Pat McAfee discussed Clemson during a segment on ESPN’s College GameDay show Saturday morning ahead of the Tigers’ 3:30 p.m. game against Louisville at Death Valley.
Coming off a 35-14 loss at Notre Dame last Saturday, when Clemson struggled offensively (while making another second-half switch at quarterback) and defensively allowed well over 200 rushing yards, McAfee believes it’s “a potential identity crisis right now for this Clemson team.”
“Wherever you think about that team, and it’s easy to talk about the quarterback situation because DJ Uiagalelei hasn’t performed up to the level in which we’re used to Clemson quarterbacks performing,” the College GameDay analyst said. “Cade Klubnik’s been put in some very difficult situations. Last week, it was late in the third quarter, backed up, they’re down, he throws a pick. Automatically he gets pulled out and DJ gets put back in there. But if you focus on the defense a little bit … Notre Dame punked them. 263 yards rushing. I mean, that’s manhandling of a once-dominant defensive line. Two games before that against Florida State, 206 yards they gave up rushing.
“I think it’s a potential identity crisis right now for this Clemson team, and if you don’t figure it out, you could be penthouse to outhouse real quick in this college football world. I don’t know how Dabo fixes that, but hopefully he does because I love those people down there.”
McAfee added that while Swinney has stood by Uiagalelei as Clemson’s starting quarterback, he thinks the offense needs something to ignite it.
“Dabo’s loyalty is admirable, and he’s stuck by DJ’s side in there,” he said. “They need a spark, though, they need something.”
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