Kobe Pace – Page 10 – Syndication Server

Clemson looks to take its most complete effort so far to N.C. State

Clemson has ridden its defense to a near perfect start this season. Now the Tigers will see if they can jumpstart an offense that’s been anything but in arguably the most challenging environment they’ve encountered to this point. The seventh-ranked …

The seventh-ranked Tigers (2-1, 1-0 ACC) head to Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday looking to start their first winning streak in ACC play against North Carolina State. Clemson played away from Memorial Stadium in its opener against Georgia, a seven-point setback in which the Tigers didn’t allow an offensive touchdown but didn’t reach the end zone either.

It’s a microcosm of the Tigers’ season so far, one in which Clemson has yet to allow a touchdown but has also had trouble finding it against FBS opponents. Two of them were enough for the Tigers to squeak past Georgia Tech last week with the help of a late goal-line stand.

This week’s task figures to be even tougher inside a venue that holds more than 60,000 fans. Clemson played in front of more than 70,000 at Bank of America Stadium to begin the season, but given that was a neutral-site game, the crowd was more evenly split between Clemson and Georgia fans.

That won’t be the case Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium, where the Wolfpack have won seven of their last eight home games. They’ve won their first two there this season by a combined score of 90-7, though the competition level (South Florida and Furman) hasn’t been what the Wolfpack will see this week.

“It’s going to be loud. It’s going to be hostile,” Clemson offensive lineman Jordan McFadden said. “But at the end of the day, you’ve got to love it. This is why you play football. To play in big-time games.”

This year’s matchup will renew a series the Tigers had dominated before the coronavirus pandemic forced a pause last season. Clemson has won eight in a row against the Wolfpack and 15 of the teams’ last 16 meetings dating back to 2004, including a 55-10 romp in the most recent one in 2019.

That also came on N.C. State’s home turf, but for Clemson to have any hope of repeating that kind of performance, the Tigers will need more out of an offense that’s looked nothing like the explosive units of years past. The Tigers are mustering the fewest yards per play in the ACC (4.82) and have yet to eclipse 14 points against a team other than South Carolina State.

Tech had some success dropping most of its defenders into coverage against the Tigers, who were caught off guard by the tactic. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said Clemson’s offense will be better prepared to deal with what they believe will be more of the same from N.C. State and other defenses after the Yellow Jackets held Clemson to 284 yards and two scores, though it’s not like the Tigers didn’t have opportunities for more.

Clemson got into Tech territory on five of its nine possessions last week with four of those reaching at least the Yellow Jackets’ 19-yard line. Clemson turned the ball over on downs on one of them and fumbled to end another scoring threat in the fourth quarter.

If N.C. State decides to defend Clemson the same way, the Tigers’ game plan could lean heavily on the running game from the start after Clemson got it going more in the second half last week (season-high 41 rush attempts). It could involve Kobe Pace, quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei and freshman Will Shipley, who’s in line for his first career start following Lyn-J Dixon’s decision to transfer.

The Tigers feel like they’re not all that far off from being more productive where it matters, though the Wolfpack don’t figure to make things easy with a defense that’s allowing just 2.7 yards per carry and has yet to yield a rushing touchdown.

“I think we’re moving the ball pretty well,” McFadden said. “We just get to the 30(-yard line) or 40 and we stall out. Instead of stalling out, we need points.”

Defensively, Clemson will put the nation’s No. 2 scoring defense up against an N.C. State offense that’s had its share of success early on. Quarterback Devin Leary is seventh in the ACC in total offense while running backs Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person Jr. are each averaging more than 5 yards per carry, though most of that production has come against South Florida and Furman, an FCS team. N.C. State (2-1, 0-0) struggled in its lone Power Five matchup so far, committing three turnovers in a 24-10 loss at Mississippi State.

Even without linebacker Payton Wilson and safety Cyrus Fagan, who are out with season-ending injuries, the Wolfpack have plenty of seasoning on both sides of the ball. They began the year with 20 starters back from last season, which brings plenty of comfort for N.C. State with what it’s doing on both sides of the ball.

“This has got to be one of the most experienced teams in the country for sure,” Swinney said.

The Tigers know they will need their most complete effort of the season in order to get out of North Carolina a winner.

“We’ve got to play well in all three phases,” Swinney said. “If we do that, we’ll have a chance to win the game. If we don’t, it’s going to be a long day.”

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

The Shipley era has begun

Following the sudden exit of veteran running back Lyn-J Dixon on Monday, all eyes have been on Clemson’s running back room. For freshman Will Shipley and the rest of CJ Spiller’s running backs though, it’s business as usual heading into their first …

Shipley, who was named ACC rookie of the week back-to-back weeks, recorded career highs in Clemson’s 14-8 victory over Georgia Tech last weekend with 21 rushing attempts and 88 rushing yards along with tying his career high of two rushing touchdowns. In his first three games, Shipley joins just two other Tigers, Deshaun Watson and Travis Etienne, as only the third true freshmen to rush for multiple touchdowns in multiple games under head coach Dabo Swinney.

“He’s special,” Swinney said. “I mean, he’s got great vision, he’s got great toughness, he’s fast… he’s a very complete player. He’s relentless. He’s a fighter for every inch. He’s not satisfied with being tackled. You know, we had a play in the game, he breaks two tackles — he breaks one in the backfield and breaks one on the outside, and if [Joseph] Ngata blocks, if he just covers the guy up, it’s a touchdown. He’s the type of guy that if everybody is working as hard as him, big plays are going to happen on the outside. Usually that’s where your biggest plays come from in the run game is when you get a guy to the second level, and you’ve got some key blocks from those receivers.”

The Weddington, N.C., native has continued to turn heads in his short time with the program, relentlessly showing up when his team needs him most, something Swinney thinks will pay dividends for both Shipley and the future of this year’s team.

“This is [just] a relentless runner and just [someone who’s] very passionate about the game, passionate about being a great teammate, and I think Kobe’s [Pace] the same way,” Swinney said about Shipley. “I think we’ve got two really really good players that are going to do some great things for us.”

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!

What sudden departure could mean for Clemson’s backfield

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Clemson’s navigation of its ACC schedule got off to a white-knuckle start Saturday as the Tigers hung on for a 14-8 win over Georgia Tech at Memorial Stadium. Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from the Tigers’ survival (not counting that 1-hour, …

The good

What can you say about the defense at this point? And, if you’re Clemson, how much more can you realistically ask of that group? The Tigers limited Tech to 2.7 yards per carry, 4.3 yards per play, got to Tech quarterback Jordan Yates for four sacks, pressured him countless other times and pitched another touchdown shutout on a day when they had to have it. Clemson is the only team in the Football Bowl Subdivision that still hasn’t allowed an opponent to reach the end zone.

Tech certainly had its chances. Three of the Yellow Jackets’ drives reached Clemson’s 5-yard line or deeper. They were turned away each time, none more timely than the Tigers holding on four straight plays from their 3 with less than 2 minutes left to keep Tech from potentially drawing even in what was an eight-point game at the time.

Clemson may also have more linebacker depth than it thought. The Tigers didn’t have Baylon Spector (knee inflammation) and played most of the game without another starting linebacker after Trenton Simpson was ejected for targeting late in the first half. But LaVonta Bentley filled in for Spector on the weak side and racked up a game-high 13 tackles (2.5 for a loss) and a sack.

And Will Shipley continued to make a strong case as the Tigers’ top running back. The freshman got more carries (21) than Kobe Pace and Lyn-J Dixon combined (12) in a game that was tightly contested throughout, an indication of what Dabo Swinney and his coaching staff think of Shipley’s talent and maturity. He scored Clemson’s only two touchdowns.

The bad

D.J. Uiagalelei wasn’t asked to do much in the passing game — and there’s certainly an argument to be made as to whether the Tigers should be doing more through the air — but the misfires on the mid-to-deep throws are starting to become a pattern for the sophomore quarterback.

Numbers-wise, Uiagalelei had his most efficient performance of the season by completing 72% of his passes (18 of 25), though almost of them were short to intermediate throws against a Tech defense that often dropped seven or eight defenders in coverage in an attempt to keep everything in front. But on the few shots Clemson did take down the field, whether they were deep crossing routes, seam routes or back-shoulder throws, Uiagalelei was well off the mark, something that’s going to have to change if the Tigers’ offense is going to reach its full potential at some point.

But on a night when the Yellow Jackets’ defense sagged off, it was a prime opportunity for Clemson to get its running game going, right? Eh.

While Shipley (4.2 yards per carry) and Uiagalelei (5.8) used speed, power and brute strength at times to turn what would’ve been short gainers into longer runs, Clemson averaged just 3.9 yards per carry as a team against a Tech defensive line that’s smaller than most it will go against this season and, again, a box that wasn’t all that crowded. In other words, the push from the offensive line was decent at best, which isn’t a great sign considering the Tigers will see better defenses in the future than what they saw Saturday.

The ugly

Swinney reiterated afterward that the Tigers are going to do whatever is needed to try to win each week, but there’s no identity to Clemson’s offense right now. The Tigers ran for 166 yards Saturday but needed 41 attempts to do it. In the opener against Georgia, Uiagalelei threw it nearly 40 times.

And the explosiveness for an offense that’s been among the most explosive in the country in recent years is sorely lacking. Uiagalelei’s longest completion went for 17 yards, and that was on a broken play where the quarterback found Pace out of the backfield for a catch-and-run first down in the first half. The Tigers’ longest run? 15 yards.

The Tigers also put the ball on the ground far too many times, which is starting to become an uncomfortable pattern. Clemson technically only had one turnover, but Uiagalelei’s fumble inside Tech’s 20-yard line early in the fourth quarter was a drive killer. It easily could’ve been more with the Tigers fumbling three other times, including one by Shipley in the shadow of his own end zone in the waning seconds of a one-possession game that nearly turned disastrous.

Of course, it was also a head-scratching coaching decision for the Tigers to still be lined up in the shotgun and start a play three yards deep in its own end zone in that situation.

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

Clemson in wait-and-see mode with freshman RB ‘as good as anybody we have’

Clemson has used the first two weeks of the season to get a look at all of its scholarship running backs in game action. All of them except one, that is. After Kobe Pace, Will Shipley and Lyn-J Dixon got all of the reps at the position in Clemson’s …

Clemson has used the first two weeks of the season to get a look at all of its scholarship running backs in game action.

All of them except one, that is.

After Kobe Pace, Will Shipley and Lyn-J Dixon got all of the reps at the position in Clemson’s opening loss to Georgia, Michel Dukes and Darien Rencher took their turn rotating in during the Tigers’ rout of South Carolina State last week. But it didn’t take long for Clemson coach Dabo Swinney to mention the one running back who’s still awaiting his chance afterward.

“(Phil) Mafah is right there with those guys, to be honest with you,” Swinney said during his postgame press conference.

Swinney again brought up Mafah unsolicited during his media availability Tuesday ahead of the Tigers’ ACC opener against Georgia Tech on Saturday at Memorial Stadium when discussing the group.

“Wait until you see Mafah. Wait until you see him,” Swinney said. “He’s as good as anybody we have.”

So why hasn’t the true freshman played yet? Swinney said the answer can largely be found in Clemson’s depth.

A tweak to players’ eligibility window made by the NCAA in 2018 allows players to appear in as many as four games while still maintaining their redshirt for that season. Dixon, Pace and Shipley are currently at the head of the running back class with Swinney saying he thinks of each one as a starter. Rencher is a sixth-year senior who’s earned the coaching staff’s trust over time while Swinney said Dukes, a sophomore, is also a capable back who should be able to help the Tigers this season despite still needing to work on that trust factor.

With the running back room still intact from a health standpoint, Swinney has opted to hold Mafah out for now, though he “definitely will” play at some point this season, Swinney said. Mafah was a consensus top-300 recruit nationally and ranked the No. 8 running back prospect by Rivals coming out of Grayson (Georgia) High last year. At 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, he’s also the biggest back on the roster.

“He’s a sledgehammer, man,” Swinney said.

But, in a perfect world, Clemson would like to redshirt him, so the plan is to be picky about which four games Mafah plays. Plans, though, can always change.

Swinney said the coaches didn’t want to waste one of those four games in a blowout win, but injuries and each back’s production are among the situations over the course of the season that will ultimately dictate whether or not the Tigers will be able to keep the redshirt on Mafah. One situation currently playing out is the dynamic between running backs coach C.J. Spiller and Dixon, who has had a much more limited role than expected with just six touches (five carries, one reception) through two games.

Like the rest of Clemson’s primary backs, Mafah is repping against the scout team during practice, not with it. It’s the Tigers’ way of keeping him ready for whenever his number is called.

“I’d like to hold him if I can,” Swinney said in reference to a redshirt. “Don’t know if we’ll be able to do that, but for sure we’ll get four games. It may be a barnburner, 27-24 game, and he’s played in that game. I don’t know. It will truly be a week-to-week deal.”

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

Is Clemson’s running back rotation here to stay?

It was used more frequently this time, but Clemson’s rotation at running back was on display again against South Carolina State. And it doesn’t sound like it’s leaving anytime soon. Lyn-J Dixon, Kobe Pace and Will Shipley all took their turns in the …

It was used more frequently this time, but Clemson’s rotation at running back was on display again against South Carolina State.

And it doesn’t sound like it’s leaving anytime soon.

Lyn-J Dixon, Kobe Pace and Will Shipley all took their turns in the Tigers’ backfield during last week’s 49-3 win, and they came quickly for each. Dixon got the start and took the handoff on Clemson’s first two offensive plays before Pace gave him a breather. By the time Clemson’s first drive ended with a touchdown a few minutes later, all three had seen the field.

The trio got the majority of their reps during the first three quarters and combined for 175 of Clemson’s 242 rushing yards. After helping the Tigers average 6.7 yards per carry and score five of their seven touchdowns on the ground, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said all three still deserve carries.

“Heck, Shipley was 10 yards a carry. Kobe was 10 yards a carry. Lyn-J did a good job with his opportunities as well,” Swinney said. “I think all three of those guys will continue to warrant opportunity, and I really don’t see that changing. We’re going to need them for sure.”

After getting just nine carries among them in Clemson’s season-opening loss to Georgia, the Tigers’ top three backs combined for 19 carries against South Carolina State. Shipley and Dixon also had three receptions between them with Dixon’s lone catch going for a 14-yard touchdown late in the third quarter.

Pace and Shipley got the bulk of the carries, though. Dixon, a senior who spent the last three seasons backing up Travis Etienne, got just two more after the opening possession and has just five carries through the first two games, which could be the norm until Dixon works his way back into the good graces of running backs coach C.J. Spiller.

After being held out of the first half against Georgia because of what Swinney described as team rules, Dixon was listed behind Pace and Shipley on the updated depth chart released ahead of Clemson’s ACC opener against Georgia Tech on Saturday. Without getting into specifics, Swinney referred to Dixon being in Spiller’s doghouse leading up to last week’s game and that Dixon “just needs to grow up” if he wants to be a more prominent part of the offensive going forward, something offensive coordinator Tony Elliott spoke on more Monday.

Pace is a sophomore experiencing his first expanded role while Shipley is the freshman speedster. But Pace said he believes each back’s skill set is complete enough to be called on regardless of the frequency or situation.

“I feel like we can all do the same thing,” Pace said. “I don’t think there’s nobody that can’t go out there on third down or fourth down and get the first down. So I think we all can do whatever needs to be done.”

Reserve backs Michel Dukes and Darien Rencher also got some extended playing time in the blowout win. Swinney said Rencher has the full trust of the coaching staff should the Tigers need him to log more snaps in the future. Dukes, who fumbled at the tail end of a reception late in the first half on a release he wasn’t supposed to make out of the backfield, is still working on earning that.

“Just wish Dukes would take another step and really become a little bit more consistent and a little more detailed in what he does because he could help us as well,” Swinney said.

The majority of the workload in the backfield, though, will be handled by the Tigers’ top three options for the foreseeable future as long as they stay healthy.

“They played well,” Swinney said. “It’s hard to see any separation there when you’ve got a couple of guys averaging 10 yards per carry.”

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

Running game shows signs of life in runaway victory

One snap is all Clemson needed to reveal its intentions for the ground game. Lyn-J Dixon took the handoff on the Tigers’ first snap and rumbled 16 yards through the middle of South Carolina State’s defense, surpassing Clemson’s rushing output from a …

One snap is all Clemson needed to reveal its intentions for the ground game.

Lyn-J Dixon took the handoff on the Tigers’ first snap and rumbled 16 yards through the middle of South Carolina State’s defense, surpassing Clemson’s rushing output from a week ago. The senior running back got another carry on the next play. Kobe Pace got a carry two plays later. Then another.

Will Shipley took his turn next. The true freshman had back-to-back runs of 4 and 8 yards before the Tigers used quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei’s legs to cap their first scoring drive with a 4-yard scamper, one in which Clemson ran seven out of nine times and covered 56 of 72 yards on the ground.

It set the tone for a much more concerted effort to get the running game going Saturday night inside Memorial Stadium — and one that was far more productive than what Clemson did in that department seven days earlier.

Granted, the Tigers took a step down in competition against the in-state Football Championship Subdivision opponent, but Clemson’s run game showed its first real signs of life early in the new season as part of the Tigers’ 49-3 rout of South Carolina State. By the time it was over, Clemson tallied 242 rushing yards, ripping off 6.7 yards per carry.

After Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and offensive coordinator Tony Elliott spent much of the week voicing regret about abandoning the running game too early in the Tigers’ 10-3 loss to Georgia last week — Clemson’s backs combined for just nine carries on a night the Tigers netted just 2 rushing yards — Clemson reversed course Saturday.

Shipley led the way with 80 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just eight carries while Pace followed with 68 on seven, but the Tigers got numerous players carries early and often.

Clemson dialed up 10 more runs on its next three possessions (out of 16 total plays), all of which ended in touchdowns. Uiagalelei got his number called in mostly short-yardage situations with two of his five totes going for scores.

Freshman quarterback Will Taylor, who’s doubling as the Tigers’ primary punt returner, even got in on the action, carrying three times for 15 yards as part of a red-zone package. It would’ve been more had his 19-yard touchdown run on Clemson’s second possession counted, but an illegal block by receiver Joseph Ngata negated the score.

Clemson ran the ball 36 times with 21 of those attempts coming in the first two quarters when most of the Tigers’ primary backs were still getting reps and helping the Tigers build a 35-3 halftime lead. By the time Shipley dashed into the end zone from 13 yards out for Clemson’s first score of the third quarter, Clemson had already racked up 190 rushing yards. The Tigers were averaging well over 7 yards a tote until later in the game.

Clemson did it behind different combinations up front as the Tigers began starting rotating offensive linemen early, and it helped the Tigers turn in a more balanced effort offensively. They finished with 504 yards, and all but two of their touchdowns were of the rushing variety.
How Saturday’s showing carries over to next week’s ACC opener against Georgia Tech remains to be seen, but it was a bounceback performance that figures to double as a boost of confidence for a running game that needed it.

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

Clemson takes care of business in home opener

Clemson walloped FCS-foe South Carolina State 49-3 at Memorial Stadium in its first home game in front of a full-capacity crowd since November 2019. The sixth-ranked Tigers’ win secured a program record 18 th straight win in a home opener which …

Clemson walloped FCS-foe South Carolina State 49-3 at Memorial Stadium in its first home game in front of a full-capacity crowd since November 2019.

The sixth-ranked Tigers’ win secured a program record 18^th straight win in a home opener which bested a 17-year streak from 1944-60 under late head coach Frank Howard.

They also improved to a perfect 36-0 record against FCS opponents since the division’s inception in 1978.

Clemson relied on a steady rushing attack in the lopsided victory with 242 yards rushing on 37 carries with five touchdowns on the ground. The Tigers finished the game with 504 yards of total offense.

Will Shipley led the way on the ground with eight carries for 80 yards and his first two touchdowns in a Clemson uniform. The freshman scored on a seven-yard carry in the first quarter and added a 13-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

Kobe Pace added seven carries for 68 yards and a touchdown.

The Tigers (1-1) opened the game with four touchdowns in the first quarter to jump out to an early 28-0 lead. It marked the first time in head coach Dabo Swinney’s tenure a Clemson team scored three touchdowns on the ground in a frame.

Clemson added another touchdown in the second quarter on a five-yard run by D.J. Uiagalelei to extend its lead to 35-0 with 6:43 to play in the first half.

South Carolina State eliminated the possibility for a shutout after recovering a fumble by Mikey Dukes at the Clemson 36 yard-line gave it a short field in the second quarter.

The Bulldogs (0-2) capped off a six play 26-yard drive with a 27-yard field goal by Dyson Roberts to cut the score to 35-3 with 0:19 remaining in the second quarter.

Uiagalelei showed improvement from a rough start in the season opener against Georgia. He completed 14-of-24 passes for 181 yards a touchdown and an interception.

The lone passing touchdown by the sophomore was an 11-yard toss Justyn Ross that put the Tigers up 28-0 with 2:21 to play in the first quarter.

Uiagalelei added five carries for 23 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground from four and five yards out respectively.

Defensively Clemson built onto its already stellar reputation as it held the Bulldogs to 235 total yards in the contest.

The Tigers also kept S.C. State out of the end zone and have not surrendered a touchdown through the first two games this season.

Clemson returns to action next Saturday as it hosts Georgia Tech (1-1) at Memorial Stadium.

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

Tigers pouring it on the Bulldogs

Sixth-ranked Clemson is pouring it on early against South Carolina State at Death Valley on Saturday. The Tigers took a 21-0 lead over the Bulldogs at the 3:21 mark of the first quarter when Kobe Pace rushed right up the middle for a 2-yard …

Sixth-ranked Clemson is pouring it on early against South Carolina State at Death Valley on Saturday.

The Tigers took a 21-0 lead over the Bulldogs at the 3:21 mark of the first quarter when Kobe Pace rushed right up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown.

The score capped an eight-play, 56-yard drive that spanned 2:13.

Pace had five rushes for 48 yards on the drive.

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