On his Always College Football show, ESPN analyst Greg McElroy gave his top 10 takeaways from Week 3 of the college football season.

One of those takeaways that McElroy discussed in length is, “I can’t figure out Clemson” following last Saturday’s loss to Georgia Tech and the 1-2 start to the 2025 campaign.

“This team is a rollercoaster right now,” he said. “Really high highs, really low lows. … So, those mistakes [at Georgia Tech] were the biggest difference, and the inconsistency, the lack of a reliable rhythm. If you look at where they’re at in scoring offense, in total offense, they’re triple [digits], in the 100s. Can’t happen.”

McElroy says Clemson’s disappointing start to the season is “a combination of several different factors.”

“You’ve got some dysfunction offensively,” he said. “You have some critical mistakes defensively. You have a handful of key injuries that have kind of derailed what was a national championship hopeful campaign before it’s ever really even started. You get the loss to LSU early. They avoid the upset against Troy by having a really nice rally in the second half. And then some of their struggles accumulate.

“Now, what are some of the key factors? One, the offensive line is not playing very well. They’ve struggled. Cade Klubnik has been under duress the entire year. He’s been kind of running for his life, especially against LSU, he was all over the place. The pressure has completely stifled the offense, and the rushing attack, as a result, in the first couple games was not good. And that’s gonna have to be a group that plays better as things go along. Against LSU, Clemson running backs were hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on nearly 90 percent of their carries. That’s not good enough. The offensive line was supposed to be a strength. It has not been, up to this point.”

McElroy added there’s “inconsistencies with the offense in general beyond the offensive line,” and that quarterback Cade Klubnik is “just a small piece of where this team is” offensively.

“Now, I think Garrett Riley has faced some criticism about maybe abandoning the run too often, being a little bit too pass happy, putting too much on Cade Klubnik’s shoulders,” McElroy said. “But if you really look at things man, like, they outgained the Yellow Jackets. There were things to like. They rushed for a season-high 174 and showed some flashes of that identity that they aim to be, and yet they lost the game. And a lot of the focus will go on the quarterback. You get all the credit, you get all the blame when you are the starting quarterback of a team with expectations that’s fallen short.”

McElroy knows injuries are also a factor in Clemson’s issues on offense.

“You’re down Antonio Williams, who gets hurt in the opening drive against LSU and we haven’t seen him since. His absence has been clearly felt,” McElroy said. “He’s probably the most dynamic and well-rounded player they have on their entire team. Him being out has been significant. They were down Tristan Leigh, their left tackle. They were down a rotational player as well in Elyjah Thurmon. There’s some challenges there. So, they’re going to have to overcome those injuries or else this team’s going to fall apart, and that’s concerning. I don’t want that at all.”

Clemson’s clutch factor of years past has been missing this season as well, as McElroy pointed out.

“For a decade, this has been a team that’s been really clutch. Well, we haven’t seen that,” he said. “… They couldn’t make that critical play in a critical time, and that’s become a pretty significant pattern these last couple games.”

So, can the Tigers recover from the way things have gone so far this season?

ESPN personality Paul Finebaum believes Clemson’s “season is over,” but McElroy doesn’t think that’s the case.

“This season is not lost,” McElroy said. “They can still make the ACC title game, they could still do everything they’ve wanted to do from this point forward. But they’ve got to get things fixed and they’ve got to get things fixed quickly, by continuing to run the football, by being better along the offensive line, by hopefully getting healthy, and making their quarterback a little more comfortable in the games to come.”

McElroy thinks Clemson’s culture will be tested, though, from this point forward.

“While Dabo Swinney is clearly frustrated, and while this was a heartbreaking loss, and the ‘negativity’ surrounding the team will absolutely seep into the locker room – one thing that Clemson has always done is they’ve always relied very heavily on culture. This is where your culture gets tested,” McElroy said.

“What do you do now that you’re backed into a corner? So, maybe I’m issuing a challenge. I’m sure Dabo Swinney’s issuing a challenge. I’m sure Garrett Riley is issuing a challenge. I’m sure the coaching staff across the board, Tom Allen on the defensive side – I’m sure they’re all issuing challenges. But, this is why you don’t go to the transfer portal, because you put such a premium on culture and continuity and a hope that the players will stick together when times get tough. We’re about to find out if that works.”