Clemson Football: Going forward, Tigers should feed rushing attack
If there’s one takeaway from Clemson football’s win vs. Syracuse on the offensive side, it may very well be the talent and power of the run game.
Obviously, we all want to see Trevor Lawrence throw the ball for Clemson football.
Whenever he returns, we want to see him sling the ball around and show us all what he is capable of doing. That’s going to be an important part of the offense this season if the Tigers are indeed going to make it back to the College Football Playoff.
But, there was something today that really should be noticed by the Clemson football coaching staff.
The Tigers have an elite rushing attack.
Travis Etienne is the spearhead of that attack. He is the workhorse and the player that gets it all started. That was seen Saturday afternoon with his 27 carries for 203 yards and three touchdowns.
But, even behind Etienne, the Tigers have some really solid and capable running options. Tavien Feaster finished the day with nine carries for 44 yards and Adam Choice had nine carries for 58 yards. All three of those guys ran the ball hard and continued to push forward and gain extra yards.
Going forward, that needs to be utilized.
Like I said before, I’m not saying that Clemson should abandon the passing game. If you were going to do that, you would’ve stuck with Kelly Bryant at quarterback. No, what I’m saying is a balanced attack that is, in fact, so balanced that opposing defenses just don’t know what’s coming.
Throw the ball on first down. Take a shot down the field. And then run the ball five times in a row. We didn’t learn anything new today. We all know that the rushing attack is good and that Travis Etienne is special, but I do think we found out that the running attack can win a game for the Tigers.
Chase Brice grew up before our eyes Saturday. dark. Next
Going forward, the offensive play-calling needs to be that of finding ways to get the ball in the play-makers’ hands. That means letting Trevor Lawrence open up the defense with the passing game and letting Travis Etienne and that stable of running backs pound the defense with their legs. It’s a formula that is simple.
But, it very well may be what leads Clemson football to a National Championship.
Assuming health, we could something very special on our hands.