Tag: Darien Rencher

Former Tigers standout names his top-5 Clemson D-linemen ever

Recently, former Clemson star and current Miami Dolphins defensive lineman Christian Wilkins appeared on The Players Club Podcast, a college football show hosted by now-former Clemson running back, Darien Rencher. During their conversation, Rencher …

Recently, former Clemson star and current Miami Dolphins defensive lineman Christian Wilkins appeared on The Players Club Podcast, a college football show hosted by now-former Clemson running back, Darien Rencher.

During their conversation, Rencher asked Wilkins to rattle off his top-5 Clemson defensive linemen. That’s a tall task, given the lengthy, star-studded history of the program at that position.

Here’s Wilkins’ list in no particular order:

  • Grady Jarrett
  • Vic Beasley
  • William “The Fridge” Perry
  • DaQuan Bowers
  • Gaines Adams

Even though he is more than worthy of being considered, Wilkins did not include himself. He did, however, include four former first-round draft picks and Jarrett, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft.

You can watch the full interview with Rencher and Wilkins below:

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Rencher thankful to have been part of ‘one of the best runs in college football ever’

The hometown kid Darien Rencher from T.L. Hanna High School got the chance to walk on to a Clemson Football team that would change his life. For Rencher, it’s been about the journey, enjoying the ride and making an impact, whether that’s on the …

The hometown kid Darien Rencher from T.L. Hanna High School got the chance to walk on to a Clemson Football team that would change his life. For Rencher, it’s been about the journey, enjoying the ride and making an impact, whether that’s on the field or off.

Named in 2020 the Disney Spirit Award Winner for college football’s most inspirational figure, Rencher says it’s all faith and favor. In his sixth season at Clemson, Rencher knows his time is coming to an end, and he’s doing all he can to make an impact.

Rencher on his last game in Death Valley:

“The last game, the emotions haven’t really hit me yet. I think they will. We do a thing on Friday night where the parents send voice memos. I think my parents will probably say something that will trigger me to start shedding some tears. I think this week I’ve been flashing back on my journey. I’m just really honestly proud of myself and thankful for the opportunity I’ve had to come here. I’ve been a part of one of the best runs in college football ever.”

Rencher on what he’s learned at Clemson:

“I’ve learned a lot. I think the biggest thing is how blessed you are to come play Division I college football. I think how special Clemson is as a place … I’ve been here for six years and I wouldn’t come back if I didn’t like this place. I’m thankful for the people I’ve gotten to see every side of this thing. Me and my AD (Dan Radakovich) are close, me and the president (Jim Clements) are close, me and my coach (Dabo Swinney) are close. I’ve been a part of the toughest parts of college football in 2020 and been a part of a national championship, I’ve learned a lot.”

Rencher on Clemson’s season this year:

“As painful as this year’s been, it’s also been that much enjoyable. Coach Swinney talks about it a lot, the appreciation for winning. That’s never been more evident. The game against Louisville when we’re dancing in the locker room, we remember what it felt like to win again. It felt good, and never counting people out — time will tell a better story.”

Rencher on what’s next for him:

“I’m a dreamer, kind of replaying what got me here, just doing that all over again. Looking at what excites me most and what scares me most and seeing what opportunities are out there. I’m going to sneak into the league like I snuck into Clemson and try to make a name for myself. We will see how the season finishes out, and I’ll probably go train for a couple of months, come back on pro day and see if somebody gives me a shot. I kind of need some luck and some favor, but that’s been my story honestly.”

Rancher on extending Clemson’s longest home win streak to 34 games:

“That means a lot and it shows as bad as this year has been, we still have a lot to fight for. That would be a cool accomplishment to walk out here and say I’ve only lost one game. That’s something we still want to defend.”

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Clemson’s offense still ‘chasing’ peak performance, which it needs now

One of the nation’s most explosive offenses will take the field inside Memorial Stadium on Saturday, but it won’t be coming from the home sideline. It’s a harsh reality that’s still taking some getting used to 10 games into this season for Clemson’s …

One of the nation’s most explosive offenses will take the field inside Memorial Stadium on Saturday, but it won’t be coming from the home sideline.

It’s a harsh reality that’s still taking some getting used to 10 games into this season for Clemson’s players, coaches and fans, who’ve watched the Tigers go from a juggernaut on that side of the ball to a unit that’s still trying to find its footing and, at times, looks like it’s stuck in place. The Tigers have had their moments, particularly in the back half of the season, but Clemson enters its home finale against No. 10 Wake Forest on Saturday still looking for a complete performance.

“We’re chasing that,” said offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, whose unit still ranks no better than 95th out of 130 FBS teams in yards or points.

Meanwhile, Wake Forest’s offense is humming behind big plays reminiscent of what the Tigers produced consistently during their six-year run in the College Football Playoff that will come to an end this season. With a unique approach that utilizes a slower mesh point than most spread teams, the Demon Deacons (44.7 points per game) trail only Ohio State nationally in scoring, having dropped at least 35 points against everyone they’ve played to this point. They’ve been even better down the stretch, averaging 51 points over their last five games.

With a fourth-year sophomore at quarterback in Sam Hartman and two of the ACC’s top six receivers in A.T. Perry and Jaquarii Roberson, Wake Forest is averaging 318 passing yards with 28 of its pass plays covering at least 30 yards. That’s tied for the most in the country. 

“They put a lot of stress on you coverage-wise because of how they force you to play with their scheme,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “We’ve got to do a great job outside. We’ve got to win matchups. It’s not real complicated. You’ve got to win on the ball. Simple as that.”

The defense will get a boost with the expected return of top cornerback Andrew Booth (stinger), who was held out of last week’s game against Connecticut as a precaution. Clemson, which is yielding the third-fewest points in the country, will easily be the best defense Wake Forest has seen all season, but the Demon Deacons will counter with perhaps the most complete offense the Tigers have faced. They have a formidable ground game to complement what they do through the air, ranking 50th nationally in rushing (180.4 yards per game).

Wake Forest’s potency could force Clemson’s offense to have to keep up in a game that still has some meaning for the Tigers. The Demon Deacons, which are still unbeaten in ACC play, still have two conference games left while this is it for Clemson, so the Tigers have to win in order to keep hope alive of forcing a tiebreaker scenario atop the Atlantic Division standings that puts them in the conference title game for a seventh straight year. There’s also a 33-game home winning streak on the line — the nation’s longest active streak — on Senior Day.

The offense may need its most efficient showing of the season to pull all of that off considering the opponent, but it’s no different than the unit’s usual mindset, even if it hasn’t always gone according to plan.

“We want to score every time we get on the field or at least reserve the right to kick. That’s our offensive theory,” Elliott said. “We say let’s put an emphasis on kicking extra points after scoring touchdowns but at least get ourselves in position to get a field goal.

“Not going to put the pressure on myself or the players. We understand that this is the biggest game of the season because it’s the one we have right now. There are going to be a lot of factors around the game from an emotional standpoint that we can’t let drain us or get to us, and then we’ve just got to focus on clean execution and then make sure that we not only match but we exceed the level of effort and want-to of our opponent.”

The offense took some baby steps in wins over Florida State and Louisville, pulling off late fourth-quarter comebacks to crack the 20-point mark in regulation in back-to-back games for the first time all season. The running game had also found a bit of a groove, averaging 165 yards in its five games before a vastly inferior UConn team showed up at Memorial Stadium last weekend.

Which made the step back Clemson took against the Huskies all the more head-scratching. The Tigers finished with more than 450 yards of offense in a runaway win, but things were choppy even before they began clearing their bench.

Swinney said he didn’t think D.J. Uiagalelei’s sprained right knee affected his accuracy all that much, but Clemson’s quarterback completed just 21 of 44 passes with a touchdown and an interception while playing the better part of three quarters. And Clemson’s offensive line was bullied at times by the interior of UConn’s defensive front, which played a part in the Tigers rushing for just 129 yards on 43 carries (3.1 yards per carry).

Clemson on Saturday is expected to get back its top two running backs, Will Shipley (knee) and Kobe Pace (concussion), and starting guard Will Putnam (ankle), who, like Booth, were all held out to give them an extra week to get back closer to full strength. But like it has almost on a weekly basis, the unit is dealing with more attrition.

Backup quarterback Taisun Phommachanh, who led a touchdown drive in the second quarter last week before injuring his shoulder, didn’t practice Monday, and whether he’ll be available as a changeup for an ailing Uiagalelei on Saturday is still unknown. Swinney said he’ll have a better idea later in the week as to how much Phommachanh will be able to do if he’s able to give it a go.

Clemson will also be without star receiver Justyn Ross, who aggravated a stress fracture in his foot against UConn and could be done for the rest of the season. With Joseph Ngata (foot) and Frank Ladson Jr. (groin) also out, that leaves E.J. Williams and true freshmen Beaux Collins and Dacari Collins as the Tigers’ top three wideouts this week.

“There are so many nuances this year that nobody saw coming,” reserve running back Darien Rencher said.

Clemson has won five of its last six games despite the offense’s general lack of fluidity and cohesion, but if there was ever a week the group needed to put it all together with what it’s got, this is it.

“It’s always something, but these guys continue to find a way to persevere and push through,” Elliott said. “So we’re going to build on that and put together the best plan.”

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One particular position group making ‘a lot of progress’ for Clemson

As Clemson’s offense continues to make incremental progress, one position group in particular has caught the eye of Clemson coach Dabo Swinney in helping with that. Even with the attrition it’s dealt with throughout the season, Swinney said the …

As Clemson’s offense continues to make incremental progress, one position group in particular has caught the eye of Clemson coach Dabo Swinney in helping with that.

Even with the attrition it’s dealt with throughout the season, Swinney said the backfield has made significant strides over the course of nine games. Specifically, it’s the young running backs — sophomore Kobe Pace and true freshmen Will Shipley and Phil Mafah — who have stood out with their progression.

“(Running backs coach) C.J. (Spiller) has done a great job with that group. He really has,” Swinney said. “We’ve got to go recruit. We don’t have many, but those three we’ve got, they can play for anybody in the country.”

Pace, Shipley and Mafah have handled the workload since Lyn-J Dixon and Michel Dukes left the team early in the season. Darien Rencher is the other scholarship back on the roster, but South Carolina State is still the only game the sixth-year senior has played in this season.

Shipley in particular has come on of late after returning from the lower leg injury he sustained against North Carolina State on Sept. 25. Despite missing two games, the former five-star signee leads Clemson in rushing yards (438) and rushing touchdowns (7). He had a season-high 128 yards and two scores, including the game-winner, against Florida State two weeks ago and is averaging 4.6 yards per carry over the last three games.

Pace was the Tigers’ leading rusher until missing the FSU game because of COVID-19 protocols. He had just two carries against Louisville last week before leaving the game with a concussion, but Pace has still rushed for 341 yards and three scores in the first extended playing time of his career. He combined for 201 of those yards against Boston College and Syracuse last month.

Meanwhile, Mafah, the biggest back on the roster at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, has brought some explosion to the ground game ever since his redshirt was pulled five games into the season. He’s averaged 5.3 yards per carry since making his collegiate debut against Boston College on Oct. 2 and broke off the Tigers’ longest run of the season — a 63-yarder against FSU — to this point.

It’s all helped Clemson jump to 82nd nationally in rushing offense, a far cry from where the Tigers were through the first month of the season. With Shipley and Mafah running behind the sixth different starting combination along the offensive line last week, the Tigers weren’t great on the ground (3.4 yards per carry) against Louisville. But Clemson is averaging 165 rushing yards over the last five games, 21 yards more than its season average.

“They’re just going to get better and better, and they’ve improved all season long in all areas,” Swinney said.

It’s helped Clemson achieve some of its best balance offensively during that span. D.J. Uiagalelei has had his four best passing performances in terms of yards since the start of October, including a season-high 220 yards and two touchdowns last week against Louisville.

“Two true freshmen and a true sophomore who didn’t get to play a lot last year, so they’re all making a lot of improvement,” Swinney said of the running backs. “It’s a great group. It’s very competitive. They all have a unique skill set. They’ve made a lot of progress.”

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Clemson’s offense getting a lift from its turnaround on the ground

Clemson had its most tangible sign of offensive improvement Saturday against Florida State. Once Will Shipley crossed the goal line late in the fourth quarter to cap a 21-yard touchdown run for his personal highlight reel, the Tigers’ offense had …

Clemson had its most tangible sign of offensive improvement Saturday against Florida State.

Once Will Shipley crossed the goal line late in the fourth quarter to cap a 21-yard touchdown run for his personal highlight reel, the Tigers’ offense had scored its 23rd point in what turned into a 30-20 win for the home team inside Memorial Stadium. The last time Clemson had cracked the seal on 20 regulation points against an FBS opponent before then? That College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Ohio State back in January.

As marginal as it may be, Clemson’s offense has been making strides for the better part of a month now. The Tigers still rank 114th out of 130 FBS teams in total offense, but after averaging just 226 yards against its first three FBS opponents, Clemson has accumulated at least 314 in each of its last four. The best performances — 438 yards against Boston College and 377 against FSU — have come since the start of October, though five turnovers in the last two games haven’t helped the Tigers in their attempt to cash in more on the scoreboard.

But there’s one facet of the offense Clemson can largely thank for those strides: A ground game that’s finding some consistency.

While the passing game continues to be sporadic (177.8 passing yards per game), Clemson’s rushing totals are trending up. Yes, the Tigers still rank in the bottom half nationally in that category, too, but it’s much closer to the top half — 81st nationally, to be exact — than any of the Tigers’ other major statistical categories on that side of the ball.

Clemson kept running into Georgia’s brick wall to the tune of 2 net yards in its opening loss and didn’t surpass 158 yards on the ground against anybody other than FCS member South Carolina State through the season’s first month. Since then, the Tigers are averaging nearly 175 rushing yards over their last four games, including 188 against the Seminoles.

Clemson is averaging 4.7 yards per carry during that span — 1.7 more than its first three games against FBS foes.

“Just better execution,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “We’ve always run the zone, some variation of it whether it’s the inside zone or outside zone. We run the counter. We run the quarterback plays. We run the power and get on the edge some. Just doing a little better job than we were in the early part of the year.”

The encouraging part for the Tigers beyond just the sheer uptick in the numbers is the fact it’s happening despite doors in the backfield and along the offensive line that won’t stop revolving. Matt Bockhorst’s season-ending knee injury against Pitt forced Clemson to go with its fifth different starting combination up front against FSU while the Tigers’ leading rusher, Kobe Pace, wasn’t available last week because of COVID-19 protocols.

With Lyn-J Dixon and reserve back Michel Dukes leaving the program during the first half of the season, true freshmen Will Shipley, fresh off his return from a lower leg injury, and Phil Mafah were two of Clemson’s three available scholarship backs against FSU. The other one, veteran Darien Rencher, has only played in one game this season.

There was more shuffling once the game started. Mason Trotter started his third straight game at center but got banged up, which brought Hunter Rayburn off the bench to finish the game. Guard Will Putnam rolled an ankle and briefly left the game. He returned, but Swinney said he and Trotter are day to day heading into Saturday’s game at Louisville.

Yet despite more moving pieces, offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said the line’s communication has improved over the course of the season, which has helped the group keep the missed assignments to a minimum of late.

“Credit to (offensive line coach) Robbie (Caldwell) and those guys up front, man,” Elliott said. “They’ve been under a lot of scrutiny here this season. Those guys come to work every single day.”

Shipley and Mafah handled the rest against the Seminoles.

Shipley got his most hefty workload of the season (25 carries) finished with a career-high 128 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Mafah ripped off Clemson’s longest play from scrimmage this season with a 63-yard scamper in the first half, though he came up limping after just nine carries and watched the fourth quarter from the sideline. He’s in the same boat as Putnam and Trotter in terms of his availability this weekend, Swinney said.

But Mafah helped Clemson average nearly 4.4 yards per carry against the ACC’s seventh-best rush defense. The Tigers have also faced Pitt and Syracuse — two of the league’s top 4 run defenses — over the last four games, so it’s not like Clemson is seeing a spike in its production because of little resistance.

Elliott also credited the development of the Tigers’ young backs for some of Clemson’s improvement on the ground.

“They’re becoming more comfortable,” Elliott said. “You’re playing two freshmen right now, and they’re starting to understand things. I thought Phil did a really good job in game making adjustments. There was one (run) that he missed, and then we came back to a similar play later in the game and he made the right cut. They’re just getting more comfortable with the scheme.”

Clemson will try to keep it trending in the right direction this weekend against a Louisville team that owns the ACC’s fifth-best run defense.

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Xavier Thomas discusses overcoming adversity to get where he is now

A Clemson football player opened up to one of his Tigers teammates about his journey over the past year and a half. Xavier Thomas talked to Clemson sixth-year senior running back Darien Rencher about hitting rock bottom, nearly quitting football and …

A Clemson football player opened up to one of his Tigers teammates about his journey over the past year and a half.

Xavier Thomas talked to Clemson sixth-year senior running back Darien Rencher about hitting rock bottom, nearly quitting football and how he’s found redemption during an interview on The Players Club ’21, a college football show hosted by Rencher.

“That was one tough year for me,” Thomas said…”I went home with a good mindset. I was gonna train and be ready and then, I got COVID and then I couldn’t train. Regardless, we had to come back with the team and things like that.”

From there, Thomas says that he couldn’t train for around a month or two because he was still having trouble breathing. Because of that, he gained around 20 pounds. After his bout COVID, with Thomas being mostly in the clear, he got strep throat, which put him even further in the hole.

Thomas, who was around 26 before having medical issues, was now upwards of 295-300 pounds.

“That was supposed to be my year,” he said. “I planned for my junior year to be my breakout year. I was just gonna go ahead and do what I do and head off to the league.”

His body had other plans.

“Just going through that was so disappointing for me because I had gained all the weight, Thomas added. “And then trying to play though that was just very depressing because I know that I gold myself to a very high standard and high expectations…It was a very tough year. A very mentally challenging year.”

Thomas has fought through that adversity and looks more like the player Tigers’ fans saw glimpses of during his freshman and sophomore seasons at Clemson.

But, through those tough times, he had to battle the expectations that come with being the No. 3 prospect in the country for his recruiting class. He wasn’t living up

“It was hard, man…A lot of people saying negative things about me,” Thomas said. “I was listening to all of that. I don’t think there was one thing I did not hear that I didn’t let affect me because I was even telling myself the same things. People that didn’t even know me was just talking bad about me, in regards to being a disappointment, being a bust…I was just letting it all affect me and I was letting it get to my mental.

“I was so disappointed in myself, it really got bad to a point where I was telling Dabo, I can’t even do it anymore last year like I was about to quit and give up on ball, give up on myself and just leave it all alone.”

Through all that, Thomas stayed the course, committed to himself on not only getting his weight down but returning to his true, dominant self.

“It’s really not an option anymore for me to not put in extra [work] and things like that,” he said. “It’s just a mindset. So, I really just had to get myself in the right mindset to be the player I wanted to be. As of [last week], I’m weighing 256.”

Now that he’s playing in his final season at Clemson, what’s the lasting impact that Thomas wants to leave behind?

“Just my inspiring story, bro,” Thomas told Rencher. “Anybody that goes through dark times and goes through a bad year…or even just a bad week, just that you can always bounce back from it no matter how hard it gets. Based on what I went through, I don’t see nobody that can get lower than I already was. I was literally rock-bottom, about to give up on football. No matter how hard you think it is or how hard times are, it’s really not that bad bro and you can come back from anything, as long as you keep the faith.”

In six games this season, Thomas has 4.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and nine quarterback pressures.

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Grading Clemson’s offense through the first half of the season

Clemson won’t officially hit the halfway point on its 12-game regular season until after its game at Syracuse next week, but it’s close enough. With an open date to take a step back and evaluate where the Tigers are as a team, TCI is handing out …

Clemson won’t officially hit the halfway point on its 12-game regular season until after its game at Syracuse next week, but it’s close enough. With an open date to take a step back and evaluate where the Tigers are as a team, TCI is handing out midterm grades for Clemson’s performance so far in all facets.

Let’s hand out some grades for each position on offense through five games:

Quarterback

D.J. Uiagalelei entered this season with plenty of hype taking over the offense after Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 overall draft pick. It came not only from the fact Uiagalelei was a former five-star recruit himself but also because of his breakout performances against Boston College and Notre Dame in his spot starts last season. But the first half of this season has served as a jarring reminder that he’s still a young player figuring things out just seven starts into his college career.

In terms of pure arm talent, Uiagalelei may be the best Clemson has ever had during the Dabo Swinney era. There’s not a throw on the field the 6-foot-5, 247-pounder can’t make, but consistently finding the mark on those throws has been another story. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t been efficient at times (65% completion rate in wins over South Carolina and Georgia Tech), but Uiagalelei is last in the ACC — and 105th nationally — with a completion percentage of 54.3% largely because of a lack of accuracy and touch on the intermediate-to-deep throws. To be fair, the lack of a consistent running game has kept the pressure on Uiagalelei on the receivers to constantly produce, but Clemson ran the ball as well as it has all season last week against Boston College, resulting in more man coverage on the outside. But Uiagalelei misfired on every deep shot and left some points on the field.

Uiagalelei has gradually been used more in the running game and has provided a spark there (21 carries for 113 yards the last two games combined). But as Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said, Uiagalelei simply has to start connecting with his receivers down the field when those opportunities are there if the offense is going to do its part in keeping Clemson in the ACC title race going forward. Grade: C

Running back

Not only are the Tigers feeling the impact of Travis Etienne’s loss, but there’s attrition that’s affecting the backfield as well. There’s not a back on the roster with the same kind of skill set as Etienne, and the one that might be the closest, true freshman Will Shipley, is out for the time being. Meanwhile, Clemson’s most experienced back, Lyn-J Dixon, isn’t around anymore either after choosing to leave the program three games into the season.

That’s left sophomore Kobe Pace and another true freshman, Phil Mafah, as the primary backs. Darien Rencher and Michel Dukes are also around, but they haven’t been used much outside of the South Carolina State game. The blocking in front of them has been iffy, but the youth has shown up with some missed holes and cutbacks. The pass protection has been solid for the most part, though, and Pace had a career game with 125 yards on 18 carries against Boston College. Mafah also had 58 yards on just eight carries in his collegiate debut, an encouraging sign for a running game that needs to get going. Grade: C+

Receivers and tight ends

Justyn Ross hasn’t made every play (there was that drop in overtime against North Carolina Stated before that strange last play), but Clemson’s top wideout has been solid in his return from spinal fusion surgery. He leads the Tigers with 23 receptions, three of those going for scores. And a healthy Joseph Ngata has flashed all of that potential coaches have been talking about in the former five-star recruit. Ngata has been the Tigers’ most explosive pass-catcher at 19.6 yards per reception.

But nobody else still on the roster has caught a touchdown this season. Tight end Davis Allen is Clemson’s third-leading receiver, and the Tigers haven’t utilized their tight ends a ton in the passing game. Braden Galloway, known more as Clemson’s receiving tight end, has just four catches for 14 yards, and he’s now dealing with concussion. Receivers Frank Ladson (groin) and E.J. Williams (hand/knee) are also dealing with injuries. Blocking on the perimeter has been spotty, too.

Uiagalelei’s inaccuracy at times has played a factor. So has the way defenses have played the Tigers. But Clemson has struggled to get other receivers involved, something that needs to change going forward. Grade: B-

Offensive line

Tackles Jordan McFadden and Walker Parks have been solid on the edges, but it’s been a rough go for Clemson’s retooled group as a whole through five games. With two new starters joining three returning starters — two of which (McFadden and Matt Bockhorst) are transitioning to different positions than they played last season — Clemson has yet to settle on a five it’s comfortable with. The Tigers have already tried three different starting combinations up front, but missed assignments and a lack of push in the running game have plagued the unit.

Clemson ranks 117th nationally in total offense and 83rd in rushing at 146 yards per game, a number that was below 127 on average before last week. The line had perhaps its best performance against Boston College, paving the way for 231 rushing yards and 438 total yards. With Will Putnam injured, the Tigers found maybe their best interior combination with Bockhorst moving back to guard and Hunter Rayburn repping at center.

Bockhorst could go back to left guard (where he played last season) when Putnam returns to the starting lineup on the right side, something Swinney is hopeful will happen when the Tigers return to action at Syracuse. There’s some time to evaluate that with that game not being played until Oct. 15, but the line improved its grade with its latest performance. Grade: C-

Overall

With some new players at key positions, Clemson’s offense has looked borderline dysfunctional at times, performing far below the standard set by many of the Tigers’ offenses over the last decade. Was Boston College a turning-the-corner moment?  The offensive line needs to settle on its best five, the running game needs more consistency and Uiagalelei and his receivers need to make plays when they’re there through the air. There’s loads of talent and potential. Now it’s a matter of putting it all together. Grade: C

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Will Clemson’s running backs rise to the occasion? Swinney thinks so.

With the exit of veteran Lyn-J Dixon and freshman standout Will Shipley being out for the time being after sustaining a lower leg injury versus NC State, Clemson’s running back room is looking much thinner than it did at the beginning of camp, a …

With the exit of veteran Lyn-J Dixon and freshman standout Will Shipley being out for the time being after sustaining a lower leg injury versus NC State, Clemson’s running back room is looking much thinner than it did at the beginning of camp, a very similar situation to the Tiger’s dilemma at the defensive tackle position.

Despite the lack of experiential depth though, head coach Dabo Swinney is encouraged by the growth he has seen in guys like true freshman Phil Mafah and veterans Michel Dukes, Kobe Pace, and Darien Rencher.

“Mafah can play,” Swinney told the media on Tuesday. “We love Mafah, but there’s only so many touches and it’s kind of where we were. We were going to try and hold him, but we gotta cut him loose and rock and roll. Our number at running backs is five. We always try to have five on scholarship here and we had six to start the season. Now we have four, but we’ve got more than most people. We’ve got four guys, kind of like ET [Etinosa Reuben]. “

Sophomore Kobe Pace was listed as Clemson’s starter for Saturday’s matchup along with Mafah at backup against Boston College. With that, the opportunity arises for younger guys to step up and perform for the Tigers when they need it most, another one of those guys being junior Michel Dukes. A guy Swinney thinks could be huge for this team if he decides to rise to the occasion.

“It’s an opportunity for Mikey Dukes, who’s one of the best athletes on this team, a guy who’s a sophomore, but hasn’t really taken the step yet to where he’s detailed, consistent day-in and day-out, and all the little things,” Swinney said.

“That’s really kinda what’s held him back and that’s why he’s been where he is. Now, athletically, physically, he’s gifted, but maybe this is an opportunity that he’s going to step up and take advantage of cause he’s going to get a chance. We’ll see, obviously Rencher is a steady guy that we can trust and Mafah’s a great young talent. Again, we were hoping that we could create some separation there, but probably won’t be the case.”

Clemson plays host to an undefeated Boston College on Saturday at Memorial Stadium with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.

Football season has finally arrived. Time to represent your Tigers and show your stripes!

Former Clemson running back opens up about his decision to transfer

A former Clemson football player opened up to one of his former Tiger teammates about his decision to transfer this past spring. Running back Chez Mellusi, who is in his first season at Wisconsin after playing the last two years for the Tigers, …

A former Clemson football player opened up to one of his former Tiger teammates about his decision to transfer this past spring.

Running back Chez Mellusi, who is in his first season at Wisconsin after playing the last two years for the Tigers, talked to Clemson sixth-year senior running back Darien Rencher about his transfer decision during an interview on The Players Club ’21, a college football show hosted by Rencher.

“It was definitely a really hard decision,” Mellusi said. “I thought that being at Clemson did a lot of good and I learned a lot. But it was one of those things where I felt like as soon as I came in as a freshman, with Travis (Etienne) there, I kind of knew what I was getting myself into. And I think that experience kind of helped me in so many different ways. I didn’t realize it until I was a little older. … I learned so much during that time, so that kind of helped me build myself obviously into who I am now.”

Mellusi called his transfer a “business decision,” citing the depth the Tigers had at the running back position with guys like Will Shipley, Kobe Pace, Phil Mafah and at the time Lyn-J Dixon, who has since decided to transfer as well.

“Honestly it was a business decision because we had a really, really, really, really deep room,” Mellusi said. “Literally, a really deep room. I feel like to a certain extent, how many of us could have really got the ball that many times? I had a conversation after spring with my parents, and I was just like, I wouldn’t be content getting the ball like five times, four times as a junior. I felt like I had some decent film, and I really just bet on myself. I would say that was probably the biggest thing. If someone gives me the opportunity, I feel like I could really just take it.”

In two seasons at Clemson from 2019-20, Mellusi had 427 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 71 carries over 21 games.

In two games at Wisconsin so far this season, Mellusi has received 51 carries and rushed for 265 yards with two rushing scores.

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What sudden departure could mean for Clemson’s backfield

Clemson’s most seasoned running back was a small part of the backfield rotation through the first three weeks of the season. Now he’s fading out of it completely. Lyn-J Dixon is planning to transfer, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney revealed on his weekly …

Clemson’s most seasoned running back was a small part of the backfield rotation through the first three weeks of the season. Now he’s fading out of it completely.

Lyn-J Dixon is planning to transfer, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney revealed on his weekly radio show Monday. Assuming the senior goes through with his decision to leave the program as expected, it will mark an unceremonious end to his career in purple and orange, though it’s not all that surprising given how rocky the start to this season was for him.

Dixon waited his turn after spending the last three years as Travis Etienne’s backup, but he was held out of the first half of the Tigers’ season opener against Georgia for what Swinney referred to as team rules. Swinney then said Dixon was in running backs coach C.J. Spiller’s doghouse without divulging specifics. When asked what Dixon needed to do to be a bigger part of the offense going forward following Clemson’s win over South Carolina State in Week 2, Swinney said Dixon “just needs to grow up.”

At that point, Dixon had just five carries and six total touches before being demoted to third string on the depth chart. He got five more carries in Clemson’s win over Georgia Tech on Saturday, which were the fewest among the running backs. On Monday, Dixon told Swinney he wanted to quit the team and planned to enter the transfer portal, according to a source, which will have a trickle-down effect on the running back room.

The position has no shortage of depth with Will Shipley, Kobe Pace, Darien Rencher and Michel Dukes having also seen playing time this season, but with Dixon, Shipley and Pace being the primary backs, Dixon’s pending departure leaves the Tigers needing a viable third option. If not Rencher or Dukes, both of whom only got extended playing time in a blowout win over S.C. State, it could force freshman Phil Mafah into action.

Mafah is the only scholarship running back that hasn’t seen the field yet this season. Swinney said earlier in the season that Mafah is “as good as anybody we’ve got” but that he would ideally like to redshirt the four-star signee by only playing him in four games. On Monday, Swinney said he’ll have to reconsider that now with Dixon out of the picture.

While the Tigers work on solidifying their depth behind their top two backs, Dixon’s departure also likely further cements Shipley’s status as the Tigers’ RB1. While Swinney and offensive coordinator Tony Elliott weren’t willing to go that far when asked if the true freshman had done enough through three games to be the featured back, things have been trending in that direction.

Shipley, a five-star recruit, made his collegiate debut on Clemson’s offensive series of the season and has seen his role gradually expand. In Saturday’s white-knuckler against Tech, it was Shipley who was in the game during crunch time and scored both of Clemson’s touchdowns. His team-high 21 carries were nearly double the amount for Pace and Dixon combined (12).

Football season has finally arrived. Time to represent your Tigers and show your stripes!