Lyn-J Dixon – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Shipley reveals there was trouble in running backs room

Will Shipley provided insight into the drama that clouded Clemson’s running back room early this season. On Saturday the Tigers rushed for 333 yards as Kobe Pace and Shipley carried the ball 24 times for 191 yards and 19 times for 112 yards …

Will Shipley provided insight into the drama that clouded Clemson’s running back room early this season.

On Saturday the Tigers rushed for 333 yards as Kobe Pace and Shipley carried the ball 24 times for 191 yards and 19 times for 112 yards respectively.

Shipley credited their success on the ground to tight relationships off the field but that hasn’t always been the case.

“The relationships that we have been able to create and just how happy we are for each other, that’s a great sign of how our room is,” Shipley said. “I think there was a lot of jealousy and some bad make up in our room early in season.”

“And the happiness for one another we have is just great and it’s great to know that somebody can prosper and somebody else is happy for them rather than wishing on their downfall in the background,” he continued.

Two running backs transferred out earlier this season. Lyn-J Dixon entered the transfer portal after Clemson’s win over Georgia Tech and Mikey Dukes entered the portal after the win at Syracuse.

In Shipley’s assessment the transfers only served to make the Tigers stronger.

“In an obvious way I think we’ve lost a couple of soldiers, but I think what it’s really done has made us closer as a group because we’ve had so much adversity with guys transferring out,” Shipley said.

“We had five or six guys that could all produce and not everybody was getting to, so I think some jealousy arose, some emotions arose and everything has figured itself out,” he said. “God has a funny way of panning it out and he’s done that.”

Shipley credited running back’s coach C.J. Spiller for the way he handled the adversity early in the season.

“He handled it great, he’s great with handling relationships and communicating in a great way with all of his players,” Shipley said. “In my experience with him he will call you in the room and he tells you what you need to hear.”

Swinney: Tigers ‘could beat a lot of people’ with injured players, transfers

Clemson could field an entire offense – and a solid one, at that – with players who are either currently sidelined by injuries or who entered the transfer portal. It’s been that type of season for the Tigers with all the attrition they’ve endured. …

Clemson could field an entire offense – and a solid one, at that – with players who are either currently sidelined by injuries or who entered the transfer portal.

It’s been that type of season for the Tigers with all the attrition they’ve endured.

“We’re lean. We’re lean,” Swinney said during his post-practice media availability Wednesday evening. “We could have a pretty good offensive football team. We probably could beat a lot of people with the guys that are out.”

Swinney rattled off a list of injured players/transfers that the Tigers could put together an offense with.

“The offensive line, I was looking at it today … You’ve got (Matt) Bockhorst and John Williams and Dietrick (Pennington) and (Paul) Tchio and Tayquon (Johnson),” Swinney said. “You’ve got five linemen, (Braden) Galloway at tight end, you’ve got Lyn-J (Dixon) and (Michel) Dukes at running back. You’ve got J-Ross (Justyn Ross) and (Frank) Ladson and (Joseph) Ngata and Will Taylor and (Brannon) Spector. So, we’ll put Will Taylor at quarterback, and we’ll have a whole offense. That’d be a pretty good offense right there.”

As for the aforementioned offensive linemen, Bockhorst suffered a season-ending ACL injury at Pittsburgh, while Williams (undisclosed injury) and Johnson (torn pectoral muscle) have not played this season. Pennington (ACL) has played only four snaps.

Tchio, Dixon and Dukes all entered the transfer portal. Galloway has been out since sustaining a shoulder injury at Pitt.

Ross will have surgery Thursday to repair the stress fracture in his foot, making last week’s game against Connecticut potentially his last in a Clemson uniform. Ladson is out for the season with a groin injury, while Ngata is dealing with a foot injury, and Spector hasn’t played yet this season after contracting COVID earlier this year. Taylor suffered a season-ending ACL injury in the Boston College game.

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Clemson’s offense getting a lift from its turnaround on the ground

Clemson had its most tangible sign of offensive improvement Saturday against Florida State. Once Will Shipley crossed the goal line late in the fourth quarter to cap a 21-yard touchdown run for his personal highlight reel, the Tigers’ offense had …

Clemson had its most tangible sign of offensive improvement Saturday against Florida State.

Once Will Shipley crossed the goal line late in the fourth quarter to cap a 21-yard touchdown run for his personal highlight reel, the Tigers’ offense had scored its 23rd point in what turned into a 30-20 win for the home team inside Memorial Stadium. The last time Clemson had cracked the seal on 20 regulation points against an FBS opponent before then? That College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Ohio State back in January.

As marginal as it may be, Clemson’s offense has been making strides for the better part of a month now. The Tigers still rank 114th out of 130 FBS teams in total offense, but after averaging just 226 yards against its first three FBS opponents, Clemson has accumulated at least 314 in each of its last four. The best performances — 438 yards against Boston College and 377 against FSU — have come since the start of October, though five turnovers in the last two games haven’t helped the Tigers in their attempt to cash in more on the scoreboard.

But there’s one facet of the offense Clemson can largely thank for those strides: A ground game that’s finding some consistency.

While the passing game continues to be sporadic (177.8 passing yards per game), Clemson’s rushing totals are trending up. Yes, the Tigers still rank in the bottom half nationally in that category, too, but it’s much closer to the top half — 81st nationally, to be exact — than any of the Tigers’ other major statistical categories on that side of the ball.

Clemson kept running into Georgia’s brick wall to the tune of 2 net yards in its opening loss and didn’t surpass 158 yards on the ground against anybody other than FCS member South Carolina State through the season’s first month. Since then, the Tigers are averaging nearly 175 rushing yards over their last four games, including 188 against the Seminoles.

Clemson is averaging 4.7 yards per carry during that span — 1.7 more than its first three games against FBS foes.

“Just better execution,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “We’ve always run the zone, some variation of it whether it’s the inside zone or outside zone. We run the counter. We run the quarterback plays. We run the power and get on the edge some. Just doing a little better job than we were in the early part of the year.”

The encouraging part for the Tigers beyond just the sheer uptick in the numbers is the fact it’s happening despite doors in the backfield and along the offensive line that won’t stop revolving. Matt Bockhorst’s season-ending knee injury against Pitt forced Clemson to go with its fifth different starting combination up front against FSU while the Tigers’ leading rusher, Kobe Pace, wasn’t available last week because of COVID-19 protocols.

With Lyn-J Dixon and reserve back Michel Dukes leaving the program during the first half of the season, true freshmen Will Shipley, fresh off his return from a lower leg injury, and Phil Mafah were two of Clemson’s three available scholarship backs against FSU. The other one, veteran Darien Rencher, has only played in one game this season.

There was more shuffling once the game started. Mason Trotter started his third straight game at center but got banged up, which brought Hunter Rayburn off the bench to finish the game. Guard Will Putnam rolled an ankle and briefly left the game. He returned, but Swinney said he and Trotter are day to day heading into Saturday’s game at Louisville.

Yet despite more moving pieces, offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said the line’s communication has improved over the course of the season, which has helped the group keep the missed assignments to a minimum of late.

“Credit to (offensive line coach) Robbie (Caldwell) and those guys up front, man,” Elliott said. “They’ve been under a lot of scrutiny here this season. Those guys come to work every single day.”

Shipley and Mafah handled the rest against the Seminoles.

Shipley got his most hefty workload of the season (25 carries) finished with a career-high 128 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Mafah ripped off Clemson’s longest play from scrimmage this season with a 63-yard scamper in the first half, though he came up limping after just nine carries and watched the fourth quarter from the sideline. He’s in the same boat as Putnam and Trotter in terms of his availability this weekend, Swinney said.

But Mafah helped Clemson average nearly 4.4 yards per carry against the ACC’s seventh-best rush defense. The Tigers have also faced Pitt and Syracuse — two of the league’s top 4 run defenses — over the last four games, so it’s not like Clemson is seeing a spike in its production because of little resistance.

Elliott also credited the development of the Tigers’ young backs for some of Clemson’s improvement on the ground.

“They’re becoming more comfortable,” Elliott said. “You’re playing two freshmen right now, and they’re starting to understand things. I thought Phil did a really good job in game making adjustments. There was one (run) that he missed, and then we came back to a similar play later in the game and he made the right cut. They’re just getting more comfortable with the scheme.”

Clemson will try to keep it trending in the right direction this weekend against a Louisville team that owns the ACC’s fifth-best run defense.

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Swinney addresses Dixon’s pending transfer

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on Monday revealed his most experienced running back plans to enter the transfer portal. During his weekly press conference Tuesday, Swinney further commented on Lyn-J Dixon’s decision. “It was his decision. He wanted to …

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on Monday revealed his most experienced running back plans to enter the transfer portal.

During his weekly press conference Tuesday, Swinney further commented on Lyn-J Dixon’s decision.

“It was his decision. He wanted to get an early start on the portal. I wish him luck,” said Swinney.

Coach Swinney said Dixon’s decision to enter the portal this week was not expected.

“Yeah I was surprised. It is 2021 so I guess nobody should be surprised. That is kind of where we are. I highly doubt in 2021 that we are the only team that has had somebody go in the portal,” said Swinney.,

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!

Clemson player entering the transfer portal

During his radio call-in show Monday night, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney announced news regarding the transfer portal. Swinney said senior running back Lyn-J Dixon is entering the transfer portal. Dixon started the South Carolina State game but …

During his radio call-in show Monday night, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney announced news regarding the transfer portal.

Swinney said senior running back Lyn-J Dixon is entering the transfer portal.

Dixon started the South Carolina State game but has received only 10 carries through the first three games of this season, rushing for 48 yards.

The Clemson Insider has been able to verify that Dixon is not in the transfer portal as of 8:30 p.m. Monday night, but based on Swinney’s comments, we expect him to enter it on Tuesday.

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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!

Swinney elaborates on why Dixon is third on the depth chart

Lyn-J Dixon has been a hot topic for the Tigers since Swinney commented said he needed to “grow up” in his postgame comments Saturday night. Swinney was asked on his radio show Monday night why Dixon was third team on the depth chart and he …

“That is just where he is. That is just where he has earned to be right now. Kobe and Shipley have done what they need to do on and off the field to be in that position,” said Swinney.

“Lyn-J is hopefully going to come on and mature a little bit and buy into what we need him to do on and off the field. If he does that then the football part will take care of itself. It all goes together. At least it does here,” said Swinney.

The senior running back had only four carries for 27 yards in the Tigers’ 49-3 win over South Carolina State on Saturday after rushing just one time for 10 yards in the season-opening 10-3 loss to Georgia on Sept. 4.