On ESPN’s College Football Live, a couple of ESPN analysts discussed whether there were unrealistic expectations for Clemson entering the 2021 season given the departures of key players like Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne.
Here’s what Greg McElroy and Joey Galloway had to say about whether expectations were too high for the Tigers, despite the fact that a talented quarterback was taking over for Lawrence in D.J. Uiagalelei:
McElroy: “Yeah, probably. And I think it wasn’t just Trevor Lawrence — I think it was Travis Etienne. I think that there was a presence at wide receiver that’s not there right now. I think that there’s an awful lot on this Clemson team that has really kind of faced some adversity that they haven’t seen in the past. They’ve also lost two of their best interior defensive linemen for the season. Bryan Bresee is now out with a knee injury, we saw (Tyler) Davis out with the biceps. So, they’ve had some adversity that they’re not really used to. So, they’ve kind of been the product of what’s been somewhat difficult circumstances. Not saying it’s an excuse, just saying they’ve been dealt a bad hand and haven’t responded as wonderfully as they have in years past. So, I think the expectations were probably a little bit too high. But at the same time, this is a team that has overcome mass departures in the past only to have the same result.”
Galloway: “It’s the past and where they’ve set the bar is why we expected them to continue to roll. We expect it out of Alabama every single season, no matter who leaves. We expect it out of Ohio State, no matter who leaves. We expect it out of teams like Clemson, no matter who leaves. We expect these teams to continue to roll, and it’s because they set the bar that high in what they’ve been able to do. When it doesn’t look the same, we’re all shaking our heads, like what happened, what’s going on here?”
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