Clemson Football: Fixable mistakes provide optimism moving forward
The Clemson football program may not be undefeated anymore, but, the rest of their goals are still very much on the table. With six weeks left in the season, Dabo Swinney and company are sure to fix the problems that hindered them against Syracuse.
Losing is almost foreign to fans of a program of Clemson’s caliber. Coaches and players on the other hand, understand that winning is earned each and every week.
After re-watching the game, the Tigers’ loss wasn’t that bad. It’s important to remember that Clemson lost starting quarterback, Kelly Bryant midway through the game. Before Bryant went down, Clemson’s offense was moving the ball just fine.
Zerrick Cooper was thrust into the game and the Tigers’ offense was never the same. I wouldn’t give up on Cooper just yet, he’s a young talent with a rocket arm. His shaky performance against the Cuse was due to his lack of in-game experience.
All-in-all, Clemson’s offense played a decent game considering the circumstances. The Tigers defense made a few correctable mistakes, which is part of the game. Majority of the points given up, where a result of Syracuse’s excellent play-calling.
Examples
Here Brent Venables dialed up a stunt blitz on third and long. Dino Babers countered Venables pressure with a slip screen to the boundary. After sifting through the traffic, Syracuse running back Dontae Strickland was left wide-open.
On this play Syracuse simply capitalized off of a busted coverage by Clemson. Safety, Tanner Muse was sitting on the hash to the boundary, leaving the middle of the field wide-open. Easy pitch and catch for Eric Dungey.
Syracuse burned Clemson’s defense with this exact play multiple times. It’s a simple fake screen to the boundary. Eric Dungey pumps the screen, while the tight-end leaks out up the sideline. This is a perfect example of Dino Babers’ plan to use the Tigers’ aggressiveness against them.
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This loss will not only fuel Clemson’s players, but, their coaches as well. You can expect to see a collective sense of focus permeating from this football program from here-on-out.