Tag: Greg McElroy

ESPN analysts discuss potential weather impact on Clemson-NC State game

On ESPN’s College Football Live this week, ESPN college football analysts Greg McElroy and Joey Galloway discussed the potential impact of bad weather in Saturday’s game between fifth-ranked Clemson (4-0, 2-0 ACC) and No. 10 NC State (4-0, 0-0) at …

On ESPN’s College Football Live this week, ESPN college football analysts Greg McElroy and Joey Galloway discussed the potential impact of bad weather in Saturday’s game between fifth-ranked Clemson (4-0, 2-0 ACC) and No. 10 NC State (4-0, 0-0) at Death Valley.

The conditions could possibly include heavy rainfall and wind, and with that, the ground game would figure to be of utmost importance for both teams.

McElroy was asked, if that’s the case, if he favors either the Tigers or Wolfpack in terms of their rushing attack.

“It’s a really good call because honestly so much about being able to run the ball effectively is who you’re running it against,” McElroy said. “So, I think if you look at both NC State and Clemson’s front sevens defensively, you’re going to have to earn your yards, there’s no doubt about it. I think if I had to favor one over the other, I would lean just ever so slightly in favor of Will Shipley and this Clemson Tiger rushing attack. But I also think if there were one offensive line in the ball game that I would lean towards, it’d probably towards NC State.

“So, it’s a little bit of a coin toss, and it’s a really interesting aspect. Because so much of the conversation will center around DJ Uiagalelei, so much of the conversation will center around Devin Leary and is this his time to really break through and is this a statement opportunity for NC State? Whereas it might ultimately be the rushing game that leads to who is victorious in the game itself. So, I think that’s definitely gonna be a huge aspect for both these teams to try to establish it, especially if weather and the elements are a factor.”

Galloway hopes the weather cooperates Saturday so the talents of Uiagalelei and Leary can be on full display.

“I think we have to find out what the weather is like for sure to figure out if these quarterbacks, if Leary and DJ U, are playing to their top capabilities, then the run game is sort of secondary,” Galloway said. “So, I don’t have a lean either way. Greg, you sounded like you were about 50-50 on each side of that, who has the better run game. Everything will be focused around these quarterbacks and how they play in this game.

“And absolutely hoping for good weather because we want to see these guys. There’s so much talk about these ACC quarterbacks before the season began, Leary and DJ U being in that conversation, you want to see them perform head to head just like we saw last week with DJ U going against Sam Hartman.”

Saturday’s game is slated to kick off at 7:30 p.m. on ABC.

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ESPN analysts weigh in on Clemson’s QB situation

DJ Uiagalelei took most of the snaps in Clemson’s season opener against Georgia Tech on Monday night before Cade Klubnik came in and led the Tigers’ final touchdown drive to put a cap on their 41-10 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. …

DJ Uiagalelei took most of the snaps in Clemson’s season opener against Georgia Tech on Monday night before Cade Klubnik came in and led the Tigers’ final touchdown drive to put a cap on their 41-10 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Uiagalelei, who played the first three quarters and change, finished 19 of 32 passing for 210 yards and a touchdown through the air while adding a 9-yard score on the ground late in the third quarter.

The junior starter helped the Tigers take a 34-10 lead midway through the fourth quarter before giving way to the true freshman Klubnik, who led the offense 66 yards in 10 plays while completing 4 of 6 passes for 50 yards, including a 3-yard toss to Will Taylor for what was Klubnik’s first career collegiate touchdown on his lone drive of the game.

After the game, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter reaffirmed that “D.J. is our starting quarterback, and Cade is going to play.”

Swinney echoed that in his postgame press conference, saying along with Streeter that Uiagalelei has earned the position he still holds atop the depth chart.

“Just like we’ve said, it’s no different than when D.J. came in here when Trevor (Lawrence) was the starter,” Swinney said. “We wanted to get D.J. as much opportunity as we can, and we definitely want to get Cade as much opportunity as we can within the flow of the game and within the flow of the season.”

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) celebrates with quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (5) after throwing a TD against Georgia Tech during the 4th quarter of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game Monday September 5, 2022 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Bart Boatwright/The Clemson Insider

During Tuesday’s edition of College Football Live on ESPN, college football analysts Greg McElroy and Joey Galloway gave their takes on Clemson’s quarterback situation.

Asked what he thinks the Tigers should do at QB, McElroy weighed in on what he saw from Uiagalelei as well as how Clemson’s offense looked during Klubnik’s limited time on the field.

“At the time, I don’t think it really was a performance that warranted needing to be replaced. I didn’t think he played as poorly as some people have suggested,” McElroy, the former Alabama quarterback, said of Uiagalelei.

“Meanwhile, you can just tell at the end of the game when Cade Klubnik went in the ball game, how the energy changed, how the urgency changed, how his willingness to take shots downfield opened some things up. So, I don’t want to be someone that’s going to be over-reactionary. That’s never really been my M.O.”

With that said, McElroy added if the woes that plagued Uiagalelei and Clemson’s offense at times last season continue to persist as this year’s campaign progresses, then he wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see Klubnik on the field more often moving forward.

“I would not at all be surprised, if we fast forward a week, two weeks, three weeks, and if DJ is continuing to do some of the things that plagued them at times last year and hasn’t addressed them, then we might start seeing a little bit more Cade Klubnik,” McElroy said. “You can just tell the energy was different when he was in the game at the end, and I think that could be something that they might look into, especially if we keep getting kind of average play from DJ. You’ve got to be spectacular as the quarterback at Clemson.”

Galloway agreed with McElroy about the energy that Klubnik injected into Clemson’s offense during the former five-star prospect’s brief college debut, while adding that Uiagalelei “just didn’t look comfortable” to him.

“I think the only thing you take away from that game was the energy changed,” Galloway said. “Now, I don’t know who was in the game for Georgia Tech. I don’t know if it was the twos, the ones. You know, you always get that at the end of games, you’re not real sure who you’re going against. But the energy definitely changed, and it was kind of strange to be honest with you – I didn’t feel the energy that I expected to feel from the Clemson offense.

“From the beginning of the game all the way until Klubnik came into the game, it felt like everyone wasn’t sure what was going on. The offensive line did not play great, there was a lot of pressure in the backfield, and DJ U just didn’t look comfortable to me. Now, we don’t know if Klubnik plays the whole game, if he starts the game, if he has that same energy. But when he came in that game, things were different. He moved differently, his energy level was different, and it seemed like the offense picked up in a different way when he came into the huddle.”

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

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ESPN analyst talks expectations for Clemson, state of the ACC

During ABC’s broadcast of Florida State’s 24-23 win over LSU on Sunday night, college football analyst and color commentator Greg McElroy weighed in on Clemson and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Play-by-play commentator Joe Tessitore asked the …

During ABC’s broadcast of Florida State’s 24-23 win over LSU on Sunday night, college football analyst and color commentator Greg McElroy weighed in on Clemson and the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Play-by-play commentator Joe Tessitore asked the former Alabama quarterback what his expectations for the Tigers are this season.

“I think they’re going to be really good,” McElroy said. “I think that defense is more athletic than they’ve been in recent years. I am curious how they’re going to replace the coordinators, but everything I’ve heard about their staff, everyone raves about the hires that Dabo Swinney made. So, I think Clemson bounces back in a big way this year. I’m just most interested in who is going to be the quarterback. Is it (DJ) Uiagalelei, or will it be the freshman down the road, Cade Klubnik?”

ACC teams went 9-3 in Week 1, with the only losses being Virginia Tech’s defeat at Old Dominion, Boston College’s home loss to Rutgers and Louisville’s road loss to ACC foe Syracuse.

Speaking on the state of the ACC, McElroy opined that he doesn’t believe the gap between Clemson and the rest of the conference is “as wide” as some of Saturday’s games — such as UNC and NC State’s narrow wins over App State and East Carolina, respectively — might make it seem like.

“I think the ACC as a whole, even though there were a couple scares (Saturday) in the Carolinas, looks like FSU is an improved football team, Pitt weathered the storm on Thursday (vs. West Virginia) remarkably well,” he said. “So, I wonder just how wide that gap is between Clemson and everybody else in the ACC. Because I don’t think it’s as wide as some of the outcomes (Saturday) might suggest.”

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Greg McElroy fires back at Brian Kelly’s critics

McElroy took issue with the suggestion that Kelly is not a fit in Baton Rouge.

LSU coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is the third-winningest coach currently active in the FBS, and it was a landmark moment for the Tigers’ athletic department to woo him away from Notre Dame.

However, the move didn’t come without some criticism, with the hire’s naysayers normally doing so based on his fit (or lack thereof) in Baton Rouge. There were certainly some growing pains, like the accent snafu, and for a coach with no experience coaching south of Cincinnati, some of those concerns were valid.

But we’re still talking about one of the best coaches in college football, and when it came to Kelly’s fit in Baton Rouge, ESPN analyst Greg McElroy emphatically defended the hire on an episode of the Always College Football Podcast.

“LSU has the talent, we all know that. But do they now have the right leader? No doubt,” McElroy said. “A lot of people have mocked Brian Kelly all off season. A lot of people have said how bad of a fit he was. But here’s been my pushback with Brian Kelly’s hire: They just had the best fit ever at LSU. A guy that was from Louisiana, that had every relationship that you could possibly manufacture in the state of Louisiana in Orgeron. And it was a remarkable failure the last couple years.

“Brian Kelly, say what you want about his tenure at Notre Dame, his inability to get over the hump at Notre Dame, but he got them there. Got to the National Championship, got to the Playoff on multiple different occasions. He has kind of reinvented himself a time or two. And if you say anything about Brian Kelly, that he’s just not a great fit, well let me tell you what. A great fit at LSU is a guy that wins.”

He certainly makes a valid point here. You can’t get a more perfect cultural fit than Orgeron was on the bayou, and that situation still ultimately soured. When discussing how coaches can overcome perceived “poor fits” he drew a lofty comparison.

“Because last time I checked, when a guy that coached at Toledo and Michigan State decided to head on down to the Bayou, he won a lot of games. His name was Nick Saban. Wasn’t a great fit from West Virginia. But guess what: Gets down to LSU, he wins, he all of a sudden becomes a great fit.

“It doesn’t matter. The fit doesn’t matter. All that matters is winning. And at LSU, they have the pieces right now to get the job done.”

After the Orgeron era produced one of the greatest college football teams of all time but was unable to sustain that success, the Tigers hope they’ve got the right guy in Kelly — cultural fit or not.

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Former Tiger breaks down Clemson, gives hot take on defending ACC champs

Former Clemson and All-ACC offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain joined Greg McElroy’s Always College Football show this week. Clemson’s over/under is set at 10.5 wins according to Caesars Sportsbook, and McElroy said on ESPN’s College Football Live this …

Former Clemson and All-ACC offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain joined Greg McElroy’s Always College Football show this week.

Clemson’s over/under is set at 10.5 wins according to Caesars Sportsbook, and McElroy said on ESPN’s College Football Live this week that he’s taking the under.

McElroy reiterated that to Mac Lain, saying he thinks 10 will be the number and that “in an improved ACC, to go 11-1 is a pretty impressive ask.” McElroy then asked Mac Lain if he feels confident about the 10.5 number from Vegas for the Tigers.

“I think it is a good number, and I think obviously they’re trying to put people in a tough spot with 10 being the number,” Mac Lain said. “But I just think this defense is going to be too good, and I think if they can get average play from the quarterback position, I think they’re back. So, I’m going over. I think Clemson gets back to that.”

Mac Lain then gave a hot take on defending ACC champion Pittsburgh.

“I think we might have two undefeated teams in the ACC Championship with a Pittsburgh and a Clemson, and my goodness, how much fireworks would that be if that came to fruition,” Mac Lain said.

“Put it on paper. Eric Mac Lain’s got Pitt going undefeated,” McElroy said.

You can watch McElroy’s full show with Mac Lain breaking down the Tigers entering the 2022 season here.

ESPN analyst: ‘I don’t love the narrative surrounding Clemson right now’

On ESPN’s College Football Live show on Tuesday, ESPN college football analysts Greg McElroy and Joey Galloway discussed Clemson’s over/under being set at 10.5 wins according to Caesars Sportsbook. McElroy said he’s taking the under and added, “I …

On ESPN’s College Football Live show on Tuesday, ESPN college football analysts Greg McElroy and Joey Galloway discussed Clemson’s over/under being set at 10.5 wins according to Caesars Sportsbook.

McElroy said he’s taking the under and added, “I don’t love the narrative surrounding Clemson right now.”

“I think Clemson’s a team that’s better when they are disrespected, but right now, they’re sitting at No. 4 in the country (in the preseason AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll) after a very disappointing year. That’s the opposite of disrespect,” McElroy said.

“So, I think that there’s still questions around their quarterback spot. I think there’s questions with having to replace both coordinators. So, I’m going to take the under. I’m thinking that 10-2 is probably the most realistic setup, and it’s an ever-improving ACC group from top to bottom.”

Galloway agreed with McElroy and said he’s going with under 10.5 wins for Clemson this season as well.

“I think they’ll get to 10,” he said. “We’ve been talking about Clemson like they died last year and they got to 10 wins, and I think they get back to 10 wins this season. In the middle of that schedule, they have at Wake Forest and NC State back-to-back, and then later in the season they go at Notre Dame. So, I’m going to go with about 10 wins for Clemson, but I would not be surprised if they do get to 11.”

Clemson went 10-3 (6-2 ACC) last season to extend its streak of consecutive seasons with at least 10 wins to a school-record 11.

The Tigers kick off the 2022 campaign against Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Monday, Sept. 5 (8 p.m., ESPN).

Come out to support Clemson softball at Dear Old Clemson’s second event which is set for August 27 at the Madren Conference Center.  Clemson returns one of the top teams in the nation and adds some new talent to the mix.   If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events or purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.

SEC East quarterback breakdown: Hendon Hooker best system fit, has best receivers

SEC East quarterback breakdown: Hendon Hooker best system fit, has best receivers

Tennessee will open its season against Ball State at Neyland Stadium Sept. 1.

Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. EDT and SEC Network will televise the season-opening matchup.

Redshirt senior Hendon Hooker returns in 2022 as the Vols’ starting quarterback.

He appeared in 13 games for Tennessee during the 2021 season.

Hooker completed 206-of-303 passing attempts, totaling 2,945 passing yards, 31 passing touchdowns and three interceptions in 2021. He recorded 620 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns on 167 attempts for the Vols last season

Ahead of the 2022 season, former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy joined “SEC Now” on SEC Network.

McElroy provided analysis of SEC East quarterbacks. Below is McElroy’s SEC East quarterback analysis.

Around the Big Ten: Greg McElroy says Ohio State winning the Big Ten should be ‘a slam dunk’

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy thinks Ohio State win the Big Ten this year.

Greg McElroy believes that Ohio State could win the Big Ten this year. In fact, the ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback is convinced that the Buckeyes should win the Big Ten.

But, he isn’t sure that they are a national championship caliber team. Let’s start with some background on this first…

Ohio State was offensively the best team in the Big Ten a year ago, leading the conference with 45.7 points per game. Defensively, however, they were not nearly as dominant. In fact, they were a bit middling.

The Buckeyes checked ninth in the Big Ten in total defense (22.8 points allowed per game). For a team with legitimate national championship ambitions, it simply wasn’t good enough and a major reason why Ohio State didn’t win the Big Ten last year or make the College Football Playoff.

And there lies the rub for McElroy when it comes to projecting Ohio State as a national championship contender.

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Now an analyst with ESPN, McElroy won a national championship with Alabama in 2010 and then spent three seasons in the NFL. Last week, he joined College Football Live on ESPN and discussed why he thinks Ohio State is the favorite to win the Big Ten.

And what he thinks could hold the Buckeyes back.

“Ohio State winning the league should be a slam dunk. No doubt they should win the league. They should. If they don’t, it’s their own fault,” McElroy said on ESPN last week.

“It really is  but have they addressed the issues that have plagued them the last two years? Because this is not a one-year occurrence and a two-year multi-year occurrence in which they have been atrociously bad at times on the defensive side of the football. Ohio State’s M.O. forever has been they want to get after the quarterback and they want to create turnovers.”

For comparison, Michigan, who won the conference, was second in scoring offense (35.8) and fourth in scoring defense (17.4). The Wolverines lost a lot of pieces this offseason to the NFL draft, but their demise is likely a bit exaggerated at this point.

And the Wolverines won the biggest stat of the year as well, beating Ohio State in the regular season finale for both teams.

Michigan would win the Big Ten Championship Game and was selected for the College Football Playoff. Prior to that, Ohio State had won the Big Ten the last four years.

McElroy thinks that Ohio State is the favorite to return atop the Big Ten in 2022 as he postures that their defense will be significantly better this season.

The reason for this improvement? New defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who had an Oklahoma State unit that was fifth in the FBS in total defense.

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“Well, the good news is last year, they did a pretty good job when it comes to (turnovers with) 14 interceptions. They did a pretty good job when it comes to sacks. However, compared to Ohio State teams of years past, it pales in comparison. In 2020 there were 49th in the country in sacks. In 2021, they were 34th in the country in sacks,” McElroy said.

“You know what they were in 2019? First. That was the last time Ohio State played the caliber of defense that you’ve come to expect from the Buckeyes. So they’ve hired Jim Knowles from Oklahoma State; I think they’ll take a step in the right direction because if you look at Oklahoma State – that’s where Jim Knowles – came from… If you look at the Oklahoma State defense last year, they were aggressive and they could penetrate and create negative plays and they can get a lot of pressure on quarterbacks.

“But will that be able to work and will they wave the magic wand in year one in Columbus is a real question for me because I know Ohio State is great, but do they play championship-caliber defense? That’s the big question.”

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Is Clemson back this season? ESPN analyst weighs in

During a recent episode of College Football Live, an ESPN analyst weighed in on what he sees as the biggest question in the ACC entering the 2022 campaign: Is Clemson back this season? ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy gave his take. “If …

During a recent episode of College Football Live, an ESPN analyst weighed in on what he sees as the biggest question in the ACC entering the 2022 campaign:

Is Clemson back this season?

ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy gave his take.

“If Clemson stays healthy, if Clemson gets quality quarterback play, are they back?” he said. “Because we know what this team looks like when you have a top-tier quarterback, a topflight quarterback, a Trevor Lawrence or Deshaun Watson – we know what they can do. But if they don’t have that, are they good enough to be able to still make a push to the College Football Playoff?”

McElroy also spoke about the departures of former Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables and former Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, who are now of course the head coaches at Oklahoma and Virginia, respectively, with Wes Goodwin and Brandon Streeter filling the roles on Dabo Swinney’s staff vacated by Venables and Elliott.

“Gone are the coordinators that helped propel them to new heights as well,” McElroy said. “Tony Elliott is now the head coach at Virginia, and you also obviously have Brent Venables who’s now the head coach at Oklahoma. So, Brandon Streeter on offense and Wes Goodwin on defense, can they fill those voids?”

McElroy, like many, believes the Tigers will play at a “championship-caliber” level on defense again this season after finishing first in the ACC and second nationally behind only defending national champion Georgia in points per game allowed last season (14.8).

But McElroy wonders if Clemson will step up its production offensively following a season in 2021 during which D.J. Uiagalelei and company ranked 82nd nationally in points per game (26.3) and 103rd nationally in passing offense (191.2 yards per game).

“And then take into account one step further – will they maximize what they are on both sides of the ball?” McElroy said. “We know they were banged up, we know they’re going to play championship-caliber defense. That goes without saying. But will the offense hold up its end of the bargain? I think they can run the football, but can they now throw the football with the same level of efficiency that they’ve had in recent years?”

McElroy concluded that he’s “cautiously optimistic” about Clemson going into the upcoming season and went so far as to say that he believes the Tigers will return to the College Football Playoff after missing the playoff last year for only the second time in the CFP era (since 2014) and the first time since the CFP began in 2014.

McElroy is curious to see whether any other team can challenge Clemson in the ACC, if the Tigers play up to their full potential.

“I’m cautiously optimistic,” McElroy said. “I think Clemson will have a bounce-back type of season. I actually think they’ll make the playoff. But is there really anyone within striking distance if they play their A game? That’s one of the biggest questions I want to find out.”

LSU vs Florida State: TV commentators announced for Tigers’ opener

LSU’s opener will be called by one of ESPN’s top voices.

LSU and Florida State kicking off in New Orleans is exactly one month away, and those who are planning to watch on television now know who will be calling the game.

ESPN announced that Joe Tessitore and Greg McElroy will be in the booth while Katie George handles the sideline reporting. Tessitore is one of ESPN’s primetime announcers and with LSU in the Sunday slot, it’s no surprise to see a big-time crew get the assignment.

It hasn’t been that long since LSU last played in the opening Sunday game. In 2018, the Tigers beat Miami 33-17 in Joe Burrow’s first game with the program.

 

The game is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ABC. It’s LSU’s opener, but Florida State will begin its season the week prior with a matchup against Duquesne.

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