There was a lot of hype around Clemson’s offense heading into the much-anticipated first game with Garrett Riley, the 2022 Broyles Award winner, as the Tigers’ new offensive coordinator. However, the offensive output at Duke on Monday night wasn’t what the Tigers or their fans had hoped for.

Clemson’s offense had plenty of scoring opportunities but was plagued by costly mistakes against the Blue Devils, particularly in the red zone. Despite totaling more than 400 yards, the Tigers managed just one touchdown in the 28-7 loss.

After the game, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney gave his assessment of his team’s offensive performance and Riley’s debut as the Tigers’ OC.

“He was frustrated like me,” Swinney said. “He’d probably tell you the same thing, never been a part of a game like that. It’s incredibly frustrating. But I liked his poise. He just kept going and he just stayed positive and he kept encouraging the guys.”

After halftime, Clemson was unable to score any points despite three straight drives inside Duke’s 10-yard line to open the second half. Those drives ended in a blocked field goal attempt and two lost fumbles. Clemson later turned the ball over for a third time on an interception in the fourth quarter and had two turnovers on downs in the fourth quarter as well.

The Tigers’ lone touchdown came on a 2-yard pass from quarterback Cade Klubnik to running back Will Shipley early in the second quarter after Duke muffed a punt to give Clemson a short field. The seven points are the fewest Clemson has scored vs. an unranked opponent under Swinney.

“We’d go right back down the field and we would have a miscue there,” Swinney said. “But again, he (Riley) gave us an opportunity to win the game, he gave us an opportunity to punch it in multiple times, and we just didn’t get it done.”

Clemson ran 83 total plays while racking up 29 first downs and 422 total yards, more than Duke’s 17 first downs and 374 total yards of offense.

The Tigers were balanced offensively, exceeding 200 rushing yards (213) and 200 passing yards (209), but Monday night marked Clemson’s first loss ever when reaching those totals — Clemson is now 58-1 under Swinney, and 108-1 all-time, when surpassing 200 yards both on the ground and through the air.

While it was a disappointing start to the season for Clemson’s offense in Riley’s first game as OC, Swinney thought Riley did fine in his role. The name of the game is points, though, so Swinney hopes to see the Tigers find a way to put the ball in the end zone more often moving forward, starting with Saturday’s game vs. Charleston Southern at Death Valley (2:15 p.m., ACC Network).

“Really strange and disappointing game, but I thought he did a nice job,” Swinney said of Riley. “He’s been really good for us. I loved his demeanor and his presence and his poise all throughout the game. He never lost hope or anything like that, and I like how he responded to the guys.

“He knows we’ve got a chance to be a good group. But not the start we wanted. Got plenty of yards and stats and all that stuff, but we got our butts beat, and the name of the game is finishing when we have opportunities. But we’ll all get back to work and see if we can find a way this week.”

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