Snap judgments as strong second half leads Clemson past La. Tech

Clemson turned a close game into a blowout on two different occasions as the Tigers used a strong second half to pull away for a 48-20 win over Louisiana Tech Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

After leading by only a touchdown at halftime, the Tigers scored the next 21 points of the game to take a 28-point lead late in the third quarter.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney pulled his starters at that point, and Louisiana Tech scored a couple of quick touchdowns to turn a blowout into a 14-point game with about 10 minutes remaining.

The starters then re-entered the game and scored a pair of touchdowns to put the game away.

Here are some quick takeaways from the victory:

Tigers sluggish in first half

Clemson scored 10 points on its opening two drives but managed only three points on its final four drives of the first half.

The offense in particular had its share of struggles early, before playing much better in the second half.

The Tigers can’t afford that kind of a start the rest of the way as the competition gets tougher.

Antonio Williams continues to make plays

Freshman receiver Antonio Williams had two catches for 57 yards and a touchdown as he continues to look like the Tigers’ best receiver.

Williams caught each of his two targets, including a 19-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

Clemson needs to make him a bigger part of the offense moving forward.

Clemson needs to get healthy

The Tigers had several guys banged up Saturday, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

Tyler Davis, Xavier Thomas, Tre Williams, Nate Wiggins and Andrew Mukuba were among the players out on Saturday.

Starting cornerback Sheridan Jones was injured during the game and did not play in the second half.

With a trip to Wake Forest coming up, followed by a home game against NC State, the Tigers need to get healthy in a hurry.