On “Full Ride” on SiriusXM on Friday, a couple of national radio personalities discussed Clemson and its sputtering offense ahead of Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. game against No. 23 Pittsburgh.
Chris Childers and Rick Neuheisel weighed in on the Tigers’ attack, which ranks 113th nationally in points per game (20.5), 85th in rushing yards per game (142.0), tied for 107th in passing yards per game (180.3) and 115th in total yards per game (322.3).
Clemson (4-2, 3-1 ACC) is a three-point underdog against Pitt (5-1, 2-0) in the contest at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
“It is crazy,” Childers said. “We’ve had a weird year. Alabama’s lost, Ohio State’s lost, Oklahoma looked brutal offensively at the beginning of the season. A lot of the haves look suspect – nobody quite like Clemson, though. Clemson’s the one that, yeah, they’re 4-2. But Alabama’s still in the playoff picture, Ohio State’s in the playoff picture. Clemson, we’re wondering, like are they going to be good enough to win the Atlantic, can they get to the finish line?
“They have no offense. They are averaging 20 points per game. That is incredibly inflated by the 49-3 score they had in Week 2 against South Carolina State. Their other results: 10-3 against Georgia, 19-13 against BC, 17-14 against Syracuse, 14-8 against Georgia Tech. They’re finding ways to win because of Brent Venables and the defense. They find themselves, against a Pittsburgh team with a good offense, a 3-point underdog. How crazy is that as we’re getting closer to Halloween?”
Neuheisel — the former UCLA, Washington and Colorado head coach — talked about the disparity between Pitt’s offense and Clemson’s, and pointed out some of the teams that are ranked below the Tigers in total offense right now.
“Pitt averages 533 yards a game. They’re fourth in the country,” he said. “Kenny Pickett is quietly climbing the list and could be in the Heisman conversation here before long, especially if he has a big win over this Clemson team who’s still playing good defense. Brent Venables is still putting on a good product.
“But the facts of the matter are Clemson has been woeful. They’re 322 yards a game of offense. That’s it. You know who’s right below them? Kansas. Who’s below them? Illinois, Vanderbilt, I mean, Bowling Green, Rice, UNLV, UMass, UConn, Navy, Colorado, ULM, Southern Miss and New Mexico. They are down in the basement, and it’s bizarro world. Tony Elliott trying to craft a way out. The bye week didn’t give them any respite. They come back and score 17 against Syracuse. But, they are still finding a way to win.”
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