This past weekend Clemson suffered another loss on the road. Losing to Miami 20-28 in overtime now has them at 4-3 on the season and 2-3 in the ACC, sitting at eighth in the conference. Miami dominated up front on both sides of the ball, especially in the second half. Add to it the Tigers still have not stopped the turnover problem and it was a recipe for disaster for Clemson. The Tigers had 17 fewer yards of total offense and 180 fewer rushing yards than the Hurricanes. If Clemson does not adjust quickly, it could be a rough ending stretch for Dabo Swinney’s team.
Can’t Keep the Football
Every week we talk about how much trouble Clemson has had with turnovers this season. We believe it is what has been hurting the Tigers more than anything. Against Miami, Clemson’s offense turned the ball over three more times. This brought the season total up to 13 turnovers. The Tigers have still yet to go a game this season without turning the ball over. They also gave up seven points off of those turnovers making it 50 points on the season. This issue has been killing any momentum the Tigers get.
Even against Miami who has struggled with turnovers themselves, Clemson lost the turnover battle. Coming into this game, Miami had 12 turnovers on the season and Clemson had 10. Yet the Tigers still gave the ball up two more times than the ‘Canes in their matchup. We said in the preview the team that beat themselves the least will win the game. That team by far was Miami and it showed in the end.
Run the Ball
Another glaring issue with this Clemson team is the lack of an effective run game. Against Miami, the Tigers had a total of 31 rushing yards. Will Shipley and Phil Mafah had 20 carries combined in the game. Shipley had 15 and Mafah only had five. Cade Klubnik had more carries than Mafah in the game with 14. This is just not going to get it done for the Tigers. Coming into the season many within the program raved about how great this running back duo is. Most were comparing them to the pairing of James Davis and CJ Spiller who both now coach the position at their alma mater. Yet in seven games neither has rushed for 500 yards total on the season yet. Combined they have 849 rushing yards altogether.
Not all of this is their fault though. There is just not enough of a reliance on the run game for the talent they have. These two running backs are so talented they have the potential to be the best duo in the country. When they have been given the opportunities, they have shown they can create big plays themselves. Also, if Clemson wants to get to the explosive plays people want to see, they must set them up with a strong run game. Force teams to have respect for the run game and the passing windows will open up downfield. As good as Klubnik is, he is not ready to be the focal point of the offense.
Patience for Klubnik
It has been a rough last couple of outings for Klubnik. The sophomore threw for less than 150 yards against Wake Forest and struggled under pressure against Miami. He has done well putting together drives for the Tigers but has a hard time finishing many of them. Klubnik has also made a couple of bad decisions on crucial plays in two overtimes now. It is not time yet to ring the alarms though.
Part of the problem is Klubnik getting too much control of the offense already. While Klubnik has shown a good understanding of the offense so far, he still has to understand certain situations better. For example, knowing to give the running back the ball so close to the goal line in overtime instead of keeping it. Part of this though is on the coaches for giving him a little too much freedom with the play calls. A problem that occurs with an option-heavy offense is making sure the quarterback knows when he does not actually have an option.
It seems many people have already forgotten just how young Klubnik is. He is only in his second year as a college player, as a true sophomore. This is his first full season as a starter, and he has a new offensive coordinator he is learning under. There were always going to be many growing pains with the offense. To alleviate some of the pressure though, they need to take the game off Klubnik’s shoulders more. Run the ball effectively to make the defense have to be more aggressive on it in the run-pass option which will free up wide receivers down the field. Make the game easy for Klubnik while he continues to learn and grow.
Keep Hope Alive
This season has not at all lived up to expectations for Clemson. They are completely out of contention for both the College Football Playoff and the ACC Championship. Still, they could collect a few big wins to end the season. They also have a chance as the season gets closer to the end to get younger talent some experience. There is so much impressive young talent on the roster already as well as on the way, that it is hard to be too grim about the program’s future. It may take a little time for the younger roster to improve, but Clemson may not be out for long. For this season though all they can do is try to finish strong. The Tigers will have another tough one in Raleigh next week to do just that.
