It’s no secret which side of the ball has carried Clemson this season.
While the Tigers’ offense has taken a step back to start the post-Trevor Lawrence era, the defense has kept Clemson in all five games this season and helped the Tigers hold on for some of their wins. No. 25 Clemson (3-2, 2-1 ACC) enters Friday’s game at Syracuse giving up the second-fewest points in the FBS (12.2 per game) despite dealing with some significant injuries on that side of the ball, defensive tackles Tyler Davis (bicep surgery) and Bryan Bresee (torn AC) among them.
The defense turned Boston College away in the red zone its last time out, forcing a turnover in the final minute to secure Clemson’s 19-13 win. That came two weeks after the Tigers’ late goal-line stand against Georgia Tech in a 14-8 victory.
Senior offensive tackle Jordan McFadden said it’s time for the offense to start offering up more assistance.
“Our defense has done a great job having our back, and I feel like it’s time for us to have their back,” McFadden said.
Clemson is averaging just 14.2 points against FBS teams so far. That number drops to 12.5 in regulation. The only time the Tigers surpassed the 20-point mark, they needed overtime to do it in a 27-21 loss at North Carolina State.
The unit’s most recent performance, though, offered a glimmer of hope that the offense is close to putting more points on the board. Against Boston College, Clemson scored the most regulation points they have all season against an FBS team and had chances for even more, racking up more than 400 yards of offense for just the second time this season.
The Tigers got deep into Boston College territory on multiple occasions but had to settle for four B.T. Potter field goals. Their only touchdown came on Kobe Pace’s 59-yard touchdown run, Clemson’s longest play from scrimmage all season.
“The only thing we didn’t do was score touchdowns,” McFadden said. “I think that’s the next step for us.”
McFadden knows that step needs to be taken sooner rather than later if Clemson is going to keep itself in the ACC title race with the stretch of games looming. Syracuse is the first of back-to-back road games for the Tigers, and the Orange are averaging more than 31 points per game. After that is a trip to Pittsburgh to take on a team that’s scoring more points than anyone in the FBS at 52.4 points per game.
“I definitely think obviously to be the team we want to be, we’ve got to score points,” McFadden said.
He likes the way the offense is trending, though, and believes in the group’s potential. As as has been the case for the much of the season, it’s now a matter of showing it.
“We moved the ball all the way down the field but kicked field goals and stalled out,” McFadden said. “I think once we start putting the ball in the end zone, I think we’ll explode as an offense. And I think we’ll shock the country about what this offense can do. I think everybody is looking at us like we can’t score the ball, but I’m telling you, once we put the ball in the end zone and show people what we can do … I think we’ll be a scary offense.
Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.
Order your Nick’s barware and do your part to help. #SaveNicks
