ATLANTA — Another week and another ice-cold first half for the Clemson offense.
The 12th-ranked Tigers muddled through much of the opening half offensively and find themselves trailing Georgia Tech 13-7 at halftime. It is the second consecutive week that Clemson has faced a deficit at the break.
The Yellow Jackets have 189 yards of offense and are averaging 6.1 yards per play.
Can Garrett Riley’s Offense Build On Late Drive?
If this offense doesn’t put it together fairly quickly coming out of the half, this team is in trouble. Not just today, but beyond. The defense is barely holding on and desperately needs Riley’s unit to hold up their end of the bargain.
That was a nice 75-yard drive to end the half, and a big one to be quite honest, but now this group needs to build on that. It took close to seven minutes off the clock. Before that possession, Clemson had only mustered 83 total yards.
It appears that Cade Klubnik is trying to be more of a factor with his legs, something this offense would benefit from. At the same time, he’s got to make sure he holds onto the ball.
The Tigers are 5-of-8 on third down, but just don’t have much to show for it.
Adam Randall
Say what you will about the converted wideout, but that guy is a load to bring down. The senior has 51 yards, including a 30-yarder on a 3rd and 22. He is averaging more than seven yards a carry.
Tackling Issues
Over the first two weeks, the defense was better with its tackling when compared to last season. So far in this first half, there have been several instances of a Tech player breaking a tackle or making a guy miss, then turning those opportunities into big gains. That has to get cleaned up quickly.
3rd Down Defense
After allowing Tech to convert its first to third downs, the defense has held Tech to just 1-of-4 since. The Jackets are also 0-for-1 on 4th down.
Turnovers
The Tigers have yet to force a turnover after having forced five over the first two games. In fact, Cade Klubnik has put it on the turf twice today, losing one. If Clemson has any shot at turning this thing around, the defense needs some takeaways.
Icing Your Own Kicker?
Trailing by three late in the first quarter, Nolan Hauser ran out to attempt a 53-yard field goal. It appeared the Tigers were trying to draw Tech offside, which would have resulted in an automatic first down. When the Jackets did not bite, Dabo Swinney called his second timeout of the half. Instead of going for it from the Jackets’ 35-yard line after the timeout, Swinney sent Hauser back out to try the long field goal. If you know you are going to kick it regardless, why potentially ice your own kicker, and what resulted was Hauser’s first miss of his career from beyond 50 yards.
After the miss, Tech took over on the 35, and five players later scored from five yards out to go up 10-0.
Where Are the Tight Ends?
Last week, the tight ends had just one catch. Combined. Today, no tight end has caught a pass.
Photo by Bart Boatwright