Here is something I did not expect to be asking after 2 games this year. What is wrong with Clemson’s offense? Against Auburn last week, I said there was no need to apologize for the poor offensive performance.
Auburn recruits well. They have plenty of talent along the defensive line, and they were playing at home. Today against the Troy Trojans, I thought here is where Clemson starts fine-tuning their offense.
Not only did that not happen, Clemson nearly lost the game and now has even more questions about what ails the offense.
I am sure sure of one thing. Clemson isn’t reaching the playoffs, winning the ACC, or beating teams such as Florida State and Louisville unless they get things sorted out.
What I saw today was a team that especially on offense is just going through the motions. This is from the coaches on down. The play calling lacks imagination and creativity. There doesn’t seem to be any concerted effort to establish the run. It’s seem like a random collection of calls with hopes of winning out with athleticism. It’s looks a lot like the Tommy Bowden era offenses.
The offensive line, that looked to be a strength of the team, is playing poorly. Clemson is struggling to establish the run and pass protect. The receivers are dropping easy passes, and Deshaun Watson is out of snyc. One play is indicative of where Clemson is at. Ray Ray McCloud returns a punt 75 yards only to drop the ball a yard before the endzone. It takes 7 points off the board. That’s a lack of attention to details, and McCloud isn’t the only one responsible.
The entire offense appears to lack focus. There is no urgency or emotion watching them play. This is a real problem for the Tigers. Thankfully for them against SC State they get one more game to try and fix the offensive issues.
If they don’t, Clemson may find itself slipping from pre-season national title contender to a 3 loss team.
