Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott has been the subject of much criticism amid the Tigers’ struggles on that side of the ball to this point in the season.
Dabo Swinney clearly has Elliott’s back, however, and Clemson’s head coach came to the defense of Elliott on Sunday evening in response to the criticism of his O-coordinator.
“I can tell you this, there’s nobody that I believe in more, trust or respect than Tony Elliott,” Swinney said during a Zoom conference call. “This guy didn’t just forget football, that’s for sure. Just like where we had some bad moments on defense with a little bit of youth and things like that over the last couple years, I said the same thing about (defensive coordinator) Brent (Venables).
“Tony Elliott, he’s special, and I’m not really concerned what other people think, to be quite honest with you.”
Clemson (2-2, 1-1 ACC) currently ranks 105th among FBS programs in scoring offense (21.8 points per game), 99th nationally in rushing offense (126.25 rushing yards per game), 115th nationally in passing offense (169.3 passing yards per game) and 121st nationally in total offense (295.5 total yards per game).
While Swinney knows Clemson’s offense certainly has failed to meet the Tigers’ standard thus far, Swinney also thinks “people are quick to forget” what they’ve been able to accomplish on offense in the past.
“I’m here every day. I know who the people are that are involved,” Swinney said. “I know what the issues are. Yeah, it’s disappointing. But we’ve been really, really, really good — really good — offensively here for a long time — a long time — and I think people are quick to forget that.”
Swinney believes the Tigers have a choice: either wither under the adversity or band together and overcome it.
“This has been a tough start, for sure,” he said. “But again, we’ve got a lot of pain but there’s purpose in the pain and we’ll get better from it. People can splinter or stay together. I’d say tough times brings out the best in some people and the worst in others, and you kind of find out who’s with you. I know it’s easy to be ‘All In’ when everything’s great, but we’ve got to persevere through this.
“But there’s nobody — and I mean nobody — that I believe in more than Tony. So, that’s really the biggest thing I can say. He’s a brilliant man, he’s a brilliant coach.”
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