they still dominated nearly wire-to-wire against BC. QB Trevor Lawrence seemed to have the entire offense riding on his shoulders with tailback Travis Etienne limited to 78 yards on the ground and a nine-man box just about every touch. Going to the air though, the freshman passer completed 29-of-40 for 295 yards, an interception and a touchdown while adding a short scoring run as well.
Mix in a stellar effort on the defensive side plus an Amari Rodgers 58 yard punt return for a touchdown and it was overall a routine victory for Swinney and company even if the final score didn’t quite indicate the gap in performance between the two sides. Still, it’s time for those in orange and purple to officially book a trip to Charlotte for the ACC Championship Game in a few weeks -- and probably eye a trip even further South to a College Football Playoff semifinal as well.