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. 5 offense in Clemson history.
1991
It’s hard to imagine a Ken Hatfield coached team having one of the top five offenses in Clemson history, but it is true. Hatfield’s teams were known for having offenses that were three-yards and a cloud of dust. And though his 1991 Tigers liked to run the football, too, the difference is they did as efficient as any in Clemson history.
The 1991 Tigers led the ACC in total yards (409.7), rushing yards (255.7) and were second in scoring offense (26.4 points per game). In its 12 games, Clemson cracked the 200-yard mark 10 times, including three times in which it had 315 or more rushing yards in a game.
After starting the season a little slow in the first four games, the Tigers kicked things into high gear with 511 total yards against Virginia in Game 5. From there, Clemson averaged 446.9 yards and 30.3 points per game.
On the ground, the Tigers were unstoppable with 284.9 yards per game. The only time in the last seven regular season games they did not reach 400 or more yards of total offense came during a driving rain storm at North Carolina, which they won 21-6. However, Clemson rushed for 250 yards in that game.
The Tigers’ 3,019 rushing yards ranks fifth all-time in Clemson history and the yards per game average ranks sixth all-time. The average plays per game (76.5) ranks seventh and the yards per game ranks 10th.
However, unlike the rest of the teams in the top five, this was not a Clemson offense full of stars. Wide receiver Terry Smith, the uncle of former wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, led the ACC with 52 receptions for 829 yards and six touchdowns. That earned Smith a first-team slot on the All-ACC team, along with guard Jeb Flesch, who was a Consensus First-Team All-American.
Offensive tackle Bruce Bratton and injured running back Ronald Williams were named to the All-ACC second team. Williams, the father of former defensive tackle DeShawn Williams, had a season-ending knee injury in warm ups prior to the NC State game in Week 6. He had 585 yards and three touchdowns before the injury.
DeChane Cameron was the quarterback for the ACC Champions. He finished the year with 2,059 total yards and 10 touchdowns. He completed 55.7 percent of his passes. His best games came late in the season when he threw for 213 yards against Maryland in clinching the ACC Championship, and then a week later when he threw for 206 yards on 12 of 14 passing against South Carolina.
Cameron had 322 total yards against the Gamecocks in the Tigers’ 41-23 victory, including 116 on the ground.
The South Carolina game was the Tigers’ best performance of the season as an offense. They racked up 503 total yards, with 231 coming through the air and 272 coming on the ground.
In our best of the best series, the 1991 ACC Champions are one of just two teams to be ranked in the top 10 on offense and on defense. The 1991 defense ranked No. 8 on TCI’s 10 best defenses in Clemson history.