Heading into the 2023 college football season, tremendous hype was building around Clemson’s new offensive coordinator, Garrett Riley, and the Tigers’ offense.
What was expected to be a dream-like opener for this offense was a nightmare, as Clemson scored 7 points with multiple turnovers, including two within the five-yard line. They had over 400 yards and moved the ball downfield but were sloppy, inconsistent, and underwhelming.
Following the game, head coach Dabo Swinney broke down Riley’s Clemson debut.
“He was frustrated like me,” Swinney said. “He’d probably tell you the same thing; never been a part of a game like that. It’s incredibly frustrating. But I liked his poise. He just kept going, and he just stayed positive, and he kept encouraging the guys.”
No matter how well the Tigers move the ball, things will fall apart once they get into the red zone. They had three straight drives, landing inside the Duke ten-yard line in the second half, resulting in no points. There was a blocked field goal and two brutal fumbles.
“We’d go right back down the field, and we would have a miscue there,” Swinney said. “But again, he gave us an opportunity to win the game, he gave us an opportunity to punch it in multiple times, and we just didn’t get it done.”
It’s not that the Clemson offense was bad; they just weren’t good. They ran for 213 yards and threw for 209, which, in most cases, would put an offense in a good situation. Especially a Clemson offense, with Swinney being 58-1 and 108-1 all-time when surpassing 200 yards both on the ground and through the air.
It wasn’t the start any of us were hoping for, but it is too early to wave the white flag.
“Really strange and disappointing game, but I thought he did a nice job,” Swinney said of Riley. “He’s been really good for us. I loved his demeanor and his presence and his poise all throughout the game. He never lost hope or anything like that, and I like how he responded to the guys.
“He knows we’ve got a chance to be a good group. But not the start we wanted. Got plenty of yards and stats and all that stuff, but we got our butts beat, and the name of the game is finishing when we have opportunities. But we’ll all get back to work and see if we can find a way this week.”
Clemson’s next opportunity vs. Charleston Southern at Death Valley (2:15 p.m., ACC Network).