By Will Vandervort.

By Will Vandervort

CLEMSON — Just before the ride over to the practice fields behind the Jervey Athletic Center earlier this year, Chad Morris hopped in a seat beside Tajh Boyd.

It was just a casual three-minute ride, but it was a ride that really set the tone for eighth-ranked Clemson’s offense. The Tigers’ offensive coordinator and quarterback talked about the pressures that come along with being the quarterback in an offense like Clemson’s.

They talked about whether Boyd felt he has to be perfect or does he feel like he always has to make this play or that play.

“Sometimes we all feel like we have to be perfect, but we don’t,” Morris said. “There are times when I feel like I have to call the perfect game, but it’s not going to happen.  At some point you have to go have fun.”

And boy is Boyd having a lot of fun. In the last two weeks alone, the junior has thrown for 772 yards and 10 touchdowns. He leads the ACC in total offensive yards (336.7), passing yards (297.8) and touchdowns thrown (25).

Boyd has even become a runner. In last week’s win over Duke, he rushed for a career-high 72 yards on nine carries, including a 21-yard touchdown run. For the season, the Hampton, Va., native has rushed for 350 yards and has scored five touchdowns.

“He is running confident,” Morris said. “I told him the other night that he actually looks kind of fast. He said he was fast, and I said, ‘I don’t know about that, but you looked fast at times.’”

Boyd’s ability to run the football, whether it is a called running play or a scramble, has really changed the dynamics of the Clemson offense.

“Running the ball is one of those things where you have to gain confidence,” Boyd said.

That wasn’t the case last year, Boyd struggled to run the football, and because he was heavier than he wanted to be, he wasn’t as mobile or fast enough to get around the edges or out run linebackers. This year, he dedicated himself to watching what he eats and getting in better shape.

“If you have not run the ball in the past, then you are not comfortable doing it,” Boyd said. “That’s something in the past my dad and I have talked about. You have to be confident in running it as much as you are in your throwing ability.

“It is still a work in progress. I will not say I’m an extreme runner. I run when the opportunities present themselves. I think it has helped out a lot.”

Several times this year Boyd, who was affectionately called “Fat Boy” by former tight end Dwayne Allen, used his legs to make big plays, including runs of 27 and 21 yards. His 350 net yards currently rank second on the team behind running back Andre Ellington.

“He has seen himself when he was unable to move around,” Morris said. “He has seen it at its best, and he has seen it where he can’t move or escape trouble, and we do not want to do that. We do not want to go back there.

“When he sees his footwork is as good as it has been and he is as strong as he has been, and all of that combined with the confidence level he has, I think it is showing out on the field because he is a good runner.”

That confidence has allowed the Tigers, who will host Maryland on Saturday at 3:32 p.m., to rank No. 7 nationally in scoring offense (42.7), No. 9 in total offense (522.4) and No. 10 in passing offense (325.0).  During its five-game win streak, Clemson is averaging 544.8 yards and 45.6 points per game.

“We are starting to come along,” Boyd said

That’s definitely the case. In the last five games, Boyd has completed 109 of 161 passes for 1,696 yards. He has thrown 16 of his 25 touchdowns during this span, while rushing 71 times for 231 yards and five more touchdowns.

“He is the leader of this football team and he is playing like it and is demonstrating it,” Morris said. “This football team will go as he goes.”

Morris says it’s Boyd’s vast improvement with his footwork that has helped him play better than he was at this time last year.  He isn’t throwing off his back foot or making an impulse decision.

“That’s something we have really tried hard to work on,” Morris said. “He has put a lot of emphasis both being under center and in the gun. He has been able to be accurate because of his footwork.”

Though it appears Boyd is playing perfect at times, there is still room for improvement. He was charged with three interceptions in the Duke game, though it can be argued that two of those were not really on him. But, with that being said, one of the errant passes does belong to him and that’s why he isn’t perfect, yet.

“The thing I did see and was impressed with the most was his footwork in the pocket,” Morris said. “He did a really good job of setting his rush point and being able to step up in the pocket, allowing his routes to open up and putting a lot of velocity on the ball.”

But what Morris likes out of his quarterback more than anything else right now, “I think he is having a lot of fun.”