Clemson’s run as a national powerhouse is not over in the eyes of this former Heisman winner and current ESPN analyst.
Robert Griffin III was on the call for Clemson’s 27-21 double-overtime loss to N.C. State this past Saturday. While Griffin referred to Clemson’s offense as being “archaic” during the broadcast, he stopped short of making a bold claim about the future of the program.
In fact, Griffin strongly disagreed with Paul Finebaum’s assessment of the current state of the program.
“Clemson is not done as a national power. I really believe that their offense is really the key for them,” Griffin said Wednesday on ESPN’s Get Up! show. “They have to learn to adapt to the times, like the days of lining up and just steamrolling people because you have better athletes are over. Teams have put together schemes that help bridge the gap between the good players and the great players. They have to be able to do that.
“Offensively, it’s formation, it’s route concepts, they have to have more variety there. I also think they have to make a mental decision to go ahead and ride the coats of D.J. Uiagalelei. I called the game last week and I saw him go out there and make some plays that most quarterbacks can’t make. I wouldn’t be opposed to them spreading it out, using their length at receiver, the athleticism they have, and the size, and letting D.J. throw it on first, second, and third down. They’re not run blocking well. They’re not pass blocking that great, but it’s better than their run blocking. You just got to make a decision and move forward that way.
Griffin characterized what’s wrong with Clemson’s offense, but he also trusts Dabo Swinney and Tony Elliott to get it fixed.
“I do not think Clemson is done,” Griffin said. “Dabo’s a great coach. Tony Elliott’s a great offensive coordinator, but their ability to fix this offense and get it buzzing is really gonna tell you the future for both of them moving forward
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