Through the years Clemson has had some prolific offensive football teams and stars, especially in the last 15 years when the no-huddle, fast-break offenses became the norm in college football.
The Clemson Insider went through the archives to find the best offensive football teams in Clemson history. What are the criteria for the 10 best offenses in Clemson history? Obviously, yards and points per game will stand out, as will offensive playmakers. How many All-ACC or All-Americans were on the team? Where did they rank in the ACC, nationally and much more?
Today, we continue our list with what TCI believes is the No. 6 offense in Clemson history.
2011
When Dabo Swinney hired Chad Morris to be his offensive coordinator in 2011, fans wondered why the Tigers’ third-year head coach hired a guy who two years before was a high school football coach in Texas.
Granted, Morris’ high-flying offense put up some big numbers in his one season as Tulsa’s offensive coordinator, but the critics said, “That was Tulsa. Surely,” they thought, “he couldn’t do the same at Clemson and in the ACC?”
But he did. Morris had some help, though. Clemson already had some pieces in place. DeAndre Hopkins had a stellar freshman season at wide receiver and was expected to be even better as a sophomore. All-ACC tight end Dwayne Allen was back. He was considered by some to be the best in the country at his position.
Running back Andre Ellington was back to full strength after suffering an injury at the end of his sophomore year and then there was this five-star wide receiver from South Florida named Sammy Watkins. It was said, “He was a difference maker, a program changer,” if you will.
Morris’ task, besides getting everyone to fit around his no-huddle, power spread attack, was to get quarterback Tajh Boyd ready. Boyd was a highly recruited player out of Virginia that had the tools and the arm strength to take Clemson to the next level.
The question was could Morris get him to understand his system in time? Things looked bleak in the spring as Boyd struggled, but with constant work in the summer as well as studying, Boyd was a different quarterback in fall camp and when the season started, he proved he was worthy of being called a First-Team All-ACC quarterback.
After so-so wins over Troy and Wofford to open the season, Clemson’s offense showed the country what it could do against defending national champion Auburn. Playing against his mentor, Gus Malzahn, Morris, the student, outcoached his teacher as the Tigers racked up 624 yards of offense in a 38-24 victory, snapping Auburn’s 17-game winning streak.
From there, the Tigers took off, especially Watkins, who became the talk of the College Football World. On his first play from scrimmage, he took a screen pass against Wofford and took it to the house for six points.
After thrashing Auburn, Clemson beat 11th-ranked Florida State the following week as Boyd threw for 344 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-30 victory. Watkins caught seven passes for 141 yards and scored two touchdowns. The Tigers had 443 yards of total offense against a defense that finished fifth in the country at the end of the year in yards allowed.
The Tigers continued to roll up big numbers in wins over Virginia Tech, Boston College, Maryland and North Carolina. Despite a few hiccups late in the season, the offense bounced back to put up 457 yards and 38 points against No. 3 Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship Game.
Behind Boyd’s 240 yards and three touchdowns, Clemson beat the Hokies, 38-10, to win the program’s first ACC Championship in 20 years. Boyd was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
In all, the Tigers had seven players on offense earn All-ACC honors, including kicker Chandler Catanzaro.
Allen, who set Clemson record for a tight end with 50 receptions for 598 yards and 8 touchdowns, was a Consensus First-Team All-American and was the winner of the John Mackey Award as the nation’s best tight end. Watkins became just the third freshman in the history of the Associated Press’ All-America Team to earn first-team honors.
The 2011 offense averaged a record 440.8 yards per game, while scoring 33.6 points. The Tigers’ 282.3 passing yards per game led the ACC, while Boyd led the ACC in passing yards (3,828) and total offense (4,046).
Watkins finished with 82 receptions for a record 1,219 yards and 13 touchdowns overall, while Hopkins hauled in 72 passes for 978 yards and five scores. Ellington rushed for 1,178 yards and had 11 touchdowns.
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