During his weekly radio show Monday night, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney addressed a specific question regarding the team’s blocking up front on the offensive line.

Following heavy criticism over the offensive line performance and blocking struggles so far this season, Swinney was asked what he’s looking for in terms of improvement from that unit.

Swinney defended the O-line, shifting some of the scrutiny away from the group and pushing back on the narrative that they’re solely to blame.

Swinney instead pointed to “little things” that every position group can do better to help the guys up front.

“Sometimes people put everything on the offensive line, and it’s just not as simple as that,” Swinney said. “There’s certainly things they’ve got to do better, for sure. But it’s everything. It’s the quarterback making the right decisions in the run game. We’re getting some TFLs because the quarterback is not doing the right thing. We’re getting some unblocked guys because the running back is not on the right track.

“I mean, there’s just little things that we have to improve upon at all positions. So, it’s not just on the OL.”

For the second consecutive week, the Tigers’ offensive line struggled mightily, despite a 22-7 win over Georgia Southern last Saturday. The Eagles finished the contest with 11 tackles for loss and two sacks, while the Clemson line was tagged with four holding penalties (one declined) and two false starts.

Clemson’s offensive line has come under fire as a result of the early season woes, including from former Clemson offensive lineman and current ACC Network analyst Eric Mac Lain, who blasted the unit during a Sunday episode of the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast.

Mac Lain can’t believe the number of missed assignments he’s seen, and he singled out both Collin Sadler at right tackle and Ronan O’Connell at right guard.

“Looking at this offense, it’s just frustrating, to be honest. Like, for a lot of different ways and a lot of different reasons,” Mac Lain said. “And the offensive line has been a big part of that. I think it’s been unfortunate. We’re going to keep talking about it because it keeps happening. It’s obviously the second game—bad news, North Carolina is coming to town with a very good defensive line. With better defensive tackles than you’ve seen all year. That includes LSU.”

“It was just MA after MA after MA. Wrong way. Mental lapses. Physically getting whipped. Time and time again,” Mac Lain added. “Certainly there was good, but I’m not here to talk about the good. Coach can do that. We’re looking at what needs to be improved and things that need to happen. When we’ve got fifth-year seniors that are doing the wrong thing all the time, it’s just confusing, and I don’t understand. We’ve literally got clips of the right guard — there’s a man directly over him, there’s no possible other thing you could do, and you just go right by him. And he makes a tackle. Who possibly do you think has that guy? It’s things like that that blows my mind.”

The Tigers open ACC play on Saturday against North Carolina at Memorial Stadium in Clemson. Kickoff is set for noon on ESPN.