By Will Vandervort.
Every time Clemson running back D.J. Howard watched Tajh Boyd run the football up the middle on short yardage or goal line situations the last three years, it felt like someone was spitting in his face.
“That’s our job. Give us the ball and let us do what we came to do,” Howard said. “We have scholarships, too. We were recruited to come run the football.”
But it’s hard to blame offensive coordinator Chad Morris for using Boyd in those situations. The former quarterback’s success rate was very high as he scored 26 rushing touchdowns in his career, including a team-high 10 last season. Most of those touchdowns came on third-and-goal situations near the one or two-yard line.
So in other words, Morris has spit in his running backs’ faces a lot, figuratively of course.
“We are still wiping it off, but it’s all good,” Howard laughed. “Everything is playing out pretty well. As long as we get the touchdown you can’t complain too much.”
Howard says he really can’t blame Morris for calling Boyd on those short yardage plays because the objective is to get the defense leaning and then hit them with the unexpected quarterback running up the middle.
It worked to perfection in the Orange Bowl against Ohio State when Boyd ran the quarterback power on third-and-one on the Tigers’ opening drive and busted it wide open for a 48-yard touchdown, his longest of his career.
“Even then, it did not sit well. But that is okay, we are not worried about that,” Howard said. “When we get the ball, we know what to do with it.”
It will be interesting to see what Morris calls or more importantly who he gives the ball to on those short yardage and goal-line situations this fall. Howard without a doubt will be one of the candidates because it is unlikely Morris will run Cole Stoudt in those situations as much as he did Boyd.
So far, at least when going up against its own defense, the offense has had very little success. Morris and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney have said the defense has had the upper hand in short yardage plays in both scrimmages to this point.
“Every dog has his day. We are out here working and trying to improve that,” Howard said. “It is going to get better.”