Over the first four games of the season, Clemson’s offense has been a model of inconsistency.
The Tigers have dropped three of their first four games, and the offense has been a big part of the problem.
Dabo Swinney has gone on record detailing how difficult it has been to get the offense to play as a unit, and quarterback Cade Klubnik has been no exception to that rule. One area in particular in which Klubnik has experienced some issues is his decision-making when it comes to the zone-read plays.
In the most recent loss against Syracuse, Clemson faced a 3rd and 1, and a zone read was the call. Klubnik decided to keep the ball and was stopped for no gain. Had he handed to running back Adam Randall, the play would have gone for a first down. The Tigers then attempted to go for it on 4th and 1, and Klubnik’s pass fell incomplete, resulting in a turnover on downs.
After practice on Wednesday, Swinney was asked to evaluate Klubnik’s overall performance in the zone-read game.
“Some good, some bad,” the head coach said. “He’s had some really good ones, he’s had some where he’s made the wrong decision.”
Swinney laid the blame at the feet of the coaching staff, including himself.
“He is inconsistent, and that is across the board,” Swinney added. “We have been inconsistent in getting 11 guys on the same page. As I’ve said, that is a reflection of us as coaches.”
After four games, Clemson is averaging just 19.8 points per game. That ranks 114th nationally. The Tigers are just 85th in total offense with 365.2 yards of offense per contest.
For a unit that returned so much production from an offense that was Top 20 in scoring a season ago, the ineffectiveness was something no one saw coming.
“We have got to a better job to get 11 guys doing what we are coaching them to do,” Swinney said. “That is on us as coaches. If they could do it without us, we wouldn’t need to be here.”
Clemson gets a chance at righting the ship on Saturday when the Tigers travel to Chapel Hill to take on North Carolina. Kickoff is set for noon.
Photo by Bart Boatwright