Four things we need to see from Clemson football during the November bye week
The Clemson football team will have its second open date of the 2020 season this Saturday and there’s no doubt this team has some work to do as we head down the stretch.
The Tigers picked up their first loss of the season- and their first loss of the regular season since 2017- against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on the road this past weekend.
Even with the loss, Clemson football remains inside the top-four in the nation and the Tigers still have an opportunity to make the CFB Playoff if they can run the table from this point out.
As we look at the open date, here are four things we want to see from this Clemson football team.
4. Healing & Recovery
Trevor Lawrence is back, which is a big step. But let’s not forget about all of those defensive starters who have been out for the last couple of weeks.
Dabo Swinney has already said that James Skalski won’t be back for the Florida State game, but there is hope that Mike Jones Jr. and Tyler Davis will be able to return. In addition, the Tigers need to get healthy all-around.
Clemson suffered several injuries in the game against Notre Dame that sidelined even more players on the defensive side of the ball. For them to have a chance, they’ve got to recover and be healthy the rest of the way. That starts with getting some needed rest this week.
3. Secondary figures out the rotation & makes changes
The Tiger secondary has shown glimpses of greatness, but that consistency has not been there through these first eight games.
We’ve seen a ton of bodies rotate into the game because no defensive back- other than Nolan Turner, really- has proven to be the clear-cut option. Even Derion Kendrick– who many pegged as All-ACC type player- has been inconsistent and in trouble with the coaches at times.
Clemson needs to figure out the weaknesses in its secondary this week and begin to solidify the rotation. There needs to be more order back there so that guys can play with confidence.
2. Someone needs to step up at RB
Perhaps this isn’t as big of a deal as some of the other keys, but it’s still something to watch.
Clemson has Travis Etienne as the starter and then what? Lyn-J Dixon, Darien Rencher and Chez Mellusi have all had time spelling Etienne, but none of them have made a major impact.
The Tigers need a hard and explosive runner to make an impact and to be a threat when they enter the game. To this point, that simply hasn’t been the case with any running back not named Travis Etienne.
1. Offensive line hitting the reset button
It’s time for this offensive line to hit the reset button- rotation, playing time, scheme, mentality- on everything.
No one can deny that this offensive line has been bad to this point in the season and they are struggling mightily at opening up holes in the running game. There’s been talk about potentially switching up the rotation and that might very well be needed.
Clemson needs to see its offensive line perform at a higher level. The Tigers need that group to be better in run-blocking.
For Clemson football to have a chance at the National Title, the offensive line has to improve and there is no way around it.