Clemson’s wide receivers had an up-and-down performance in the Tigers’ 28-7 Week 1 loss to Duke, but Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney isn’t worried about their showing.
Clemson starting quarterback Cade Klubnik completed 27-of-43 passes for 209 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in this matchup, with Clemson wide receivers struggling with drops and creating separation. Swinney understands these issues but acknowledges that this is just a part of football.
“I did not watch a single game across the country where there were not some drops,” Swinney said. “I did not watch a single game. Yes, we caught the ball well. Yeah, we had a couple of critical drops. We had one third-and-eight there with Antonio (Williams) on a competitive play. Again, we threw for 200-plus (yards). For our first game, we did a lot of good things. I thought Beaux Collins played outstanding.”
Drops were a big issue for the Tigers. Williams wasn’t the only one with a tough drop, with Will Shipley’s leading to an interception. If the Tigers can limit these mistakes, they can perform up to their potential.
“Yeah, we had a couple of little things,” Swinney said. “We had the one that Shipley should have caught, and that is really just a fundamental thing of him finding the route instead of drifting in the route and kind of running before he catches it.
“When you watch the NFL, you are going to see some drops. Was it an epidemic? No. Are you happy and satisfied with any drops? No. Is there anything alarming? It was actually a pretty good start with this group. We definitely have room for improvement.”
Heading into the Tigers’ Week 2 matchup against Charleston Southern, Swinney and his team need a bounce-back performance. At wide receiver, he isn’t worried. People make mistakes, and this team is built to recover and build on.
“These are human beings. These are not robots. This is not artificial intelligence running around out there. These are young people,” Swinney said. “I thought for the first game, it was a good start and is something we can build on.
“We were certainly not perfect, but nothing alarming or anything like that.”