3 keys to a Clemson win over Pitt

Clemson kept itself in ACC contention for at least another week with its narrow victory over Syracuse last week. The 24th-ranked Tigers will try to do so again in the face of one of its biggest challenges so far Saturday at No. 23 Pittsburgh. A win …

Clemson kept itself in ACC contention for at least another week with its narrow victory over Syracuse last week. The 24th-ranked Tigers will try to do so again in the face of one of its biggest challenges so far Saturday at No. 23 Pittsburgh.

A win would also give Clemson (4-2, 3-1 ACC) its longest winning streak of the season at three games. So what will the Tigers have to do to accomplish all of that against the Panthers (5-1, 2-0)? Here are three keys:

Start roaring in the 20s

Asked early in the week if he felt like Clemson needed to get somewhere in the 20s with its point total to have a realistic chance Saturday, offensive coordinator Tony Elliott was non-committal.

“We’ve just got to score points,” Elliott said. “I don’t know if there’s a number, but we’ve got to consistently score points.”

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney was more a little more emphatic during his weekly radio show appearance Monday, telling listeners the Tigers better score “some dadgum points.”

The bottom line is scoring in the teens almost certainly isn’t going to cut it this week. Not against a Pitt team that, before only scoring 28 points in a blowout win at Virginia Tech last week, was scoring more than anyone in the Football Bowl Subdivision. That dropped the Panthers all the way down to third in that category at 48.5 points per game.

Meanwhile, points continue to be hard to come by for Clemson. The Tigers went three quarters without a touchdown against Syracuse, and their only points of the second half came on a B.T. Potter field goal. Clemson has yet to break the 20-point barrier against an FBS team in regulation, and the Tigers needed double overtime just to get to 21 in their loss at North Carolina State.

So how can the Tigers realistically flip that script Saturday?

Cutting out the penalties, drops and blown blocking assignments would help. So would continuity along the offensive line. That’s something Clemson hasn’t had much at all this season, but with center Hunter Rayburn (COVID-19 protocols) out again this week, the Tigers are in line to starting the same five up front for the second straight week after inserting Mason Trotter at center against Syracuse. And keep manufacturing yards on the ground. Kobe Pace is averaging more than 5 yards per carry over the last two games, and Pitt has also been susceptible to chunk plays against the RPO (run-pass option).

Keep Pitt’s offense on the sideline

Clemson (ranked second nationally in points allowed) is easily the best defense Pitt has faced this season, but the Panthers also undoubtedly have the best offense the Tigers have gone up against so far. So this is a matchup of strength against strength.

And one way to lessen the impact of a team’s strength is to limit the frequency with which it tries to impose it.

Given the aforementioned struggles Clemson is having putting points on the scoreboard, the less times quarterback Kenny Pickett and this Pitt offense touch the ball, the better for the Tigers. It’s easier said than done, but don’t be at all surprised to see Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables throw the kitchen sink at Pickett and this Panthers offensive line to generate pressure on early downs to try to get Pitt behind the chains and set up more advantageous third-down scenarios for the Tigers’ defense to quickly get off the field.

If Clemson can do that more times than not, then it will be up to the offense to do its part in keeping the Panthers’ offense on the sideline. The Tigers will take points however they can muster them at this point, but it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for Clemson to put together methodical drives that drain time off the clock and shorten the game (and result in points, of course). The only problem with that is the Tigers have rarely shown the ability to piece together a string of plays without at some point imploding with a self-inflicted drive-killer.

If the day is full of more three-and-outs that immediately put Pitt’s offense back on the field, it could end up being a long one for Clemson.

Keep forcing Pickett into mistake

Pickett, who’s throwing for more than 320 yards per game, is the engine that makes the Panthers’ offense go. He’s also done a significantly better job protecting the football with just one interception to this point, a far cry from the 18 he combined to throw the last two seasons.

But Clemson has had success throwing Pickett off his game over the course of his time with the Panthers.

This will be the third time the Tigers have seen Pickett. The first was the 2018 ACC championship game when Pickett was a first-time starter as a sophomore. Most recently, Pickett and the Panthers made the trip to Clemson last season.

Pickett’s combined stat line against Clemson? 26 of 55 (47% completion rate), 217 yards, two touchdowns, five interceptions. The combined score of those games? Clemson 94, Pitt 27.

Clemson has won the turnover battle in each of its last two games and, not surprisingly, won them. Now 80-6 during Swinney’s tenure when doing so, it continues to be one of the more advantageous stats for the Tigers under the current regime.

It’s also hard to envision Clemson getting out of Heinz Field with a win Saturday unless it can do it again.

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Clemson vs. Pitt: Who has the edge?

No. 24 Clemson (4-2, 3-1 ACC) will stay on the road Saturday for a cross-division matchup with No. 23 Pittsburgh (5-1, 2-0). Kickoff from Heinz Field is set for 3:30 p.m. The game will be televised by ESPN. Clemson’s offense vs. Pittsburgh’s …

No. 24 Clemson (4-2, 3-1 ACC) will stay on the road Saturday for a cross-division matchup with No. 23 Pittsburgh (5-1, 2-0). Kickoff from Heinz Field is set for 3:30 p.m. The game will be televised by ESPN.

Clemson’s offense vs. Pittsburgh’s defense: Name an area, and Clemson’s offense is probably struggling in it. And it doesn’t figure to get any easier against an attacking defense like Pitt’s.

While the Panthers’ high-flying offense is getting most of the headlines, the defense has quietly put together a solid season. Pitt is ranked in the top 35 nationally in points allowed (20 per game), yards allowed (319.3) and rush defense (100.2).

Pitt operates out of a 4-3 under head coach Pat Narduzzi, who came to the Panthers seven years after a successful stint as Michigan State’s defensive coordinator, One of Narduzzi’s trademarks is cover 4 (or quarters) coverage on the back end that can look like man since Narduzzi likes to play press coverage with his corners. That could create some isolated matchups in the passing game if the Tigers can occupy Pitt’s safeties, but that’s going to require Clemson to run the ball effectively.

That’s something the Tigers have done better with at times. Kobe Pace is averaging 6.3 yards a carry over the last two games, but can another starting five on the offensive line open up enough running lanes against an aggressive Pitt defense averaging more than seven tackles for loss?

And can Clemson simply make the plays that are there to be made? Because that’s been as big an issue as any. Missed blocking assignments (both up front and on the perimeter), dropped passes and penalties continue to plague an offense that just doesn’t have much room for error. It’s made any sort of rhythm virtually impossible for the Tigers’ offense to attain. Advantage: Pitt

Clemson’s defense vs. Pitt’s offense: This is the highly anticipated matchup. Only Coastal Carolina and Ohio State are scoring more points on average in the FBS than Pitt (48.3). Meanwhile, top-ranked Georgia is the only team giving up fewer points than Clemson (12.3).

Did the Tigers hint at how they plan to defend Kenny Pickett and the Panthers last week? Clemson played more odd fronts than they have all season against Syracuse, a strange strategy considering the Orange’s strengths running the ball. It appeared defensive coordinator Brent Venables was willing to give up a few chunk plays on the ground knowing Syracuse couldn’t consistently beat Clemson through the air out of that look.

That won’t be the case this week. Pitt has been pretty balanced with its play calls (244 rush, 223 pass), but the Panthers have been explosive and efficient when they’ve put the ball in the air. Pickett is completing right at 70% of his passes for an offense averaging 358 passing yards per game. Pickett’s averaging completion covers 13.5 yards.

Pitt often utilizes 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end), but the Panthers aren’t shy about putting four receivers on the field or even going empty. That’s why Clemson could opt to put more defensive backs on the field, but regardless how they do it, the Tigers will need to generate pressure to get Pickett out of his comfort zone.

Being as close to full strength as possible would also help Clemson, particularly at corner. Andrew Booth (hamstring) missed last week’s game while Fred Davis (ankle) has yet to suit up this month, but Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is optimistic about both playing Saturday. Advantage: Draw

Special teams: Clemson’s specialists continued to come up big against Syracuse. Will Spiers completed a pass for a first down on a fake punt to extend a drive late in the first half that ultimately finished in the end zone. He’s also averaging 42.2 yards per punt.

And B.T. Potter keeps connecting on field goals Clemson has needed to keep pulling out these white-knucklers. His 40-yarder in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference in Clemson’s three-point win. Halfway through the season, his lone miss is still that 58-yarder against South Carolina State that would’ve been a career-long.

Pitt hasn’t had to use its kicker much given the frequency with which it’s found the end zone, but Sam Scarlton is 4-for-4 on field goals. Kirk Christodoulou is averaging 41 yards per punt. The Panthers are averaging just 18.9 yards on kickoff returns and 4.4 yards on punt returns. Advantage: Clemson

Bottom line: Even if injuries don’t have Clemson playing at the same suffocating level it was early in the season, the Tigers’ defense has proven it’s good enough to keep them in every game. But even if Clemson is able to hold Pitt to half of its season scoring average, that would still put the Panthers’ point total in the mid-to-high 20s. Based on what the Tigers have shown offensively to this point, there’s no reason to think they can score that much.

Prediction: Pittsburgh 28, Clemson 17

 

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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Clemson reaches into bag of tricks for ‘huge game-changer’

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Clemson’s offense continues to do its part in making sure the Tigers play the same game each week, and that’s not a good thing. A week after seemingly taking a couple of steps forward against Boston College (438 total yards), the …

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Clemson’s offense continues to do its part in making sure the Tigers play the same game each week, and that’s not a good thing.

A week after seemingly taking a couple of steps forward against Boston College (438 total yards), the Tigers went backward against Syracuse on Friday in a win that was once again too close for comfort. Clemson (4-2, 3-1 ACC) again failed to reach the 20-point mark against an FBS opponent, mustering just 319 yards and failing to get out of its own way at times with penalties, drops and missed assignments that again left it up to the nation’s second-best scoring defense to bail the Tigers out.

It wasn’t until Syracuse’s Andrew Szmyt sent a 48-yard field goal wide left with 38 seconds left that the Tigers could breathe yet another sigh of relief in their 17-14 win. It was their fourth straight one-possession game and third victory decided by six points or less.

But a couple of quarters earlier, with a somewhat promising drive going, the Tigers reached into their bag of tricks for a play that ultimately helped them prevail.

“The fake punt was huge,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.

With Clemson facing fourth-and-5 from Syracuse’s 41-yard line with 1 minutes, 10 seconds left in the second quarter, Swinney called a timeout to think it over. He ultimately decided to send the punt team out kick it away. Or so he let on.

“I was coming off the sideline, and I was pissed,” quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei said. “I was like, ‘Dang, why the heck aren’t we going for it?’ Coach Swinney, he wouldn’t tell nobody.”

The only other people that knew were punter Will Spiers, his protectors and his gunners, who had been practicing this particular fake all season, Swinney said. The formation, though, seemed to indicate something was up.

Receiver Joseph Ngata lined up off the ball to the boundary behind three potential blockers, including tight end Davis Allen. After the snap, Ngata looked toward Spiers as if he was supposed to be the intended receiver. Only that wasn’t the case.

Spiers faked a pass to Ngata as Allen, who initially acted like he was blocking, leaked out of the formation down the sideline. Syracuse didn’t bite on the pump fake, but Spiers let Allen matriculate down the field and heaved a pass his way anyway.

Clemson punter Will Spiers (48) throws a pass on a fake punt play against Syracuse during the 1st half at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. Friday, Oct. 15, 2021 Bart Boatwright/The Clemson Insider

Syracuse cornerback Garrett Williams had Allen covered, but the 6-foot-6, 250-pounder extended over Williams to haul in a 17-yard pass to keep the drive alive.

“I just felt like we had it set up,” Swinney said. “And it was just a matter of making the right type of throw, and (Spiers) did. And Davis went up and finished the play.”

Of course, Spiers being a former high school quarterback gives Swinney more comfort in making that call. Uiagalelei said Spiers, who also serves as Clemson’s emergency signal caller, slings the ball around during seven-on-seven drills in the summer.

“That was a dime, man,” Uiagalelei said. “That was a huge game-changer.”

It’s the second straight season the Tigers have successfully pulled off a fake punt against Syracuse. Without it, Clemson may have been lamenting a loss late Friday night instead of discussing a win.

Seven plays after Spiers’ completion, the Tigers went up 14-7 on Kobe Pace’s 2-yard touchdown run in the final seconds of the second quarter. It put Clemson in position to take a two-score lead on B.T. Potter’s 40-yard field goal with 9:22 left in the fourth quarter, a cushion the Tigers needed after Syracuse made things interesting late.

“It was a big play for us,” Swinney said. 

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Late score gives Tigers halftime lead

Clemson entered the halftime break with a 14-7 lead over Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. The Tigers jumped in front at the end of the half on a two yard touchdown run by Kobe Pace with 0:09 to play in the second quarter. Clemson struck first after …

Clemson entered the halftime break with a 14-7 lead over Syracuse at the Carrier Dome.

The Tigers jumped in front at the end of the half on a two yard touchdown run by Kobe Pace with 0:09 to play in the second quarter.

Clemson struck first after Tyler Venables set up a scoring drive and stopped the Orange in the red zone with 1:03 to play in the first quarter with an interception at Clemson’s own seven yard-line.

On the ensuing drive Clemson moved the ball 87 yards in 13 plays and chewed 6:57 off the clock.

The Tigers capped off the drive with a 19 yard touchdown pass on third-and-13 from D.J. Uiagalelei to Joseph Ngata to take a 7-0 lead with 9:06 to play in the half.

Syracuse evened things up on a two yard touchdown run by Garrett Shrader on the next drive to answer Tigers with 5:33 remaining in the second quarter. Sean Tucker set up the score with a 39 yard run to the Clemson two.

The Orange drive covered 91 yards in 10 plays and 3:28.

Tucker finished the first half with 12 carries for 132 yards and a score, it marked his sixth consecutive 100 yard rushing game as he became the country’s leading rusher in the FBS.

After stalling offensively its next possession Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney made a gutsy call when faced with fourth-and-5 on the Syracuse 41 with 1:05 left in the half. Will Spiers executed a fake punt pass for a 17 yard completion to Davis Allen.

The decision paid off when Kobe Pace punched it in for a two yard touchdown run with 0:09 left in the half to give Clemson a 14-7 lead.

The Tigers get the ball to start the second half.

Offense’s focus simple heading to Syracuse

The stats indicate Clemson’s offense still has a ways to go. Some of the Tigers’ players, however, are holding steadfast in their belief there’s not as far to go as one might think. “We’re right there,” quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei said. The Tigers’ …

The stats indicate Clemson’s offense still has a ways to go. Some of the Tigers’ players, however, are holding steadfast in their belief there’s not as far to go as one might think.

“We’re right there,” quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei said.

The Tigers’ offensive production — or lack thereof at times — continues to be a major talking point in Clemson’s season, and those involved with it continue to be adamant that the nation’s 112th-ranked scoring offense is close to turning things around. After the Tigers’ most recent outing, there’s been a particular focus as the offense enters its second week of preparation for Friday’s game at Syracuse.

“There’s a lot of things for us to love out there that we see on film,” offensive tackle Jordan McFadden said. “We’ve just got to go finish.”

What turned up on film was the most tangible evidence yet that Clemson’s offense could be closer to breaking through than the overall stats might suggest. In their 19-13 win over Boston College — the most regulation points they’ve scored against an FBS opponent this season — the Tigers rolled up 438 total yards with 231 of those coming on the ground, good for the second-highest outputs all season in those categories. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said a lot of it had to do with improved execution along an offensive line that ran out its third different starting lineup in five games.

Five of Clemson’s seven drives into Boston College territory reached, at minimum, the 25-yard line. The problem was the Tigers’ execution the closer they got to the goal line. Only Kobe Pace’s long touchdown run early in the first quarter, which started on Clemson’s side of midfield, reached the end zone.

The other four possessions ended with a B.T. Potter field goal.

“I feel like, against Boston College, the only thing we didn’t do was score touchdowns,” McFadden said. “I think that’s the next step for us, putting the ball in the end zone. We moved the ball all the way down the field and then we’d kick a field goal. We’d stall out.”

Uiagalelei said periods in practice during the bye week were dedicated to finishing drives in the end zone.

“Even though B.T. is a great kicker, we want to be able to turn those field goals into touchdowns, especially when we get into the red zone,” Uiagalelei said.

Those kind of struggles were atypical of how Clemson has generally performed when it’s had opportunities deep in opponent territory. The Tigers have converted more than 82% of their red-zone trips into points — and usually six instead of three. Of their 14 red-zone scores, 11 have been touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Syracuse is allowing 24 points a game with its red-zone defensive splits being nearly down the middle. Opponents have scored 19 times on 23 red-zone trips against the Orange. Ten of those have been touchdowns.

Tight end Sage Ennis said Syracuse does a lot of “flying around” defensively. Specifically, he noticed a good bit of run blitzing from the Orange in their overtime loss to Wake Forest last week. Selling out to stop the run could create more one-on-one matchups in the passing game for Clemson, which the Tigers saw a lot from Boston College given how effectively they ran the ball against the Eagles.

Uiagalelei overthrew nearly every deep balls in those situations, something he and Swinney said has to get corrected to help increase the Tigers’ chances of finishing drives in the end zone.

“At the end of the day, we’ve just got to be prepared because they do have a lot of movement,” Ennis said.

If the Tigers can finish against Syracuse, the offense’s tune might change from talking about what could’ve been to what was.

“I think last week (against Boston College) was just a glimpse of what we can do,” McFadden said. “I’m excited to see what we do Friday. I’m expecting big things.”

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Can Clemson’s running game build on breakout performance?

Clemson didn’t look like the same team running the ball against Boston College that it’s been for much of the season. That’s good news for the Tigers. After weeks of going virtually nowhere on the ground (not counting its meeting with a physically …

Clemson didn’t look like the same team running the ball against Boston College that it’s been for much of the season.

That’s good news for the Tigers.

After weeks of going virtually nowhere on the ground (not counting its meeting with a physically overmatched FCS opponent in South Carolina State), No. 25 Clemson (3-2, 2-1 ACC) finally found some consistency in the running game against the Eagles. The end result was the Tigers’ second 200-yard rushing game of the season.

After averaging 87.6 yards per game on the ground against its first three FBS opponents, the Tigers racked up 231 yards in their win over Boston College, which was allowing just 99.7 rushing yards coming in, a stat that ranked in the top 25 nationally. The S.C. State game (242) is the only one in which Clemson has rushed for more.

“We stopped the run and got the run game going,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “It was definitely the difference in the game.”

Clemson has dealt with attrition at running back throughout the season. First, it was senior Lyn-J Dixon deciding to leave the program three games in. Then freshman Will Shipley sustained a lower leg injury late against North Carolina State that will keep him out multiple games, but it was hard to tell against Boston College.

Kobe Pace had a career-high 125 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown that doubled as Clemson’s longest play from scrimmage this season. True freshman Phil Mafah got his first collegiate snaps because of that attrition and ripped off 58 yards on just eight carries. The Tigers averaged 5.8 yards per tote, easily the most against a team not named S.C. State.

Clemson will try to build on that performance its next time out Friday at Syracuse (3-3, 0-2). But to get a better idea of how the Tigers may try to go about doing that, it’s important to understand what led to the breakthrough against Boston College.

The first part of the equation isn’t complicated, Swinney said. The Tigers’ retooled offensive line tried a couple of different starting combinations through the first four weeks of the season and went with a third against the Eagles out of necessity. It was also the most effective one to date.

With right guard Will Putnam (toe) injured, the Tigers slid Matt Bockhorst over and inserted Hunter Rayburn into the starting lineup at center. Freshman Marcus Tate also got another start at left guard after being replaced by Paul Tchio there a week earlier. 

It’s a group that’s struggled with sheer physicality as well as blocking assignments and communication at times with so many moving parts, but Swinney said none of that was an issue against the Eagles.

“The offensive line really played well,” Swinney said. “We didn’t have the critical errors. We didn’t have miscommunication. We weren’t turning guys that were supposed to be blocked loose. We really communicated well, targeted well and were very physical.”

Mafah echoed his coach’s sentiment when asked why he felt like the running game was more effective than it’s been for much of the season.

“As a team, we’ve just been talking about just really imposing our will on our opponent,” Mafah said. “Dabo is always talking about in practice that we need to bring that to the game field, and I just feel like the o-linemen and the offense, we just came with that intensity. I felt like the offensive line did a great job (last week), so I give a lot of props to them, (offensive line) coach (Robbie) Caldwell and our coaches for allowing us the opportunity to get that open.”

Clemson also made a point to get the backs out on the perimeter with stretch plays, pitches and options. Mafah’s longest run — a 26-yarder late in the first half — came on one of those stretch plays where he ran through an opening off tackle and wasn’t met by a Boston College defender until he was more than 5 yards past the line of scrimmage.

Mafah broke a couple of would-be tackles to help turn it into one of Clemson’s longest runs of the night, but Swinney said attacking the Eagles on the edge wasn’t necessarily about how Boston College was defending the Tigers. The stretch has been a staple of Clemson’s playbook this season, but Swinney again pointed to the group up front for the primary difference in its effectiveness this time around.

“We run the inside zone and the outside zone, but we just blocked it better the other night,” Swinney said. “When you block it well, good things happen. And we ran it well. Ran the right tracks. Again, we were able to get in rhythm and, all of a sudden, you start playing some complementary football as far as how you can complement plays and get in a rhythm as far as calling the plays.”

And, more heavily than he’s been all season, Clemson also got D.J. Uiagalelei involved in the running game again. The Tigers’ 6-foot-4, 247-pound quarterback had a season-high 12 carries for 50 yards, most of those coming on designed runs between the tackles. The Tigers also ran their share of zone reads, where Uiagalelei has the option to hand off or keep the ball based on how the defensive line plays it. Swinney said there were a couple of times where Uiagalelei could’ve likely picked up even more yards on the ground had he pulled the ball, but he largely made the right decisions to hand off to Pace and Mafah in those situations, Swinney added.

The Tigers’ success on the ground forced Boston College to commit an extra defender or two to the box and play more man coverage than Clemson has seen this season. Uiagalelei didn’t connect on any of those throws deep down the field, something Swinney said has to start happening if Clemson is going to make defenses pay for playing that way, but it’s largely up to the running game to keep giving the Tigers one-on-one matchups on the outside.

“We had to prove we can run the ball, and when you can do that, then you open things up in the passing game,” Swinney said.

As for which lineup the Tigers go with on the offensive line against Syracuse, that’s something that continues to be evaluated, Swinney said. Part of that depends on if Putnam is able to give it a go against the Orange, another defense ranked in the top 35 nationally in rushing yards allowed (114 per game). 

If so, Clemson could move Bockhorst back to left guard, where he played last season, and keep Rayburn at center. Another option would be to stick with the same lineup as last week if Putnam has to miss another game. 

Ultimately, the Tigers need the running game to continue doing its part if the offense is going to maximize its potential over the final seven games and help keep Clemson in the ACC title race.

“If the defense wants to give us a box to run on all day, we’ve got to do our best to run against it,” Rayburn said. “If they want to play a little light coverage and let us throw the ball, then let’s throw it. We’ve got to be ready for whatever defense we play and just take what they give us.”

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Former Clemson, NFL player: No question who Tigers’ No. 1 RB should be

A former Clemson and NFL player recently discussed Clemson’s running back situation and says there’s no doubt in his mind who the No. 1 back should be, even when freshman Will Shipley returns to action from the leg injury that currently has him …

A former Clemson and NFL player recently discussed Clemson’s running back situation and says there’s no doubt in his mind who the No. 1 back should be, even when freshman Will Shipley returns to action from the leg injury that currently has him sidelined.

Coty Sensabaugh – a standout cornerback at Clemson from 2007-11 who went on to play with several different teams in the NFL from 2012-19 – said during the “One-on-Ones” show with former Louisville and NFL wide receiver Harry Douglas that he believes sophomore Kobe Pace should be the lead back for the Tigers moving forward.

Against Boston College last Saturday, Pace recorded a career-high 125 yards on 19 carries with one touchdown. It marked Clemson’s first 100-yard rushing performance of the season, and his 59-yard touchdown run marked the longest play of Pace’s career and Clemson’s longest play from scrimmage of the season.

“I don’t think there’s any question, whether Will Shipley’s playing or not, who should be the No. 1 guy,” Sensabaugh said. “And that’s not a knock on Will Shipley, but I think you’ve got to keep Pace as the lead dog. I think he had a rush for 59 yards, and if I’m not mistaken, that was the longest play on offense Clemson’s had all year, which is crazy.”

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

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

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

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

Quarterback

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

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

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

Running back

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

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

Receivers and tight ends

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

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

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

Offensive line

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

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

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

Overall

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

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Pace responded to Swinney chewing with his best game

Clemson handed Boston College its first defeat of the season in Week 5 of college football. The Tigers won 19-13 in a game that kept fans on the edge of their seats. One of the key players coming out of this game was Clemson running back Kobe Pace. …

Clemson handed Boston College its first defeat of the season in Week 5 of college football. The Tigers won 19-13 in a game that kept fans on the edge of their seats.

One of the key players coming out of this game was Clemson running back Kobe Pace. After being called for a false-start penalty that had the coaching staff crazed on the sideline, Pace quickly turned his game around to score a 59-yard touchdown run on the next drive. 

Pace reacted to that penalty.

“Things happened. You just got to move on, have short-term memory and just play the game,” Pace said. “I mean, mistakes are going to happen. That was on me. (Clemson coach Dabo Swinney) chewed me out. I took it and just moved onto the next play.” 

“I thought he did a good job,” offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. “Really proud of him in how he responded because he had the false-start penalty there and obviously Coach (Swinney) was coaching him very hard, and he comes back and he puts together a really, really good game. Caught the ball on the perimeter well for us. He looked like the guy that we all saw coming out of spring ball. Just looked confident and found the big run.” 

Pace told the media this week he thinks his team took a step forward in Saturday’s game.

“I feel like we all worked together. We all came together,” Pace said. “That’s one thing that we’d been missing out on, just all coming together and just playing as one.” 

Pace recorded a career-high 125 yards on 18 carries with one touchdown in the game. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound running back from Cedartown, Georgia, said he loved playing in the atmosphere Saturday night in Death Valley, admitting the Tigers “fed off of the energy that the crowd gave.”