Former Clemson standout Eric Mac Lain voiced his frustration with the Tigers following their latest loss, this time by a score of 35-24 against SMU last Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

One bright spot from the game? The performance of backup quarterback Christopher Vizzina. The redshirt sophomore filled in for injured starter Cade Klubnik and completed 29 of 42 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns.

“It is frustrating. … Quarterback was not your problem,” Mac Lain said on the Gramlich & Mac Lain podcast with fellow Clemson alum Kelly Gramlich. “Chris played very well. I thought it was a pretty good game plan for him. Thought he took care of the ball through the air. I thought that some guys left him hanging dry. A couple of big drops. There were times where he wasn’t protected well. I thought the run game sometimes when they were calling runs for him were just dumb plays. Like, shouldn’t have been called. The timing of the call, the where it was on the field.

“But I thought Chris Vizzina played very, very well, and he should’ve. It’s a poor pass defense – like, you should’ve, and you did, so good job. I hope that eases some Clemson fans. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. It eases my mind on next year, of you can go to the portal if you want, but I think you have a guy that is good enough. He made some throws that I haven’t seen Cade make this year, so that’s interesting.”

Clemson’s offensive line, on the other hand? Mac Lain, the former All-ACC offensive lineman, says “that was the worst performance from an offensive line I’ve ever seen.”

The Tigers rushed for just 35 yards on 30 carries against the Mustangs. Starting running back Adam Randall was Clemson’s leading rusher with only 29 yards on 10 carries.

“That was the worst performance from an offensive line I’ve ever seen,” Mac Lain said. “It was so bad. … Worst at Clemson I’ve seen. … You talk about paying people, this offensive line coach is making a lot of money. …

“It is very bad football, and that’s concerning. … It’s frustrating. It’s really frustrating. And it shouldn’t look that way. … The fact that you were net zero rushing yards in the second half and you ran the ball 16 times is embarrassing. … It just looks incompetent.”

Of course, Clemson entered this season ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll, fresh off an ACC title and College Football Playoff appearance in 2024.

With a ton of returning production and a bunch of talent on both sides of the ball, many expected Clemson to contend for the national title this season. But with the Tigers sitting at 3-4 right now, Mac Lain isn’t even sure if they’ll be bowl eligible when it’s all said and done.

“I still undoubtedly believe in coach Dabo Swinney and think that he’s one of the best minds and the greatest men and all these different things, and it just has to adjust. You hope that it’s sooner than not,” Mac Lain said.

“It’s crazy to sit here and think about this team that was No. 4 in the country, that had the most returning production in all of college football back from a playoff, ACC championship-winning team from a year ago, and legitimately — I’m not joking — I don’t know if they’re going to a bowl game.”