frank ladson – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Clemson braces for ‘biggest challenge’ from Pickett, Pitt

PITTSBURGH – With one close call after another, Clemson has done just enough to hang around in ACC contention as the Tigers get set to begin the back half of their league schedule. Whether that’s still the case after Saturday will depend on how …

PITTSBURGH — With one close call after another, Clemson has done just enough to hang around in ACC contention as the Tigers get set to begin the back half of their league schedule.

Whether that’s still the case after Saturday will depend on how Clemson handles a major step up in the level of competition it’s seen so far in the conference.

“If we’re going to be the best version of ourselves this year that we can be right now, this is a game that we’ve got to go play our best game in for sure,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Because this will be the biggest challenge to this point.”

The 24th-ranked Tigers (4-2, 3-1 ACC) head to Heinz Field on Saturday to take on No. 23 Pittsburgh (5-1, 2-0) in a matchup of teams that have taken drastically different paths to their win-loss records. With an offense that continues to sputter, Clemson has made living on the edge the norm with the nation’s No. 2 scoring defense bailing the Tigers out more often than not. Clemson has played in four straight one-possession games, winning three of them by a combined 15 points.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is humming offensively behind one of the nation’s top quarterbacks in Kenny Pickett, who’s thrown 21 touchdown passes and just one interception. The fifth-year senior leads an offense scoring the second-most points in the FBS (48.3 per game) that also ranks in the top 5 in total offense (530.5 yards) and passing offense (358).

Clemson, an underdog against an ACC opponent for the first time since 2016, hasn’t yet cracked the 20-point mark in regulation against an FBS opponent. Last week against Syracuse, the Tigers went three quarters without a touchdown and survived the Orange thanks to a B.T. Potter field goal midway through the fourth quarter.

Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei had what Swinney called his best game of the season, completing nearly 62% of his passes with a touchdown and no turnovers for a second straight game. But the offense continues to be marred by its own miscues with penalties, drops and missed blocking assignments that fail to even give the offense a chance to get going at times.

Up front, the Tigers have started eight different linemen and three different centers, including Mason Trotter, who’s in line for his second straight start with Hunter Rayburn still out because of COVID-19 protocols. The offense was dealt another major blow this week when leading receiver Joseph Ngata also went into COVID-19 protocols, making him unavailable for Saturday’s game.

It’s another hit to a receiving corps that’s already dealing with injuries. Neither E.J. Williams (knee) or Frank Ladson (groin) played last week, and it’s doubtful Williams suits up against Pitt. The offense will have to find a way to overcome all of that to give themselves a chance to keep up with one of the nation’s more explosive offenses on the other side.

“I don’t know if there’s a number, but we’ve got to consistently score points and we’ve got to make plays,” offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. “We’re going to have to make some plays, some big plays. That’s how you beat this defense because they’re structured to make you really, really work if you want to nickel and dime down the field. It’s going to be tough.

“What they give you because they’re so aggressive, the way they’re structured, is the big plays down the field. So we’ve just got to protect well. The quarterback is going to have to be accurate with his throws, and then guys are going to have to go make contested plays.”

Pitt’s defense has been overshadowed by what the Panthers are doing on the other side of the ball. With an aggressive front seven, Pitt is ranked in the top 35 nationally in points allowed (20 per game) and yards allowed (319.3). The Panthers’ 7.2 tackles for loss on average are also 11th-most in the FBS.

“They’re going to force the issue,” Swinney said. “The don’t give you any opportunity to figure things out. They’re not a group that’s going to sit around and wait on anything to happen. They’re going to challenge you.”

Clemson’s defense will have to do its part, too, to keep the Panthers to a manageable number. The Tigers have done more than that against Pitt’s Pickett-led offense before, forcing the quarterback into six turnovers in blowouts wins over Pitt last season and in the ACC championship game back in 2018.

Pressuring Pickett will be key to try to repeat those performances and help Clemson stay afloat in the ACC’s Atlantic Division. The Tigers enter the weekend two games behind unbeaten Wake Forest and one behind North Carolina State, a team they lost to last month.

With no more room for error, the time is now for the Tigers to put it all together. Doing that against one of the hottest teams in the league on its home field, though? Easier said than done.

“They’re playing with a ton of confidence,” Swinney said of Pitt.

Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.

Order your Nick’s barware and do your part to help. #SaveNicks

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 …

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

Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.

Order your Nick’s barware and do your part to help. #SaveNicks

Bye week comes at ‘good time’ as Clemson tries to get healthy

In speaking on the status of his team’s overall health, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney cracked a joke that might not be too far from the truth. “We had a team out there in yellow (during Monday’s practice) that could probably go win bowl games,” Swinney …

In speaking on the status of his team’s overall health, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney cracked a joke that might not be too far from the truth.

“We had a team out there in yellow (during Monday’s practice) that could probably go win bowl games,” Swinney quipped during his weekly radio appearance Monday night, referencing the jersey color designated for injured players who are held out of contact.

Clemson has two weeks to prepare for its next game at Syracuse, which won’t be played until Oct. 15. A critical part of that process for the Tigers will be using the extra time to get healed up after their injury list grew longer during their win over Boston College on Saturday.

One of those players, Will Taylor, won’t be back this season. The freshman receiver tore his ACL early in last week’s game and will undergo season-ending surgery, but Swinney voiced optimism that most if not all of Clemson’s other ailing players who could return this season will do so by next weekend.

“The open date is coming at a good time for us,” Swinney said. “We’re a M.A.S.H. unit. We’ve got a lot of guys that we’d have a hard time probably playing this week. I feel like we’ll be in good shape come Sunday.”

Receiver Justyn Ross and tight end Braden Galloway are both going through concussion protocol, Swinney said, after they took hits to the head and neck area early during last week’s game. Swinney said the decision to remove Ross from the game was more precautionary given his recent spinal fusion surgery, but he said he expects both to return to practice either at some point this week or early next week.

“Galloway I think was a little more concussed,” Swinney said. “Ross, he got hit right there in the head area. And obviously with his situation, (the medical staff) is going to be cautious with him. But he’s good. Looked great (Monday), so I feel good about that.”

Offensive lineman Will Putnam missed Saturday’s game with a toe injury, but Swinney said Monday the Tigers’ right guard is “a little better.” Swinney said he’s hopeful Putnam can start practicing again early next week.

Cornerbacks Malcolm Greene, Mario Goodrich and Fred Davis were also held out. It’s the second straight game Greene has missed at his nickel spot with a shoulder injury. Swinney said Greene still isn’t fully healthy but that he was ready to play Saturday if needed and has been practicing.

“(Greene) is one of the toughest kids we’ve got and definitely a guy we’ve got to get in there more,” Swinney said.

Goodrich, who started the first four games opposite Andrew Booth on the outside, is dealing with a groin injury while Davis has missed back-to-back games with a sprained ankle. Swinney said they’re in the same boat with receivers Frank Ladson Jr. (groin) and E.J. Williams (hand), who left Saturday’s game after getting banged up. Williams later returned.

“We anticipate all of those guys being able to go, but we’ll see where we are at the end of the week,” Swinney said.

Meanwhile, starting tight end Davis Allen was unavailable for most of last week’s game after being ejected for targeting in the first quarter. But since it happened during the first half, Allen won’t have to miss any time against Syracuse.

Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.

Order your Nick’s barware and do your part to help. #SaveNicks

What It Means: Latest close call offers glimmer of hope for Clemson’s offense

There D.J. Uiagalelei was. Still throwing passes. There wasn’t any time left on the clock. No defense to try to crack. No fans watching his every move. Around 12:30 a.m. Sunday, long after Boston College’s players and coaches as well as the 79,159 …

There D.J. Uiagalelei was. Still throwing passes.

There wasn’t any time left on the clock. No defense to try to crack. No fans watching his every move.

Around 12:30 a.m. Sunday, long after Boston College’s players and coaches as well as the 79,159 fans in attendance had filed out of Memorial Stadium following Clemson’s 19-13 win, Uiagalelei was back on the field throwing against air. With a student manager on the receiving end, Clemson’s quarterback repped some of the throws he had missed — throws that, if he’d connected on them, could have made for a much comfortable margin of victory.

A lot has been said about Uiagelelei’s rollercoaster start to his sophomore season, but no one can accuse Clemson’s quarterback of not caring or working. Still, Uiagalelei knows he can be better. Because even before he started that late-night throwing session, during his postgame interview with reporters, Uiagalelei admitted as much.

It left the Tigers’ quarterback, who’s often shouldered the blame for Clemson’s offensive woes even if it hasn’t always been warranted, talking about a hopeful performance from the unit he leads instead of a breakout one.

“Just got to continue to finish in the red zone and turn those field goals into touchdowns, but we took a huge step (Saturday),” Uiagalelei said.

Clemson only reached the end zone once Saturday night, but the offense’s performance was far from the slog it’s typically been this season. Through four games, the Tigers had the lowest yards per play in the ACC and ranked among the nation’s worst offenses in total yards. Clemson racked up 438 yards against Boston College — 143 more than its season average — and ripped off 6.4 yards per play. The only game in which it’s been higher? South Carolina State.

Perhaps the best news for the Tigers was most of that production came on the ground behind their retooled offensive line that underwent more alterations. With right guard Will Putnam (toe) unable to go, Matt Bockhorst slid over from center and Marcus Tate re-entered the starting lineup at left guard. The end result? An offense that began the day averaging less than 126 yards on the ground (99th out of 130 FBS teams) finished with 231 rushing yards, easily the most Clemson has rushed for against an FBS opponent this season.

A good chunk of that came on a 59-yard touchdown run by Kobe Pace — the Tigers’ longest play from scrimmage — but it wasn’t the only chunk play on the ground. Freshman Phil Mafah, getting his first career snaps with Will Shipley (leg injury) out and Lyn-J Dixon (transfer) no longer around, ripped off multiple runs of at least 10 yards, including a 28-yarder. Even Uiagalalei, who continues to be utilized more and more in the run game, had scampers of 14 and 15 yards.

It helped the Tigers make eight trips into Boston College territory. Two possessions after Pace’s scoring run early in the first quarter, Clemson put together a 10-play, 94-yard march that reached the Eagles’ 2. But the Tigers had to settle for a field goal that put them up 10-3 at the time.

B.T. Potter kicked three more field goals on drives that reached at least Boston College’s 25 before stalling out. And that was the Tigers’ biggest issue.

“We’ve got to finish some of the plays that are there,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “We’ve got several plays that we need to finish that, they’re there. And we’ve got to just continue to develop that chemistry and get it done.”

Boston College stoned a handful of goal-line runs before Potter booted that first kick through the uprights, but there were a handful of opportunities to put the ball in the end zone through the air against man coverage that Clemson hasn’t seen much this season. Offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said Boston College likes to play that type of coverage with a high safety anyway, but the Tigers’ effectiveness on the ground lent itself to the Eagles dropping more defenders in the box and leaving their corners on an island with Clemson’s receivers.

Elliott dialed up some deep balls to try to take advantage of those matchups, and Uiagalelei’s receivers didn’t always help him out, particularly late in the fourth quarter when Joseph Ngata dropped a pass inside Boston College’s 5 a few plays before Potter kicked his final field goal to give Clemson the six-point advantage. But Uiagalelei had chances to connect with Ngata and Beaux Collins on a handful before that. He overthrew all of them.

“Playing quarterback, you’ve got to have an intensity to just be able to lock in,” Uiagalelei said. “You can’t worry about anything that’s going on around you. I thought I did a pretty good job (Saturday), but there are a couple of throws, I wish I had those back. One to Joe. A couple to Beaux. It’s all good though. Just need to keep learning.”

Uiagalelei finished 12 of 26 passing for 207 yards but was oh so close to putting more points on the board for the Tigers. Touch and accuracy on the longer passes has been an issue for him all season, and Swinney said the Tigers will have to start hitting on some of those if the offense is going to truly break through.

The Tigers have an extra week to work on it, and getting healthy would help. Clemson enters its open date with receivers Justyn Ross, Frank Ladson Jr., E.J. Williams and Will Taylor banged up to some extent. The same goes for tight ends Davis Allen and Braden Galloway. Swinney said Ross and Galloway both took blows to the head Saturday while Taylor sustained a knee injury, though Swinney didn’t know the severity of it afterward.

Clemson kept itself afloat in the ACC title race with Saturday’s win, but the Tigers will almost certainly need to put more points on the board against the rest of its schedule if it’s going to stay that way. Awaiting Clemson are back-to-back road games starting Oct. 15 at Syracuse, which has scored at least 24 points in four of its five games. The Tigers then head to Pittsburgh, which is scoring more points than anybody in the FBS (52.4 per game).

“We’re just in the process of refining all the details,” Elliott said. “And once we’re able to combine the details with the passion and fight, I think these guys are going to explode.”

Whether the Tigers can put it all together by then remains to be seen, but the offense Clemson trotted onto the field Saturday looked like a unit that’s getting closer to doing just that.

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

The good, the bad and the ugly from Clemson’s heart-stopping win over Boston College

No. 19 Clemson got just enough offense and another late stand from its defense to pull out another nail-biter over Boston College late Saturday night at Memorial Stadium. Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from the Tigers’ 19-13 victory. The good …

The good

Where’s that running game been all season?

Outside of an opponent it was able to physically overwhelm (South Carolina State), Clemson hasn’t come close to racking up the kind of yards it did on the ground against the Eagles. The Tigers finished with 231 yards on 40 carries, or 5.8 yards per carry. Only against S.C. State (6.7) has Clemson ripped off more yards per tote this season.

A good chunk of that came on Kobe Pace’s 59-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter, Clemson’s longest play all season. But an offensive line that again had to shuffle things with right guard Will Putnam (toe) out got more consistent push at the point of attack, and the Tigers also got out on the edge some to rip off other runs of at least 10 yards. Freshman Phil Mafah, getting his first snaps of the season, had 58 yards on just seven carries, including 10- and 28-yarders. Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei again got involved in the running game, too, with two of his 12 rushes going for 14 and 15 yards.

Clemson also played its first turnover-free game while the defense had its most opportunistic performance off the season. The Tigers forced three turnovers, nearly matching its season total coming (4), and continued to come up clutch to minimize the Eagles’ damage when they threatened, holding Boston College to 13 points despite five of its possessions reaching Clemson’s 23-yard line or farther. None was more timely than K.J. Henry’s fumble recovery to turn the Eagles away in the red zone in the final minute.

But without B.T. Potter, none of it may have mattered. Clemson’s veteran kicker hadn’t gotten much work this season with the offense struggling the way it has at times, but Potter got four field-goal opportunities from various distances Saturday and connected on all of them to help push the Tigers over the top.

The bad

The reason Clemson had to rely so heavily on Potter for most of its points was because the offense often stalled out after putting together promising drives. Clemson racked up 438 yards of offense and made four trips inside Boston College’s 25, but the scoreboard didn’t necessarily reflect that simply because the Tigers didn’t finish drives in the end zone.

Potter’s field goals came at the end of all four of those possessions, including one where the Tigers got all the way to Boston College’s 2 after marching 94 yards on 10 plays early in the second quarter.

More misses from Uiagalelei in the passing game contributed to that. Clemson’s effectiveness running the ball finally forced Boston College to commit extra defenders to the box and play more man coverage on the back end, giving Clemson more opportunities to strike down the field than it’s had much of the season. But Uiagalelei routinely overthrew his receivers on those deep balls as he continues to search for consistent accuracy and touch in the passing game.

The shot plays are something Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Uiagalelei is going to have to start hitting if the Tigers expect to maximize their offensive potential this season. The sophomore quarterback finished 13 of 28 through the air for 207 yards, his second straight game completing less than half of his passes.

“Just a little off, but it’ll come,” Swinney said. “Same guy who threw for almost 500 (yards) against Notre Dame last year, so it’s in there. Just got to keep rolling.”

The ugly

The injury bug continued to take a massive bite out of the Tigers. Putnam and cornerback Fred Davis, who missed his second straight game with a bum ankle, were ruled out before the game. And once it started, the hits kept coming.

Receiver Justyn Ross left the game in the first half after taking a hit to the head, Swinney said, and didn’t return. Freshman receiver Will Taylor, who doubles as the Tigers’ punt return, was injured early and watched the rest of the game from the sideline with ice on his knee. Fellow receivers Frank Ladson Jr. and E.J. Williams, who had already been dealing with a torn thumb ligament, were also banged up.

So were tight ends Davis Allen and Braden Galloway, forcing seldom-used Sage Ennis and Jaelyn Lae into action at that position. Another cornerback, Mario Goodrich, was also held out because of an unspecified injury he sustained the previous week against North Carolina State.

Swinney didn’t have many updates afterward on the players who were injured during the game, but Clemson’s bye week couldn’t be coming at a better time for an ailing team before the Tigers head to Syracuse on Oct. 15. They were already dealing with the losses of defensive tackles Tyler Davis (bicep surgery) and Bryan Bresee (torn ACL) as well as running back Will Shipley (lower leg), which are longer-term injuries and, in Bresee’s case, season-ending.

“It was crazy,” Swinney said. “Like a M.A.S.H. unit going on. … The biggest thing is just the health of our guys.”

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

Where has the explosion gone in Clemson’s offense?

Clemson’s offense has grown accustomed in recent years to going big, but the Tigers haven’t looked anything like their normal self on that side of the ball so far this season. A closer look at the stats sheds some light on why. No. 7 Clemson (2-1, …

Clemson’s offense has grown accustomed in recent years to going big, but the Tigers haven’t looked anything like their normal self on that side of the ball so far this season.

A closer look at the stats sheds some light on why.

No. 7 Clemson (2-1, 1-0 ACC) has been one of the more explosive teams in the country over the last three seasons, averaging more than 40 points and 500 yards with Trevor Lawrence running the show. Through the first three games of this one, the Tigers are on pace for their lowest offensive production since 2017 when they averaged 33.3 points and 429.6 yards.

This year’s offense would kill for those numbers.

Clemson is averaging the fewest yards (322.7 per game) and scoring the second-fewest points in the ACC (22 per game) in large part because the chunk plays have been virtually non-existent. Out of the 14 teams in its league, nobody has fewer plays of at least 10 yards (32) and plays of at least 20 yards (eight) than Clemson, which is averaging just 4.8 yards per play.

That’s down from the 6.7 yards the Tigers averaged on each snap last season. Other areas Clemson has seen a precipitous dropoff from last season? 4.02 yards per rush (down from 4.49), 9.43 yards per completion (down from 12.8) and just 5.6 yards per pass attempt (down from 8.5), the latter being the lowest in the league.

It’s all played a part in the Tigers’ offense reaching the end zone just nine times so far, putting them on pace for 36 touchdowns over a full 12-game regular season. For comparison’s sake, that’s a little more than half of the 62 last year’s offense produced in the same number of games.

And the Tigers have had to work for most of those. Only five of Clemson’s scoring drives have been fewer than nine plays, and four of those came against FCS foe South Carolina State in the Tigers’ only comfortable win to this point. On one of those, they had to cover just 11 yards after a 51-yard punt return by Will Taylor set the offense up with a short field late in the first quarter.

Clemson’s average scoring drive against FBS competition this season has lasted 10 plays. The Tigers’ longest play to this point? A 38-yard completion to Joseph Ngata, which was a short pass he turned into a big gainer after the catch. Clemson’s longest run? 15 yards.

Yet there are a few reasons the Tigers aren’t panicking just yet.

“I can assure you we don’t stink,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “We’re going to be all right.”

Much like that 2017 season — Clemson’s first time dealing with life after Deshaun Watson and Wayne Gallman — the Tigers are starting over with personnel at key positions. D.J. Uiagalelei is going through his first full season as Lawrence’s successor at quarterback while the Tigers’ youth movement at running back has gotten even younger. Clemson started the season with senior Lyn-J Dixon, sophomore Kobe Pace and prized freshman Will Shipley as its collective replacement for Travis Etienne, the ACC’s all-time touchdown leader, but Dixon is headed to the transfer portal after having a limited role in the offense through three games.

Swinney confirmed Shipley will get his first career start Saturday at North Carolina State, but even when teams have dared Clemson to run the ball, there hasn’t been much room for Uiagalelei or the backs to operate behind an offensive line that’s been retooled. The group features two new starters, including true freshman Marcus Tate at left guard, and two other players (Matt Bockhorst going from guard to center and Jordan McFadden flipping from right tackle to left) repping at different positions than last season.

Even with Georgia Tech routinely choosing to drop most of its defenders into coverage last week, Clemson ran the ball just effectively enough to help the Tigers eke out a 14-8 win. Clemson ran it 41 times but averaged just 3.9 yards on those carries.

The lack of push up front has been a result of mental errors among the younger players at times just as much as anything physical. Missed assignments have left some defenders unaccounted for and ended plays before they ever really got a chance to get started.

Those are correctable mistakes, and the expectation is for those miscues to lessen in frequency as the line and backs get more experience working in unison.

“I think the explosives will come over time as we continue to find that cohesion up front, and the backs can improve as well with some of their tracking and their discipline,” offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. “Shipley’s a freshman. Kobe’s not a freshman, but he hasn’t played a ton. So it’s going to take a little bit of time for all of those nuances to come together, but once it does, I’m excited about what the potential could be.”

The lack of explosive plays in the passing game have been the most jarring given that’s what carried Clemson’s offense last season even when the running game was average (75th nationally a season ago). A healthy Joseph Ngata, Frank Ladson Jr. and E.J. Williams are all back as is star wideout Justyn Ross after missing last season, making for a receiving corps that Swinney has referred to as perhaps the most talented group he’s had during his tenure as Clemson’s head coach.

But the defenses Clemson has faced so far have had something to do with dictating the Tigers’ offensive game plans. Clemson wanted to emphasize the running game anyway against S.C. State, but the Bulldogs encouraged that by backing off. Determined not to get pummeled through the air again, Georgia Tech exaggerated it even more last week after the Tigers ripped off chunk play after chunk play on their way to dropping 73 points on the Yellow Jackets’ home field in last year’s matchup.

And then there was the opener against Georgia, the nation’s top run defense two years running that made Clemson one-dimensional and rarely gave the Tigers an opportunity to push the ball down the field.

“I don’t think you’re going to see many people have a bunch of explosives against Georgia, No. 1,” Swinney said. “South Carolina State played everybody deep, and we just ran the ball. Took a couple of plays, played a couple quarters and called it a day. And we played a team last week that dropped eight and said run the ball. That’s what we did. And it was completely opposite of what they had shown and what we prepared for. Those are our three games. That’s what we’ve got.”

Still, there have been some chances missed in the passing game, even if they weren’t necessarily home-run hitters. Clemson has tried the intermediate-to-deep part of the middle of the field as well as a few back-shoulder throws on the outside, but those are the ones Uiagalelei, who’s completing 59% of his passes, has been the most inaccurate with to this point. He had his most efficient game against Tech by completing 18 of 25 passes for 126 yards, but Elliott and Swinney pointed out three of his seven incompletions were simply misses down the field, including a back-shoulder attempt that hit the back of Ngata’s shoe.

“Then we have a bang 8 throw on third down. We have a corner route on third-and-5,” Elliott said. “We’re having some opportunities.”

While Uiagalelei wouldn’t put all of those kinds of misfires on a lack of fundamentals — “some of it is I just flat out missed it,” he acknowledged — Elliott said he and quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter continue to emphasize footwork and balance on the longer throws with their young signal caller, which can be easier for quarterbacks like Uagalelei who have plus arm strength to let fall by the wayside.

Similar to the running game, though, Elliott said he’s confident it’s only a matter of time before some of the shot plays in the passing game start hitting as Uiagalelei, his receivers and his offensive line grow more comfortable with each other and play through the learning curve. Connecting on just one of those throws, he believes, could become contagious.

“We’ve got to find a way, especially with the down-the-field throws. We haven’t connected on one of those yet,” Elliott said. “I think once we do, then obviously D.J.’s confidence is going to grow in that. The receivers’ confidence is going to grow in that.”

Clemson’s first true road test of the season will come against a defense that’s been just as good as any of the others at keeping things in front of it. N.C. State, which has allowed just seven points in two home games, are only yielding 2.7 yards per rush and 5.4 yards per play.

It’s as good a time as any for some of those splash plays to start showing back up for the Tigers.

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

Smart: Clemson’s receivers a ‘matchup problem’

Georgia’s physically imposing defensive line has been a talking point among Clemson’s coaches and players leading up Saturday’s marquee opener, but it’s not the only position group grabbing the opponent’s attention with its size. It’s been hard for …

It’s been hard for Georgia coach Kirby Smart and his team not to notice the collective stature of Clemson’s receiving corps, which features a bevvy of tall, fast and physical players.

“They are a matchup problem,” Smart said.

The 2021 version of Clemson’s wideouts fits the mold of the prototypical receiver the Tigers have fed into the program during Dabo Swinney’s tenure — athletic, rangy and big-bodied. Justyn Ross is the headliner at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, but the list is long at one of the deeper positions on Clemson’s roster.

“It’s kind of like our running back room,” Swinney said. “I love the depth we have there.”

Sophomore Joseph Ngata, a former five-star recruit primed for his biggest role yet in Clemson’s offense, goes 6-3 and 220 pounds while Ajou Ajou has the same measurables. Frank Ladson Jr. is 6-3 and 205 pounds. E.J. Williams is easily the lightest among the Tigers’ top five receivers at 195 pounds, but the sophomore is just as tall as nearly everyone else at the position at 6-3.

Freshmen Dacari Collins and Beaux Collins blended in well when the four star-signees joined the program in January. Dacari goes 6-4 and 215 pounds while Beaux is listed at 6-3 and 205 pounds. Troy Stellato is the shortest of the freshmen receiver class at 6-1.

Swinney said there’s not one among the group that he doesn’t trust to win most one-on-one matchups whenever Clemson’s receivers are isolated on a defensive back.

“All of them have made plays. I’d chunk it up to any of them,” Swinney said. “They’ve all had their moments.”

How often Clemson’s receivers find themselves on an island Saturday remains to be seen. But Smart said he likes the way Georgia’s secondary matches up against the Tigers’ size in coverage.

Three of the Bulldogs’ top corners are 6-2 or taller. Senior Ameer Speed (6-3) and freshman Kelee Ringo (6-2) are duking it out for the starting corner job opposite former Clemson defensive back Derion Kendrick, Georgia’s smallest corner at 6-0 and 190 pounds. Georgia’s projected starting nickel back, Latavious Brini, goes 6-2 and 210 pounds.

Still, Smart said the ability of Clemson’s receivers to win 50-50 balls is a concern, and the kind of physical presence the Tigers’ wideouts present when blocking on the perimeter isn’t something Georgia’s defensive backs have seen much of when going good on good during practice. LSU transfer receiver Arik Gilbert (6-5, 248) has taken a personal leave of absence and didn’t go through fall camp. Neither did the Bulldogs’ top wideout, Georgia Pickens (6-3, 200), who’s working his way back from a torn ACL and is likely out for Saturday’s game.

Smart said he’s had his defensive backs go up against Georgia’s tight ends in an attempt to simulate what they’re going to see from Clemson’s receivers in all facets.

“Getting on and off blocks is critical in every football game, but it’s really critical to this game because we know the spread element, the perimeter screens, the ball out quick,” Smart said. “You’ve got to be able to tackle and be able to get off blocks, and those big guys make that hard to do.”

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

Swinney on WRU: ‘This is going to be a special group’

Dabo Swinney voiced a lot of excitement Tuesday surrounding WRU this fall in his first weekly press conference of the 2021 season. The 14-year Clemson head coach echoed offensive coordinator Tony Elliot’s sentiments for this year’s wide receiver …

Dabo Swinney voiced a lot of excitement Tuesday surrounding WRU this fall in his first weekly press conference of the 2021 season.

The 14-year Clemson head coach echoed offensive coordinator Tony Elliot’s sentiments for this year’s wide receiver group, one he says could go down as one of the most talented groups Clemson has ever seen.

“As I’ve said many times, this is as talented a group as we’ve probably had,” Swinney said. “I told (receivers coach Tyler) Grisham that on picture day, I said, ‘You need to take a picture of this group and pull it out in about six years.’ This is going to be a special group when it’s all said and done. You’ll look back six or seven years from now and think, ‘Wow, all these guys were in the same room.’”

With the likes of Justyn Ross, E.J. Williams, Ajou Ajou, Frank Ladson Jr. and Joseph Ngata along with a few new faces in Beaux Collins, Dacari Collins and Troy Stellato, the Tigers have a lot of talent at their disposal this fall. Despite their depth of talent, though, Swinney recognizes that Ross is simply in a league of his own.

“Justyn is kind of in a league of his own just simply because of where he is developmentally. This guy has played a lot of football,” Swinney said. “He came in here elite and mentally where he is, he’s just in a great place technically, fundamentally, knowledge, system. I mean, you name it, he just gets it.”

The experience behind Ross in this year’s wide receiver room continues to be elite. For Swinney, having guys with game experience like Ladson and Ngata is huge, but the real test will be if they can remain healthy for the season in its entirety.

“Frank and Ngata are elite guys, they just got to be available. It’s really that simple,” Swinney said. “They had just had good freshman years and then last year they just weren’t available, and that’s just the way it is. High level guys, I’ve seen it. I mean, Ngata, this kid is as talented as some of the big guys that have come through here, but consistently doing it on game day just hasn’t happened yet.”

“I’m really excited about what I’ve seen. I thought he had a great spring and he’s had a really good last 10 days or so, but we’ve got to see it on game day. It’s the same thing with Frank. We’ve seen splashes and good moments but (not) consistently being there.”

It is clear that consistency will be key for the Tigers’ wideouts this season, and Swinney is hopeful that his guys will take advantage of each and every opportunity thrown at them and rise to the occasion.

“It’s a really good room, and you’ll see a bunch of guys have opportunities,” Swinney said. “But hopefully those veteran guys will be able to be who we know they are week in and week out for us.”

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!

Elliott provides returns on freshmen wideouts, which guys are standing out beyond Ross

It’s game week and Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliot spent his Monday afternoon fielding questions for reporters as his offense prepares for Saturday’s marquee matchup against Georgia. Elliott was asked about Clemson’s freshman wide …

It’s game week and Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliot spent his Monday afternoon fielding questions for reporters as his offense prepares for Saturday’s marquee matchup against Georgia.

Elliott was asked about Clemson’s freshman wide receivers, now that he’s been able to watch them throughout the duration of fall camp and into this week of practice.

He provided returns on Troy Stellato, Beaux Collins and Dacari Collins.

Elliot was asked first about Stellato, who is a bit behind the eight ball. He arrived this summer and is clearly still picking up the playbook.

“Starting with Troy, (he) came in during the summer and was behind the Collins’ boys,” Elliott said. “Very talented. The biggest thing for him is picking up the offense. The first time through, he’s still swimming. Things are moving around. [I’m] very pleased with his ability, we just got to get him to the point where he can function on his own as opposed to

As opposed to Beaux and Dacari, who have been on Clemson’s campus since the spring.

“They’re big guys that are athletic, can run, can play multiple spots for us,” Elliott said. “Great after the catch kind of guys, also can go up and get the high points. I think they fall right in line with the many of the wideouts that we’ve had here.”

Additionally, at the other end of the spectrum, Elliott was asked about Justyn Ross and what the returns have been for Clemson’s No. 1 receiver since he’s returned to the fold after finally being medically cleared.

“You can tell that Ross is working his tail off,” he added. “He looks explosive and also you can tell that he’s putting in work from a knowledge standpoint too. You’re able to jump right in and just go function and he hasn’t practiced in a formal setting in about a year now.”

Outside of Ross, has anyone started to separate themselves in the wide receiver room?

“Frank (Ladson, Jr.) has had a good camp. (Joseph) Ngata is starting to come on, you’re starting to see what we thought we had in Joe,” Elliot said. “And then Ajou, Ajou is a guy we talk about a lot. He’s made tremendous, tremendous strides. Sometimes you put on the tape and you’re like, ‘Wow that was Ajou.” Just the nuances and the details are starting to emerge now that he has a better understanding of the scheme and he can play technically a little more sound.”

Elliot almost forgot E.J. Williams.

“You just kind of take E.J. for granted, but E.J. is very similar to Ross,” Elliott added. “He’s been a guy that’s been a putty guy for us. We’ve moved him around, put him in different spots and he’s handled that well. He’s electric…can make the acrobatic catches and he’s a physical guy too. That’s what I like about E.J., is that he might not be the biggest guy, but he’ll put his nose in there on the perimeter. I think he’s going to be a guy that’s going to be like a given…He’s had a great camp.”

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!

Clemson’s receiving corps striving for more versatility

It’s not often that wide receivers are compared to offensive linemen, but Clemson coach Dabo Swinney did just that this week. Of course, it had nothing to do with physical stature even if some of the Tigers’ wideouts are just as tall as their …

It’s not often that wide receivers are compared to offensive linemen, but Clemson coach Dabo Swinney did just that this week.

Of course, it had nothing to do with physical stature even if some of the Tigers’ wideouts are just as tall as their teammates up front. It had everything to do with the versatility of the group.

“Kind of like the o-line, we’ve cross-trained a lot of guys,” Swinney said.

A deep receiver corps has gotten even deeper heading into the season with the return of Clemson’s No. 1 wideout, Justyn Ross, who’s healthy again after missing all of last season after undergoing corrective spinal fusion surgery. Having Joseph Ngata and Frank Ladson Jr. back at full tilt helps, too.

Throw in sophomores E.J. Williams and Ajou Ajou as well as true freshmen Dacari Collins, Beaux Collins and Troy Stellato, and Clemson has no shortage of options for its three receiver spots. For most of them, that has meant reps at multiple positions in order for the Tigers to get their best three receivers on the field at any given time.

Ngata was the projected starter at the 9, or boundary (short side), position last season, but an abdominal injury limited his snaps and forced Clemson to move Cornell Powell from the 2, or field (wide side), position. Ladson was the primary option at the 2 until injuries also slowed him down last season, which prompted Amari Rogers to move from the 5, or slot, to the outside.

Rodgers and Powell were the Tigers’ leading receivers last season and are now trying to earn roster spots as NFL rookies. Yet that’s hardly been a talking point for Clemson with everything it’s brought back at the position.

Ross, Clemson’s leader in receiving yards (2018) and receptions (2019) his first two seasons with the program, has played primarily on the outside when he’s been healthy, but Swinney said in the spring the 6-foot-4, 205-pounder would play all three positions this fall. Swinney went as far to say that Ross would start in the slot if Clemson had to play a game then, so don’t be surprised to see Ross line up on the inside often as the Tigers try to find more ways to create mismatches for their big-bodied wideout.

The same goes for Ladson, Williams and Ngata, whom Swinney said is back practicing after battling a hamstring injury that caused him to miss both of Clemson’s fall scrimmages. Ajou, who’s in line for a bigger role after being largely buried on the depth chart as a true freshman last season (two catches), has been getting reps with the first- and second-teamers primarily at the 9, Swinney said, but the Tigers aren’t planning to keep many of their receivers in the same place too often.

“I feel good about (Ajou), but we’ve moved a lot of guys around,” Swinney said. “A lot of 2s. A lot of 5s. So I feel good about our versatility at the receiver position and the ability to, if we need to, move guys around.”

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