I was impressed with a number of things.
Huff's pocket presence. Clemson has a big time pass rush. Our offensive line largely held them out of the backfield. Often when they did get back there Huff would slide out and take off. We definitely didn't script a lot of deep passing plays against that group, but you can see where we have the ability to really take shots downfield against a lesser defense.
The running back rotation has been interesting. Roberto has lost weight, and looks shiftier while still maintaining his physical running style. I was surprised to see several times Furman throwing to him down field. Abrams looks better than last year - quick, big, and with good field vision. It almost seems like they can rotate in without losing anything.
Behind them, Hicks has come in the second half of the first two games and really just pounded the ball. I don't know if that has more to do with getting him carries in games, or whether there's a strategy to brining him off the bench as another set of fresh legs. We also saw Thomas a bit for the first time, and he looks explosive as a runner. As you note, Huff is built like a linebacker and runs like a running back.
The receivers have been particularly impressive to me. With the addition of Gissinger to the roster, Miller can now operate more as a slot-type receiver and less of a traditional TE. Clemson struggled to find and contain Miller all afternoon. He's big, fast, and runs excellent routes. I'm hard pressed to see ETSU trying to play a lot of man coverage on him with linebackers and safeties. No body is probably more aware of his skill set than George Quarles.
Behind him, though, the other quartet of receivers looked solid. Wayne Anderson was open a bunch and made tough catches. Dean, Shifett, and Harris are all big bodies and bring different skills to the table. We haven't seen much of it, yet, but I would all but guarantee we'll see one of those guys try to notch a big downfield pass Saturday. Defenses are going to have to respect our run game and the ability to work Miller underneath. That's going to leave some soft areas deep.
Defensively, I think we'll be fine. We're just going to have to tackle their playmakers.
. Seriously
