Clemson football: In-depth analysis of Texas A&M and South Carolina spring games

After three consecutive weekends of spring football games, it’s back to reality “no football.” But for those Saturdays, college football fans did get a glimpse of what their teams and future opponents could look like in September.  

During the spring football blitz, I watched the games of Texas A&M and South Carolina, two important teams on the Clemson football schedule. On September 8, the Tigers will travel to Kyle Field to face the Aggies and on Nov. 24, host the rival Gamecocks

When Clemson travels to Texas A&M, head coach Dabo Swinney will see a familiar face in a different place. Former ACC foe Jimbo Fisher left FSU after eight seasons and brought his offense and added defensive coordinator Mike Elko, who previously worked at Notre Dame(2017) and Wake Forest(2014-17). The Aggies held the Maroon and White game on April 14, and the White team won 30-24.

South Carolina played on March 31, and the Black team defeated the Garnet 34-20. Like Fisher, head coach Will Muschamp is dealing with a system change. He promoted co-offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon to head offensive coordinator, and McClendon implemented an uptempo offense. So far so good, because Muschamp thinks the change will be beneficial to the program and quarterback Jake Bentley.

“Very pleased with the way that our guys have received it,” he said in his post game interview . “It’s been good for our entire organization from a defensive standpoint having to play against it. But certainly, I think Jake plays better when he plays faster.”