CLEMSON — Ask any coach. Go ahead, ask them.
Ask a coach why special teams are so important in football, and this is what they will say.
“You can have a bad day on offense and still win the game. You can have a bad day on defense and still win the game. However, if you have a bad day on special teams, you are not going to win the game.”
With the exception of punter Aidan Swanson and Clemson’s kick and punt coverage teams, special teams have been a disaster for the Tigers this season.
Here’s my opinion on how Clemson’s special teams graded in the first half of the 2023 season:
Placekicker: D-
I don’t like handing out F’s, but I really wanted to when it came to the Tigers’ placekickers. But I think a D-minus is fair. Clemson has been awful at placekicking so far. Jonathan Weitz has come in and given the position a little more stability, but he is still just 3-for-6 on the season with a long of 38 yards. Clemson is 4-for-10 overall in field goal attempts. Robert Gunn, who is recovering from a quad strain, was just 1-for-4 overall with a long of 23 yards before being replaced by Weitz prior to the Florida State game.
Punter: A
Aidan Swanson has been the bright spot of special teams. He ranks 20th nationally in punting average at 45.1 yards per punt. Of his 23 punts, he has a long of 62 yards. Seven punts have been 50-plus yards, nine have landed inside the 20-yard line and 10 have been fair caught. Just two have gone in for touchbacks.
Kickoffs: A
Robert Gunn has been a weapon for the Tigers. Of his 33 kickoffs, 31 have been touchbacks. When opponents have been able to return kicks this year, they are averaging just 24.7 yards with a long of 27 yards.
Punt Return: C
Tyler Brown is averaging 14.8 yards on five returns so far this year, but he has muffed three punts and lost two of them. So that is a problem. Hamp Greene is not going to burn it up as a return man, he has just a 7.7-yard average, but he is perhaps the most reliable at catching the football. Antonio Williams could help when he returns, but he has had issues as well holding on to punts.
Kickoff Returns: C-
Last year, Clemson was pretty good at returning kicks, but this year, they have been average at best. Will Shipley is averaging just 20.3 yards per return with a long of 27 yards. Freshman Jarvis Green had a 36-yard return, but as a team the Tigers are averaging just 19.3 yards on seven returns.
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