Snap judgments as Clemson pulls away from BC to remain unbeaten

Clemson was sloppy early Saturday night against Boston College, but the Tigers put together a dominant second half to earn a 31-3 win over the Eagles.

Clemson outscored BC 21-0 over the final two quarters to improve to 6-0 on the year.

Up next, the Tigers will play at Florida State next Saturday.

Here are some quick takeaways from the game:

Defense takes over in second half

For the second consecutive week, Clemson’s defense dominated the second half. Boston College finished with only 86 total yards over the final two quarters as Clemson’s front controlled the line of scrimmage.

The Tigers were also excellent on defense last weekend against NC State, particularly in the second half.

Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin has done a nice job of making second-half adjustments since the struggles against Wake Forest in Week 4.

Offense gets off to slow start

It was fair to expect that Clemson might be sloppy after back-to-back huge wins and that was certainly the case early. Clemson didn’t score its first touchdown until there was less than a minute remaining in the first half.

The Tigers also turned the ball over for the first time in three games when QB DJ Uiagalelei threw an interception in the first half. Clemson was close to having two other turnovers as the Tigers muffed a pair of punts but were able to recover them.

Xavier Thomas impressive in return

Clemson defensive end Xavier Thomas made his season debut and was impressive, finishing with two sacks and a forced fumble in the win.

Thomas had been out all year after suffering a foot injury during fall camp. With Clemson’s secondary banged up, the Tigers needed to generate some pressure up front. Thomas and company were able to do that.

Clemson is hopeful that Thomas will still have a strong second half of the season, despite getting off to a slow start due to injuries. He certainly appears ready to be a difference maker down the stretch after the way he played against BC.