I think punting ability is a mandatory qualification to be Clemson’s starting quarterback. Deshaun Watson punted twice during his time as the Tigers’ QB, including a 38-yarder in the 2016 season’s national championship game.
This gorgeous, surprise QB punt helped Clemson beat NC State
It was perfectly executed, and it helped Clemson score a key TD a few drives later.
Watson’s successor as the Tigers’ QB, Kelly Bryant, has now gotten into the act, too. In a 38-31 win at No. 20 NC State on Saturday, Bryant quick-kicked a 45-yard punt on a fourth-and-1 from the NC State 46. It landed at the 16 and bounced to inside the 1, where 2016 title game hero Hunter Renfrow downed it.
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The quick kick is an interesting play: deceptive on the one hand, but sometimes not worth it on the other. For a surprise QB punt to make sense, you’ve got to think he’ll net you enough yardage by punting into empty grass to make it worth not taking a shot at a first down. Clemson clearly didn’t feel good about a fourth-and-short against a talented Wolfpack defensive front, so the Tigers changed things up.
The element of surprise helped. NC State didn’t have someone back deep to fair catch the ball at the 16. The result was the Wolfpack being badly hemmed in and Clemson gaining a field position edge.
It played out perfectly.
The Tiger defense got a quick stop, and a punt gave the Tigers the ball back at NC State’s 49, basically right where they were when Bryant punted.
Clemson didn’t score on the ensuing position, but the quick quick helped set up a short-field TD drive a couple of series later, after a few defensive stops got the Tigers the ball back at the 49 again. In a seven-point win, it turned out to be a really important play.
Clemson’s a championship team because it’s talented and dominates most of its competition.
But little moments can matter a lot. This one certainly did.
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