Chad Morris doesn’t hold the franchise rights to the Clemson offense any more than Bill Walsh did on the West Coast offense. Both were syntheses of old themes because there’s nothing truly “new” in football beyond the minds and faces.

Nor is it Dabo Swinney’s offense, though he knew Morris would give him something near his vision. Finally this season Swinney sees the offense approaching full bloom with Jeff Scott and Tony Elliott sharing the role Morris held for four seasons.

Walsh’s genius was an ability to blend his philosophy with those of Sid Gillman, Al Davis and Paul Brown. The seeds of Morris’ concepts were rooted in the spread, no-huddle scheme he embraced as a Texas high school coach, largely borrowed from Gus Malzahn. As an Arkansas high school coach, Malzahn discovered inspiration in a book written by Tubby Raymond, who won 300 games at the University of Delaware using an offense he learned from his predecessor, David M. Nelson, generally credited as the father of the Wing T.

After Morris was hired at Clemson in 2011, Scott was instructed to shadow him and prepare to eventually replace him. Scott won a state championship with a knockoff version of the spread in his one season as a high school head coach, so the transition was simple. When Elliott, a former engineer, joined the staff that same year he quickly recognized the left brain symbiosis with Morris the former math teacher.

Swinney realized Scott’s pedigree and experience and Elliott’s intellectual acumen could be an asset. The fact they were friends and former teammates made compatibility a non-issue.

“I think Tony and I have been out front (that) this is Clemson’s offense,” Scott said. “This isn’t about me. This isn’t about Tony. This isn’t about one person that’s calling the show and kind of has the puppets on the string. This is about our guys and our execution.”

Walsh had quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young. Malzahn had Cam Newton and Nick Marshall. Much of Morris’ success at Clemson was due to the arm and strong will of quarterback Tajh Boyd, and the sublime talent of receivers DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins and Martavis Bryant.

After Chad Morris was hired at Clemson in 2011, Jeff Scott (above) was instructed to shadow him and prepare to eventually replace him.

Finding the ideal quarterback was his first objective, and virtually from the day he stepped off the plane Morris began recruiting Deshaun Watson. Owner of Georgia high school records for total offense, passing offense and touchdowns, Watson was the prototype Morris imagined, a prolific passer and adroit runner with an analytical mind and superb vision.

They were together for a single injury-scarred season. Watson played on one good knee in their final game together, beating South Carolina to end an inglorious five-game losing streak to Clemson’s archrival.

More than the scheme, Watson might be Morris’ legacy. Scott and Elliott were the chief beneficiaries.

It has been an interesting, though not altogether easy beginning. Preseason player of the year in the Atlantic Coast Conference and a potential Heisman Trophy candidate, Watson has been limited this season by the weather and the need to comb out the kinks in a new line and polish a group of young receivers.

There were moments at Louisville and in a steady downpour with Notre Dame, but not until last week’s game with Boston College did Watson have a clean canvas. Though he went outside the lines a couple of times, in general he was masterful.

Conceptually the offense intends to stretch the field and probe for mismatches. Morris liked to throw deep several times during a game believing his best receivers would beat most college corners. Acknowledging the talent, most defenses try to cap Clemson’s advantage.

Some prefer committing to heavy blitz and stunt packages with man-to-man coverage. BC had been in man 77 percent of the time coming into the Clemson game. Watson came out throwing early but was missing – just barely.

Clemson wide receiver Deon Cain went 67 yards to the one yard line to set up the Tigers’ final touchdown in last week’s win over Boston College.

“It’s like a great player – Michael Jordan — missing some shots. You’re going to keep passing it to him and let him take those shots because he’s going to hit them,” Scott said. “It was good to see him come back and respond in the second half.”

Two plays in the second half provided a window on Clemson’s offensive potential the final six games; a touchdown pass to sophomore Artavis Scott and a pass to freshman Deon Cain to the doorstep of the end zone.

Scott and Elliott agree Watson functions like a coach on the field. The offense he ran in high school was virtually a mirror image of what he runs now, and he began to routinely call plays at the line as a junior. Eventually he hopes to have the full confidence of his coaches to resume that role. Until then he waits patiently for his coaches to catch up.

“We give him a lot of freedom,” said Scott. “If he sees things from time to time he has the freedom to make those checks.”

The advantage of targeting eight or nine receivers allows them all to remain fresh late in the game. Artavis Scott was Watson’s fourth option, playing his 39th snap. The corner covering him was at 63, so he lagged on the 51-yard touchdown pass.

Jeff Scott was skeptical of the play to Cain because they hadn’t practiced from that particular formation. Leading 27-10, the consensus was to call a draw. BC linebacker Matt Milano had sacked Watson on the previous play to make it third-down-and-17 at the Clemson 32. Watson had other ideas.

Regardless their assurances that Watson was capable of managing an entire season without another major injury, Clemson coaches were not eager to give BC another clean shot. Watson took more than a dozen hits during the game. On the previous play, Scott said, “He got hit right in the mouth.”

“I just wanted to spread them out and let me call a play,” Watson said. “It was one of those things in the heat of the moment I wanted to go back at them, and that’s what we did.”

Watson emptied the backfield and spread the field with Cain in the slot on the boundary side of the field.

“Our number one goal is for him not to get hit,” Scott said. “You knew he was going to get hit (again).

“He was going to open himself to the exact same situation.”

Watson checked to the play and waited for Scott to acknowledge it. Scott did not respond. He also was skeptical Cain would make the proper adjustment. Watson checked again. Scott agreed. “I just watched,” he said. “We hadn’t done that in practice.

“I’m on the sidelines thinking ‘Okay, we’re going to find out if (Cain) is ready for the big show.’”

The play went for 67 yards to the BC one. Three plays later Watson passed to tight end Jordan Leggett to put the game to bed.

Defense, frankly, has been pivotal in Clemson’s first six games, but offense grabs the headlines. Quarterbacks receive most of the credit and offensive coordinators are typically first on the wish lists of athletic directors needing an injection of energy in a moribund program.

Ideally the College Football Playoff committee weighs all factors equally when making its decision. Teams like Baylor, TCU and most every team in the Big 12 figure are “all in” on offense. Morris went back to that neck of the woods as head coach at SMU leaving Clemson where Swinney hopes two heads – or even three and four – are better than one.

Jeff Scott believes their success in the bowl game without Morris helped make the transition this year seamless.

“Maybe on the outside that’s a good story line,” he said. “I think within our walls, our players and our staff feel very comfortable and confident with what we’re doing.

“To be completely honest I don’t think we’ve thought about it at all.”