The Clemson football team has a much-needed open date this week. Here are five areas the Tigers can improve on heading into the rest of the season.
The Clemson football team narrowly escaped with a 21-20 victory over UNC Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill.
The Tigers couldn’t get much going offensively for the better part of the day and the defense allowed a touchdown on a 16-play drive that gave UNC an opportunity to attempt a two-point conversion that would’ve given the Tar Heels the lead with a little over one minute remaining.
The Clemson football defense came up big when it needed to, though, getting a stop and allowing the Tigers to hold on for their fifth victory of the season.
The game against the Tar Heels showed that Clemson wasn’t invincible. The Tigers have to show each and every week ready to play or they can be beaten by any opponent. Though analysts want to harp on Clemson’s weak schedule, there are still solid enough opponents who can compete if Clemson doesn’t play up to its potential.
Now, over the course of two weeks, the Clemson football players must hear about how they’re “not a top-four team” and how they “don’t deserve to be in the playoff.” In my opinion, that bodes well for the Tigers moving forward.
This is a young team that needs some veteran leadership. It certainly doesn’t hurt to have a chip on their shoulder heading into the remainder of this season.
As we progress through the bye week, here are five areas that Clemson football needs to improve upon.
5. Open up the play-book
This has nothing to do with practice, reps or chemistry. It’s time for the offense to open up the play-book.
There have been way too many times where this offense has taken a conservative mindset into a game and they’ve suffered as a result. This offense has a “feeling out process” in the first quarter. They look and see what the defense will give them.
From there, the Tigers scheme around it.
Heading into these next few weeks, I expect them to open up the play-book and come out attacking. This offense is too talented to not be clicking on all cylinders and one way you can do that is opening up the play-book and allowing them to play loose. There have been far too many back-shoulder fades and WR screen passes.
4. Shore up the secondary
The secondary has been good, overall, through the first five games of the season.
Nolan Turner has really stood out for what he’s been able to do. K’Von Wallace and Tanner Muse have played their assignments in the passing game and have also done a good job in stopping the run, as well.
The corners, especially AJ Terrell, Derion Kendrick and Mario Goodrich, have been solid. But, there are areas that need to be shored up in the secondary.
Terrell was beaten by his man on several occasions Saturday against UNC. There have been times where quarterback have had open receivers and just missed their targets. The secondary needs to get those things shored up, especially in zone coverage, moving forward.
3. Second-Level Tackling
One of the reasons that we’ve seen teams have semi-success in the running game has been missed tackles by the linebackers, in particular.
They haven’t done a bad job. They’ve improved over the course of the season, but it’s time to take that next step.
The linebackers have to make plays and that means stepping up, especially in interior runs, and finishing off a running back before he gashes the Tigers for 6,7 or 8 yards at a time.
The linebackers also have to contain and not allow a running back to get outside and bust off a big gain, something we saw on a couple occasions against North Carolina.
2. Offensive Balance, Chemistry
The offense needs balance.
The Tigers haven’t done a good job mixing the run and pass like we thought they would coming into the season.
Instead, it’s been pass happy at times and, ineffective.
We need to see balance and that means the pass opening up the run game, and vice versa. The Tigers need to use the weapons in their arsenal and working on chemistry and balance is how you do that.
1. The all-around passing game
Probably the most pressing issue to this point with the offense has been the lack of a true passing attack.
Defenses haven’t respected Trevor Lawrence’s ability to carve up their secondary. Instead, they’re playing back and letting the Tigers play in front of them. That has led to a lot of screen passes and back-shoulder fades on the outside.
Clemson needs to open up the passing game and allow Lawrence to throw the ball over the middle. It’s not just Lawrence that has to improve, though.
The offensive line needs to do a better job in pass-protection. Travis Etienne needs to do a much better job in pass-protection. You’ve got to give him time.
Instead of playing to take what the defense gives, it’s time that Clemson football just starts taking because they can. The Tigers have too many talented wide receivers with a top-tier quarterback to not have an explosive passing game. Look for it to be much different when Clemson takes the field against Florida State next Saturday afternoon.