CLEMSON — After back-to-back road wins, the Clemson football team was feeling pretty good about itself. On Saturday, SMU sent the Tigers crashing back down to reality.
Going in, it’s safe to say, most would have assumed that had Clemson lost, it would have been because starting quarterback Cade Klubnik was out injured, but as Lee Corso always liked to say, not so fast, my friend.
The Tigers once again fell at home, and again by double digits, as SMU repeatedly torched Tom Allen’s defense in a 35-24 win. Quarterback Kevin Jennings had more than 300 yards of offense, with the Clemson defense repeatedly giving up big conversions in some of the game’s biggest moments.
It has now been a full year since Dabo Swinney’s team beat a Power-4 team at home, something that seemed unfathomable not so long ago, and what we are witnessing is a program in full-fledged decline.
Problems Run Deep
Sure, some tweaks probably need to be made on the coaching staff, but the brutal truth is, assistants like Matt Luke, Mike Reed and Tom Allen haven’t forgotten how to coach. Those are guys who were well established before getting to Clemson.
The Tigers’ issues seem to run deeper than one or two assistants. What those are specifically just aren’t readily apparent just yet, at least to those on the outside. The question becomes, does Swinney know what the issues are and how to fix them? He’s already tried bringing in new coordinators and some assistants from the outside, and so far those just haven’t made much of a difference.
One thing is certain, and that is whatever is going on, there are no quick fixes. These are things that have to be addressed in the offseason.
CV Did His Part
Vizzina did enough for Clemson to win this game. If you had told me he was going to throw for more than 300 yards going in. I absolutely wouldn’t have believed it. It took him a quarter or so to get going, but once he found his groove, he was pretty good. Not sure the play calling gave him a lot of help early on, but he was pretty dialed in during that second half.
The redshirt sophomore was 16-of-25 for 205 yards and two touchdowns over the final two quarters and pulled the Tigers to within five about midway through the fourth quarter. The defense just couldn’t get the ball back to give him a shot at pulling off the comeback.
Defense Disappoints Again
Every single time Clemson scored on Saturday, SMU would respond with a score of its own. The defense just could not come up with the big stop when they were needed the most. They held them to some field goals in the first half, but in the second half, they gave up three touchdown drives, including the final one after Clemson had pulled to within five.
On that final scoring drive, the defense surrendered, SMU converted a fourth down, and three third downs. It was absolutely brutal to watch play out.
Backend Issues
The Tigers just have too many issues on the backend, particularly at safety. Younger players like Ricardo Jones and Ronan Hanafin are having to learn on the job, and while they make some really good plays at times, they also make some mistakes. Hanafin’s pass interference penalty on 4th and 3 on SMU’s final drive was a big one, although to be fair, the Mustangs had schemed up a mismatch there.
Tink Kelley and Corian Gipson have also had issues in that nickel spot, or the position referred to as the Tiger in Allen’s defense. Kevin Jennings completed six passes that went 15 yards or longer on Saturday, with four of those going for 22 yards or more. That’s just too many in one game.
Misusing the Running Backs
Adam Randall had just 10 carries on Saturday, while freshman Gideon Davidson had just one. That was it for the running backs. That is almost criminal, considering you had a redshirt sophomore making his first career start at quarterback. Why Garrett Riley continues to refuse to get the running backs more involved is mind-numbing.
Offensive Line Got Whipped (Again)
Matt Luke’s group got flat-out whipped in this one. Yes, Clemson is missing Tristan Leigh and Walker Parks, but outside of freshman Brayden Jacobs, the guys filling in have played too much football to be this bad. We are talking about veteran guys just whiffing on blocks and giving defenders open lanes to the backfield.
This has to be the most disappointing position group on the team so far, and that’s saying something.
Photo by Bart Boatwright