CLEMSON — People like to say that winning cures everything, but that is not always true,

Clemson got into the win column with its 22-7 victory over Georgia Southern, and while victories should never be discounted, the Tigers still have a lot of work to do. Some of the same issues from the blowout loss to LSU in week one were still evident on Saturday night, including poor offensive line play, an inability to sustain drives and an inconsistent running game.

Chad Morris’ offenses made five trips inside the red zone, but only came away with one touchdown, leading to a big night from Nolan Hauser, who tied a career-high with five made field goals.

Roll With the Freshman?

With the issues plaguing this offense at the moment, riding with Tait Reynolds at quarterback might be the best option moving forward. The unit just looks different when he is in the game.

Chris Vizzina started and played the first three possessions, but looked awfully shaky, missing terribly on two throws that would have gone for big plays had they been completed. Make no mistake, Reynolds made plenty of mistakes himself, but he is a rookie, as opposed to a fourth-year guy, which Vizzina is.

Reynolds also brings some extra juice to the run game, and with the offensive line having its struggles, that is something that helps more than it hurts.

The freshman still has to get better in a lot of areas, but there is no question the arm talent is there. There were a couple of throws Reynolds made Saturday night that Vizzina probably couldn’t hit on.

With it more than likely that this team still has some struggles ahead, maybe letting Reynolds learn on the job and get better each week is the way to go.

Troubles Up Front Continue

Interestingly enough, when Dabo Swinney was asked about the struggles of the offensive line after the win, the head coach didn’t dive too deep into those issues, choosing to focus on mistakes Reynolds made that didn’t do Matt Luke’s unit any favors. Make no mistake, there is definitely some truth to that, but the line also struggled. Again. And this time against a Sun Belt opponent.

On top of the execution issues, there were just too many penalties that ultimately resulted in drive killers. Holding penalties and false starts. The Tigers were called for four holding penalties, although one ended up being declined, along with two false starts.

At this point in the season, you’ve got what you’ve got, but two weeks in, it looks like not bringing in some veteran help from the portal was a massive mistake, as Georgia Southern ended the night with 11 tackles for loss.

Where Are the Tight Ends?

When Morris was brought back in as offensive coordinator, there was excitement about this tight end group, with most believing they’d be more involved in the passing game. Two games in, things have not played out that way.

Olsen Patt-Henry and Christian Bentancur combined for three catches for 12 yards in the win, and one of those passes to Patt-Henry was a desperation heave from Reynolds attempting to avoid a sack. A pass he probably should have just thrown at his feet.

While we have seen more 12 personnel, and even the occasional 13 personnel grouping, the staff has to find a way to get the tight ends more involved in the passing game.

Defensive Improvements

There is no denying the defense was much better against Georgia Southern. However, Eagles quarterback Max Johnson had some opportunities to do much more damage than he did, but he just couldn’t connect on some of those throws.

The late goal-line stand was impressive. If the Eagles score there, they are an onside kick away from having a chance to tie the game.

Holding any team to 22 rushing yards and 1.2 yards per carry should be acknowledged. Even more so after having given up more than 300 yards on the ground in Baton Rouge. Job well done.

The defense also had seven pass breakups. Ashton Hampton and Elliot Washington played well for the most part. There was a lot more good than bad with the safeties, as well. Ronan Hanafin was all over the place, picking up his first sack of the season. Although there was one play he probably wishes he had back.

Having said all of that, there is still so much more work to be done. Johnson had too much time on some of those plays, and the defense finished with just five tackles for loss. Three of those were sacks, with Will Heldt accounting for two of those.

Special Teams

This was another bright spot in the win. We have already mentioned Hauser and his five field goals, but let’s add in that Jack Smith also had a strong night. Five of his seven punts were downed inside the 20. Georgia Southern only had one punt return for -5 yards, so the coverage unit also had a strong night.

Freshman long snapper Jackson Reach also recovered a fumble on a muffed punt.

North Carolina

While it’s always good to pick up a win, there are still so many things that need to be cleaned up with what looks to be a much-improved Tar Heels team coming to town next weekend. The Tigers have won seven straight in the series and 11 out of the last 13. The last time North Carolina came into Death Valley and picked up a victory? Way back in 2001.