CLEMSON — Clemson pitched its first shutout in almost five years as the Tigers held serve at home on Saturday with a 37-0 victory over FCS foe Charleston Southern.

While Tom Allen’s defense was stellar, the Clemson offense continued to be plagued by inconsistency, especially with the passing game.

With this game following an open date, it basically gave the team two weeks to get ready to go back into ACC play next week when Virginia Tech visits Memorial Stadium

Tait Reynolds finished 17-of-26 but for just 127 yards, and once again the freshman did not complete a touchdown pass. Not all of that was his fault, but more on that later.

The Tigers did run for more than 230 yards, with 118 of those coming in the first half. Gideon Davidson led all rushers with 59 yards on the ground.

No Fireworks

So much for the Tigers finding a little something in the passing game against Miami.

This was the day that Tait Reynolds and the passing game were expected to shine. Charleston Southern just isn’t a very good team, and on paper this was a mismatch. Well, things did not play out that way.

It was pretty obvious Chad Morris wanted to get Reynolds in a rhythm early, almost to the point where it seemed like the offense was trying to force things with the passing game. Reynolds made a couple of really nice throws to T. J. Moore in the end zone on Clemson’s first offensive possession, but the junior wideout dropped both. Plays that receivers of his caliber should be making. There was at least one more thrown to him in the end zone on another drive that he probably could have come down with. Bryant Wesco also dropped one.

When you have a freshman quarterback leading an offense that is struggling to get it going through the air, the players around him have to step up and help. Reynolds did not always get that on Saturday.

There were other times when the freshman may have held on to it a tad too long, and there were definitely some examples of open receivers that he just did not see.

It wasn’t all bad. 15 different players caught a pass, and it was nice to see the tight ends involved. Olsen Patt-Henry, Christian Bentancur and Logan Brooking combined to make seven catches for 109 yards. Bentancur’s 74 yards were a team high.

With six games left, and Clemson still very much alive for a spot in the ACC Championship Game, there is still a lot of work to do if this team wants to have any shot at making it to Charlotte.

Defense On Point

Clemson’s defense did exactly what it was supposed to do against an FCS team. After allowing the Bucs to put 55 yards on the board in the first quarter, the unit bowed up, allowing just 21 yards the rest of the way. Charleston Southern had -13 yards of offense in the fourth quarter.

The Buccaneers rushed the ball 32 times for 26 yards, averaging 0.8 yards per carry. CSU averaged just 1.7 yards per play.

Clemson finished with four sacks and 13 tackles for loss

It was the kind of outing you’d expect against an overmatched opponent. Too bad this offense hasn’t been able to do the same.

Homerun Hire

The praise continues to come in for Rich Bissacia. Dabo Swinney absolutely seems to have knocked it out of that park with that hire.

The Tigers look like a different bunch on special teams. Gone are the days of fair-catching everything, as they are far more aggressive in the return game. Clemson has even come hard after a punt or two this season.

Chris Johnson Jr. and Wesco are serving as excellent return men, and Nolan Hauser might be one of the better kicking weapons in the country. Hauser set a new career high with a 59-yarder on Saturday and was 3-of-3 on the day. He has still only missed one field goal in his 16 attempts.

Up Next

Again, Clemson is back to ACC play this weekend when Virginia Tech visits Death Valley for a prime-time matchup.

This is beating a dead horse at this point, but if this offense can not find a way to get the passing attack going, more losses are coming, and it could start with this one.

The Hokies are allowing 227 yards through the air per game. Reynolds has only hit that number just once all season, and that was in the loss to Miami.

When you are ineffective with the passing game, defenses can come in and key on the run. At least until Reynolds proves this offense isn’t as one-dimensional as its shown to be so far.