Tag: Hunter Rayburn

Swinney on Clemson’s OL depth: ‘We’ve got A Few Good Men’

During his weekly Tuesday media availability, Dabo Swinney addressed Clemson’s offensive line depth, or lack thereof, for that matter. Swinney referenced a classic ’90s movie when talking about the Tigers’ offensive front heading into Saturday …

During his weekly Tuesday media availability, Dabo Swinney addressed Clemson’s offensive line depth, or lack thereof, for that matter. 

Swinney referenced a classic ’90s movie when talking about the Tigers’ offensive front heading into Saturday night’s matchup at Louisville.

“We got A Few Good Men, that’s it,” Swinney said. “Three Men and a truck, here we come. We gotta make it work somehow.”

Clemson has no new additional injuries across the offensive line, however, both Will Putnam and Mason Trotter are considered day-to-day at the moment. It appears that both will likely be game-time decisions.

If that’s the case, Clemson will have to dip further into its offensive line depth. The Tigers are already without Matt Bockhorst, Tayquon Johnson, John Williams and freshman Dietrick Pennington, who have all suffered season-ending injuries.

With that, Swinney was asked about how ready guys like Mitchell Mayes and Paul Tchio are to step up and see significant snaps if called upon.

“I think Mitchell is ready,” he said. “I think he’s a mature redshirt freshman…I think he’s really grown. You haven’t seen a lot of him, the same thing, every game is life or death and every play is win or lose. We haven’t had an opportunity to use him as much. Walker [Parks] is our best player over there right now. But, I got a lot of confidence in Mitchell. I think he’s going to be a good player for us.”

Swinney believes the same goes for Tchio, but it sounds like he still has some work to do.

“Paul, he is big, very physical. I just think he’s got to still work on the details in what he does,” he said. “A little better practice habits and things like that.”

Swinney compared Tchio’s current situation to where Hunter Rayburn was last season. 

Rayburn, of course, started at center in Clemson’s 19-13 win over Boston College back on Saturday, Oct. 2. Since then, he missed two games due to COVID protocol, but was back in the mix this past Saturday against Florida State and saw a majority of snaps after Trotter went down with an injury.

“Rayburn is really coming on and it’s just fun to see…and the light has come on for that kid, he said. “His athleticism, physicality, his understanding of the game, how he practices, how he prepares. He’s just at a different level and that’s kind of what I hope happens for Tchio…he’s gonna be a very good player. He’s just got to be a little more committed to the details and a little better practice guy…he’s got to be ready.”

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Elliott on plans at center with Rayburn coming back

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney told reporters Sunday evening that redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Hunter Rayburn is among the players he expects the Tigers to get back for Saturday’s game against Florida State at Death Valley. Rayburn started …

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney told reporters Sunday evening that redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Hunter Rayburn is among the players he expects the Tigers to get back for Saturday’s game against Florida State at Death Valley.

Rayburn started at center in Clemson’s win over Boston College on Oct. 2 but has missed each of the last two games against Syracuse and Pittsburgh because of COVID-19 protocols. Fellow redshirt sophomore Mason Trotter made his first career start against Syracuse and also got the start at center against Pitt.

Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, during his media availability Monday, was asked how the center position will be handled now with Rayburn coming back.

“Trotter has done a good job for two weeks at center,” Elliott said. “So, Rayburn is still in protocol today, but we should get him back tomorrow or Wednesday. He could play guard for us. So, we will have that discussion.

“What my instinct tells me is to kind of leave it where it is right now because Trotter has been playing really, really good. So, we can ease Rayburn in and then be able to get him some snaps since he has been out for 10 days. But we will play them both at center throughout the course of the week.”

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Which players does Swinney expect to get back this week?

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said during his Zoom conference calls with reporters Sunday evening that while the Tigers have 14 players who are out for the season, there are four players he expects to return to action this week. Swinney said they …

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said during his Zoom conference calls with reporters Sunday evening that while the Tigers have 14 players who are out for the season, there are four players he expects to return to action this week.

Swinney said they hope to get junior wide receiver Joseph Ngata, sophomore wide receiver E.J. Williams, redshirt offensive lineman Hunter Rayburn and redshirt junior linebacker Jake Venables back this week.

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More bad news for Clemson’s offensive line

PITTSBURGH – Clemson’s offensive line sustained another blow early in today’s game against Pittsburgh at Heinz Field. Matt Bockhorst was helped off the field after suffering an injury late in the first quarter. The fifth-year guard appeared to have …

PITTSBURGH — Clemson’s offensive line sustained another blow early in today’s game against Pittsburgh at Heinz Field.

Matt Bockhorst was helped off the field after suffering an injury late in the first quarter. The fifth-year guard appeared to have his right leg rolled up after a run near the goal line on Clemson’s first scoring drive.

Bockhorst remained down on the field for a few minutes as trainers tended to him. He eventually limped off the field with some help. True freshman Marcus Tate was inserted in his place at left guard.

Clemson, which was already without Hunter Rayburn (COVID-19 protocols) up front, scored on the next play — a 1-yard touchdown run by Phil Mafah — for a 7-0 lead with 1 minute, 29 seconds left in the first quarter.

‘It’s all on me’: All Seinfeld jokes aside, Swinney shoulders blame for pungent offense

As Dabo Swinney lamented the continued struggles of Clemson’s offense, the Tigers’ coach eventually went in the direction of an iconic reference. “Y’all remember that Seinfield show when the stink was in the car and they couldn’t get it out?” …

As Dabo Swinney lamented the continued struggles of Clemson’s offense, the Tigers’ coach eventually went in the direction of an iconic reference.

“Y’all remember that Seinfield show when the stink was in the car and they couldn’t get it out?” Swinney asked during his weekly press conference Tuesday. “I don’t remember which one it was, but it just popped in my head right here. That’s what we’ve got.”

For anyone who isn’t familiar, Swinney was referring to an episode titled “The Smelly Car” during the fourth season of the wildly popular 1990s sitcom starring comedian Jerry Seinfeld. In the episode, Jerry (playing himself) and Elaine (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) discover a foul odor in Jerry’s car that both assumed was left by the valet responsible for parking it at a restaurant. Jerry eventually takes his vehicle to a car wash, but the smell continues to linger to the point that he tries to sell the car to no avail.

Much like Jerry’s car, whether or not the Tigers can actually rid themselves of their pungency at this point remains to be seen. After failing to crack the 20-point mark in regulation yet again against an FBS opponent in last week’s escape at Syracuse, Clemson — a team used to explosive plays and points in bunches during its run to six consecutive College Football Playoff appearances — is averaging just 14.8 points against teams not named South Carolina State. The Tigers’ 20.5 points per game rank 114th out of 130 FBS teams while their 322.3 yards per game are even worse (115th).

“It’s just a stink, and we’ve got to get rid of it,” Swinney said in reference to the Tigers’ offensive performance through six games. “It’s lingering in the car, and we’ve got to get rid of it.”

But can they? And if so, what exactly is the solution as the Tigers prepare to start the back half of their schedule Saturday at Pittsburgh, a team scoring the third-most points of anybody in the country?

Swinney went mental with his answer to start, which has been a talking point among Clemson’s coaches through the week. A day earlier, offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said he knows players want to perform better than they have been and, as a result, are pressing. Swinney emphatically agreed with that assessment given how loud the criticism is outside the program.

“How else do you explain some of the things you see from some of our best players?” Swinney said. “I think it’s just kind of human nature, especially in today’s world. When I was coming up, somebody maybe wrote a bad article in the local newspaper, and that was about it. And you hoped your grandmother didn’t read it. You still had the people at the barbershop, but now all the people at the barbershop have a national forum. And all the media sees it.

“That’s all they get right now is how bad they are and how much their coaches stink, but that just comes with it. But as a young person, you’ve got to learn how to block that stuff out. Because if you don’t, you get burdened down, try to do too much, get outside of things and then you’re not playing free. The next thing you know, the weight of the world is on you. I don’t think there’s any question that this group offensively is burdened by disappointment, expectations and outside noise.”

It’s one reason why Swinney believes some of the same issues keep popping up on a near weekly basis. Some of them, particularly up front, are out of the Tigers’ control. Hunter Rayburn’s late scratch against Syracuse forced sophomore Mason Trotter, who hadn’t played all season because of a broken hand, into the starting lineup at center. It was the third center and fourth different starting combination the Tigers’ offensive line has used in six games.

Trotter had a bad snap early in the second half that essentially killed one of Clemson’s drives, though Swinney said he was proud of the way the sophomore played overall given the circumstances. But blown blocking assignments, penalties and dropped passes also continue to surface for an offense that has almost no room for error.

Those issues overshadowed what Swinney thought was quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei’s best performance so far. Uiagalelei completed nearly 62% of his 34 attempts against Syracuse — his highest completion rate since going 18 of 25 against Georgia Tech on Sept. 18 — but the Tigers had a handful of drops on other accurate passes and committed seven more penalties. Clemson’s 7.6 penalties per game put the Tigers 104th nationally in that category.

“We’ve just got to be better around him,” Swinney said. “Just something we’re fighting through right now. The good news is we’re still Clemson, and we’ve still got a great group of guys. We’ve got to help them fight through that because they’re not very confident right now.”

Swinney said there “absolutely” are things he and the rest of the coaches can do to help their players free up their minds. Part of it is getting them to ignore what’s been said and written about their performance outside of the program, though Swinney admitted that’s always easier said than done. 

“Who are you going to listen to? Who are you going to believe?” Swinney said. “That’s your choice every single day. If you let that stuff in, it will affect you.”

There have also been some positives to Clemson’s season. The Tigers still own the nation’s second-best scoring defense despite some key personnel losses to injuries. Swinney also praised the play of the Tigers’ special teams, which executed a successful fake punt that led to the team’s final touchdown last week.

But Swinney knows an offense that’s been the butt of plenty of jokes has to improve in a hurry if the Tigers plan on staying in ACC contention beyond this week. And, all joking aside, he acknowledged that responsibility is ultimately his.

“Player performance is all on the coaches. It’s all on me,” he said. “That’s just the way it is. I’m responsible for what you see. There’s nobody more frustrated than myself.”

More bad news for Clemson’s offensive line

Clemson’s offensive line will be without one of its starters for a second consecutive week. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on Sunday said Hunter Rayburn will be held out of Saturday’s game at Pittsburgh. It will be the second straight game Rayburn has …

Clemson’s offensive line will be without one of its starters for a second consecutive week.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on Sunday said Hunter Rayburn will be held out of Saturday’s game at Pittsburgh. It will be the second straight game Rayburn has had to miss because of COVID-19 protocols.

Rayburn started at center in Clemson’s win over Boston College on Oct. 2.

Swinney didn’t elaborate on a timeline for Rayburn to ultimately return to action, but he and offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said following the Tigers’ win over Syracuse on Friday that they didn’t find out until that day that he wouldn’t be available to play.

With Rayburn out last week, sophomore Mason Trotter made his first career start at center. Matt Bockhorst slid over to left guard, where he played last season, with Will Putnam back at right guard. It’s the fourth different starting combination the Tigers have used up front through six games.

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What It Means: It’s now or never for Clemson’s offense

Jordan McFadden’s comments are resonating, and not necessarily in the way his teammates, Clemson’s coaches and the Tigers’ fan base had hoped. “Our defense has done a great job having our back, and I feel like it’s time for us to have their back,” …

Jordan McFadden’s comments are resonating, and not necessarily in the way his teammates, Clemson’s coaches and the Tigers’ fan base had hoped.

“Our defense has done a great job having our back, and I feel like it’s time for us to have their back,” Clemson’s left tackle said last week ahead of the Tigers’ trip to Syracuse.

Technically, the offense helped enough, though the term “help” is being used fast and loose here. All of the points in the Tigers’ latest escape Friday were produced by the offense. Once again, though, they were few and far between.

The Tigers (4-2, 3-1 ACC) did have their highest-scoring first half of the season, but Clemson needed the assistance of a fake punt to pull that off. Clemson scored two touchdowns in the second quarter but went the other three quarters without any, using B.T. Potter’s 40-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to survive.

Even the Tigers’ ability to do that was in question late. Had Syracuse’s Andrew Szmyt, a former Groza Award winner, not pulled his kick in the final minute, Clemson would’ve needed overtime against a .500 Syracuse team that put up a commendable fight against unbeaten Wake Forest a week earlier but also lost by double digits at Rutgers earlier this season.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and some of his players have been telling whoever’s willing to listen for the last couple of weeks that this offense is close to breaking out, confidence seemingly birthed out of the Boston College win — one in which the Tigers had their second-highest yardage output of the season (438). But what transpired inside the Carrier Dome looked more like the offense that’s spent the season ranked near the bottom nationally in virtually every major offensive statistical category.

D.J. Uiagalalei’s accuracy was the best it’s been in almost a month from a statistical standpoint (62% completion rate), and it could’ve been a lot better if not for a handful of drops by his receivers. Davis Allen (eight catches for 49 yards) was as involved in the passing game as a Clemson tight end has been in almost a decade, but there weren’t many explosive plays to speak of. And the running game reverted to its pedestrian ways behind an offensive line that can’t seem to catch a break.

That unit continues to be in flux, though it seemed like Clemson had found its best combination up front against Boston College when Matt Bockhorst moved to guard to fill in for an injured Will Putnam and Hunter Rayburn took over at center. The coaching staff also felt Bockhorst worked better at his more natural position given he was back at left guard (where he played last season) against Syracuse with Putnam back in the lineup, but the group was forced to start its fourth different combination in six games when Rayburn was put in COVID-19 protocols late last week.

Rather than move Bockhorst back to center, sophomore Mason Trotter, whose playing time had been limited this season in large part because of a broken hand, got his first career at center. The push up front was inconsistent. Kobe Pace had 76 yards on 14 carries, but the Tigers averaged just 3.1 yards a tote. Even if you don’t count sacks and a snap over Uiagalelei’s head early in the second half that killed a promising drive, Clemson ran for just 149 yards.

The stat sheet shows Clemson gave up just two sacks, but Tigers’ offensive line repeatedly got beat in pass protection and failed to pick up free rushers at times. The only reason the Orange didn’t bring Uiagalelei down more behind the line of scrimmage was all Uiagalelei and his ability to shake defenders off. Trotter’s botched snap and more penalties (seven for 60 yards) only compounded the problem the Tigers have of getting out of their own way at times.

Add those self-inflicted miscues to the drops and, well…

“We don’t have that type of room for error. We just don’t,” Swinney said. “We’re not a team right now that has great room for error. We’re very inexperienced offensively, and it shows.”

Now the defense wasn’t perfect either. The Tigers yielded 138 rushing yards in the first half alone. There was also that 62-yard bomb over the top that got Syracuse within one score midway through the fourth quarter, but the offense’s dysfunction at times continues to put all the pressure on the defense, which is looking more and more like a risky proposition given the frequency with which injuries are piling up on the defensive side of the ball.

It’s also not having their back the way the defense has for the offense all season.

The Tigers can’t wait around any longer for that to happen. Because the sand on Clemson’s talking hourglass is about to run out. Awaiting the Tigers next? A trip to Pittsburgh on Saturday for a game that, in all likelihood, isn’t going to be played in the teens. Not from the Panthers’ perspective, at least.

Pitt began last week as the highest-scoring team in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Panthers, led by fifth-year quarterback Kenny Pickett, have been scoring so much that their 28 points at Virginia Tech in a three-touchdown victory over the weekend actually dropped them to third in that category at 48.3 points per game.

Syracuse was averaging 31 points before scoring a little less than half of that against Clemson. But do the math on Pitt, and even if the Tigers were to hold the Panthers to half of their season average, that would still put Pitt in the mid-20s, a range that almost seems like a pipe dream for the Tigers at this point.

Clemson has only mustered 74 points against FBS opponents all season. That’s 14.8 per game. The Tigers’ highest point total against someone not named South Carolina State is 21 at North Carolina State, and Clemson needed overtime to get there.

The Wolfpack scored 27 points in that one, which, not coincidentally, resulted in Clemson’s second and most recent loss. Even if the Tigers can hold Pitt to 24 points on its home field, can they score enough for it to matter?

They’ll have to if they want any chance to keep themselves in contention of playing for a seventh straight ACC championship. N.C. State knocked off Boston College on the road Saturday to remain unbeaten in league play. It also helped the Wolfpack maintain what amounts to a two-game lead over Clemson since they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Tigers.

Of course, Wake Forest, with its perfect 4-0 conference record, is the team everyone is chasing in the Atlantic Division. Clemson will host the Demon Deacons, who are right behind Pitt in scoring at 38.7 points per game, in late November. The Tigers also have a trip to Louisville (32.3 points per game) looming Nov. 6, meaning Clemson still has to play three of the five highest-scoring teams in the league.

“We’re nowhere near what we thought we’d be, but we’re continuing to battle,” Swinney said of the offense. “We’ve got to continue to help them as coaches, keep them encouraged and continue to just coach our tails off.”

What Clemson needs more than anything right now is points. And they had better come in a hurry.

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Elliott recounts OL play, expounds on constant reshuffling

Coming into Friday night’s game against Syracuse, Clemson (4-2, 3-1 ACC) thought it was going to be able to run the ball effectively. Unfortunately, multiple factors prevented that from being the case in the Tigers’ 17-14 win. While there isn’t any …

Coming into Friday night’s game against Syracuse, Clemson (4-2, 3-1 ACC) thought it was going to be able to run the ball effectively. Unfortunately, multiple factors prevented that from being the case in the Tigers’ 17-14 win.

While there isn’t any finger-pointing being done, there doesn’t need to be. Clemson’s problems start and end up front.

Clemson finished Friday’s contest with 116 rushing yards on 37 carries, averaging just 3.1 yards per touch. Kobe Pace led the way with 76 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown, while Phil Mafah, D.J. Uiagalelei and Taisun Phommachanh combined for just 58 yards on 21 carries.

Prior to Friday’s game, Syracuse was ranked No. 31 in the FBS in run defense, allowing 113.8 rushing yards per game. Clemson was looking to exploit that, but the Tigers were unable to avoid shooting themselves in the foot. Yes, there were personnel issues, but Clemson struggled on basic execution up front yet again, which is something that’s clearly wearing on the team’s offensive coordinator.

“I thought we were going to be able to run the ball, but we also cut some drives short too,” Tony Elliott said postgame. “We had a good drive coming out, snapped the ball over [Uigalelei’s] head and we lost 17 yards, now we’re playing catch up. That’s an opportunity right there to keep that drive growing. You’re gonna have an opportunity to pick up maybe 30-40 more yards rushing. And again, the biggest thing for us, is we gotta get out of our own way.”

“The numbers are not where they are, is a reflection of one guy over here having a holding penalty,” he added. “Then, we have a false start. Then, you have a guy who doesn’t execute his block the right way, forces the running back to stop his feet before he gets to the line of scrimmage. It’s just one thing after another. It’s not one guy in particular, but it just seems that at the most inopportune time, we’re having that one breakdown, which gets us out of rhythm, and therefore we’re not able to sustain drives, which is going to lead to the outcome or the production that people are used to for this offense.”

The Tigers, unfortunately, didn’t learn until about 10 a.m. Friday that they would be without Hunter Rayburn, who wound up entering the team’s COVID-protocol.

“It wasn’t a ton,” Elliott said when asked if Rayburn’s absence disrupted the offensive line. “I think the thing that disrupted us more than anything was just the penalties and the missed plays. A couple of missed blocks on the perimeter, we had a holding call on the big screen play to the tight end [Davis Allen] there. So, just those things probably disputed us more than Rayburn going into protocol this morning.”

Rayburn did an admirable job of filling in at center with Will Putnam sidelined during Clemson’s 19-13 win over Boston College back on Saturday, Oct. 2. He was expected to start at center with Putnam being re-inserted at right guard and Matt Bockhorst shifting over to left guard.

But, Clemson failed to catch a break. It was yet again another blow to a team that had 14 unavailable scholarship players Friday night, including Rayburn.

That gave way to Mason Trotter making his first career start. After fracturing his hand before the start of the season, Trotter had to fight his way back from injury.

He was unable to snap the ball with his hand clubbed up, but that changed Friday night. Getting his first game experience at the center position, Trotter’s right hand was heavily wrapped up, but he was ready to go and filled in for Rayburn.

“Fortunately for Mason, he had an opportunity to snap throughout the week,” Elliott said. “We had an option there with Bockhorst going back to center, but felt like the best thing to do was give Mason Trotter an opportunity and outside of his [bad] snap, I felt like Mason did a solid job of coming in and being ready with the next man up.”

Trotter, Bockhorst and Jordan McFadden were the only offensive lineman who played every snap Friday. The Tigers were substituting linemen in and out Friday and had a quick hook when doing so. 

There were instances when Bockhorst played both left and right guard, Marcus Tate came in at right guard and Mitchell Mayes saw some time at right tackle. Not an ideal situation for a unit that was looking to build off its best performance of the season, which came nearly two weeks ago.

“Definitely, making sure that there’s accountability at every position,” Elliott said when asked about the shuffling upfront. “I guess the easiest thing to see is if a wideout drops a ball or has a bad play, you can see when a substitution is made. A lot of times you might miss it on the offensive line. We knew going into the game that we were going to have to shuffle some people around. Obviously, the plan was different than when we woke up this morning and then it changed, so we wanted to keep an eye on the situation. 

“I thought they did a good job in establishing the line of scrimmage in the run game, but feel like we have to do a better job from a protection standpoint. There were a couple of 1-on-1s that we lost, that I thought we had a better matchup…I thought in the run game, they did some really good things, but in the pass game we have to do a better job protecting our quarterback.”

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The good, the bad and the ugly from Clemson’s escape of Syracuse

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – No. 25 Clemson was involved in yet another white-knuckler Friday inside the Carrier Dome. And again, the Tigers found a way to prevail against Syracuse, keeping themselves in ACC contention for another week. Here’s the good, the bad …

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — No. 25 Clemson was involved in yet another white-knuckler Friday inside the Carrier Dome. And again, the Tigers found a way to prevail against Syracuse, keeping themselves in ACC contention for another week. Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from Clemson’s 17-14 win.

The good

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney didn’t hesitate to call Friday’s performance D.J. Uiagalelei’s best of the season. It’s one man’s opinion, but the Tigers’ quarterback made improvement on the inaccuracy that’s plagued him throughout the season.

Uiagalelei finished 21 of 34 passing for a 62% completion rate, his highest since going 18 of 25 against Georgia Tech back in Week 3. It’s the most passes Uiagalelei has completed in a game this season. There were still a couple of misses, but it wasn’t nearly as often, particularly on the intermediate throws. There was a 19-yard connection with Joseph Ngata for a touchdown. There was a 15-yarder to Justyn Ross over the middle to set up Clemson’s second score and a well-placed 23-yarder to Beaux Collins between a corner and a safety.

All of those completions totaled just 181 yards, but Uiagalelei was on the mark with most of his throws down the field. Those misses were more of a lack of help he got from his receivers.

Meanwhile, Kobe Pace had another productive night with the chances he got on the ground. The sophomore running back was Clemson’s leading rusher with 76 yards on just 14 carries. He’s averaging 6.2 yards a pop over the last two games.

Davis Allen could be emerging as a safety valve for Uiagalelei. His eight catches were a career-high and the most for a Clemson tight end since 2012. B.T. Potter connected on a 40-yard field goal, his only attempt of the night, that ultimately made the difference in the three-point win and improved to 6 of 7 on field goals this season. And the offense stayed away from turnovers for the second straight game, helping Clemson win the turnover margin again. 

The bad

For the fourth time this season, Clemson started a different combination along the offensive line. And once again, the unit’s performance was very much a mixed bag.

Will Putnam returned at right guard after missing the Boston College game with a toe injury, but Mason Trotter got his first career start at center with Hunter Rayburn out because of COVID-19 protocols. Matt Bockhorst was back at the left guard spot he played most of last season, but he also played some right guard with Marcus Tate getting some reps back on the left side.

Clemson rotated other linemen in and out, too. There were more whiffs on blocks that allowed Syracuse to blow some plays up in the backfield, and the pass protection was spotty. The Orange technically only recorded two sacks, but they could’ve easily had a handful had Uiagalelei not been able to shake off some would-be tacklers in the pocket.

And the consistency that showed up in the running game against Boston College the last time out (231 rushing yards) was nowhere to be found Friday. Outside of Pace, Clemson generated just 40 yards on the ground. The Tigers averaged just 3.1 yards per carry.

Meanwhile, Clemson’s defense gave up more big plays than usual. Syracuse had runs of 54 and 39 yards as well as Garrett Shrader’s 62-yard touchdown pass to Trebor Pena in the fourth quarter that quickly trimmed the Tigers’ lead to one score. Clemson held Syracuse to 27 rushing yards in the second half, but it looked like some of the injuries — defensive tackles Bryan Bresee and Tyler Davis, in particular — could be catching up to the Tigers on that side of the ball.

Speaking of injuries…

The ugly

They continue to pile up. Receiver E.J. Williams didn’t make the trip after undergoing a knee scope recently, but the surprise omission was Andrew Booth. The Tigers’ starting corner was a late scratch with what Swinney described as a tight hamstring, the kind of injury that’s always tricky given it’s hard to completely heal without shutting things down for a while.

As for the players who were on the field, they continued to plague themselves with more self-inflicted issues. For the offense, it was more blown blocking assignments at times and penalties that often pushed the unit behind the chains. Clemson finished with seven penalties for 60 yards.

One of those was when Tyler Venables was flagged for roughing the passer to help extend a Syracuse drive after an incompletion on third-and-long. A bad snap also killed one of Clemson’s drives in the second half, and drops were an issue as well. Justyn Ross had a couple, including one down the field on Clemson’s second possession with no one around him.

The Tigers’ margin for error is too small to expect them to keep getting away with those kinds of miscues.

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Update on Rayburn’s status

Following Clemson’s 17-14 win over Syracuse on Friday night in the Carrier Dome, Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott gave an update on redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Hunter Rayburn. Rayburn, who started at center in the Tigers’ game …

Following Clemson’s 17-14 win over Syracuse on Friday night in the Carrier Dome, Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott gave an update on redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Hunter Rayburn.

Rayburn, who started at center in the Tigers’ game against Boston College, was on Clemson’s unavailable list for the Syracuse game.

Elliott said after the game that Rayburn is in COVID protocol. They found out this morning.

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