Numbers don’t lie, and right now the numbers suggest that Clemson is badly missing star wideout Antonio Williams.
During the preseason, much was made about how much depth the Tigers had at receiver, but through three games, it has yet to play much of a factor in an offense that at times can’t get out of its own way. Even with Williams being sidelined since the second possession of the season-opening loss to LSU.
While logic might suggest that, due to the depth, Clemson should be able to make due in Williams’ absence. That just hasn’t been the case. Through three games, only Bryant Wesco is averaging more than 35 receiving yards per game.
Just how important has Williams been? For Cade Klubnik, he’s made all the difference in the world.
With Williams on the field, Klubnik has 47 touchdown passes to just 12 interceptions across 21 games. The offense has averaged 34.2 points and 263 passing yards per game. Those are the kind of numbers most were expecting this offense to put up coming into the season.
However, without Williams, Klubnik and the offense have struggled. In fact, it’s struggled mightily.
Klubnik has now played 11 games without Williams’ services, and the Tigers are just 7-4. In those games, Klubnik has thrown for just 12 touchdowns with eight picks. The offense only scores 24.3 points per game, with Klubnik barely averaging 200 passing yards per contest.
When Williams went down, most assumed that Bryant Wesco, TJ Moore and Tyler Brown could pick up the slack in his absence. Throw in transfer Tristan Smith and Cole Turner, and it’s hard to imagine the Tigers would be experiencing these kinds of struggles without Williams.
That is exactly what has happened, though. Through three games, Clemson is averaging less than 20 points per game, with Klubnik throwing for just 211 yards per contest. Add in the two interceptions he’s already thrown, after only having thrown six all of last season.
Turns out, losing one player can have that kind of impact. We can argue all day long about whether that should be the case, but at the end of the day, it appears that it is Williams who has made this offense go.
Photo by Bart Boatwright