Clemson football: What we learned in win over S.C. State

Three major takeaways from the win over S.C. State for Clemson football

3. The RBs are good, but the success of the unit is going to fall on D.J. Uiagalelei’s shoulders

One area on the offense that I was impressed with was the running backs.

Clemson has three legitimate running backs– Will Shipley, Lyn-J Dixon and Kobe Pace– who can get the job done. Dabo Swinney is clearly challenging Dixon off-the-field to “grow up,” but it’s clear that he is going to be an integral part of this offense if he puts in the work and gets rid of those issues.

That being said, it’s not going to matter if Uiagalelei can’t get going.

Every single defense from here on out is going to stack the box and bring blitzers. They’re going to test the offensive line– which still is a major concern– and they’re going to force Uiagalelei to beat them with his arm.

If you had told me that was going to be the game plan that opposing defenses would use last year following the Notre Dame game where Uiagalelei absolutely balled out, I would’ve told you that you were crazy. Now, though, it’s almost inevitable.

The good news? Uiagalelei has the arm to make any throw on the field and he has a deep room of wide receivers– though they’re still working through a few drops– if he can ever settle in.

The success of this offense is going to be tied directly to D.J. Uiagalelei the rest of this way. The running backs may still be able to bounce outside or power through to get some yardage at times, but Uiagalelei– and the offensive line to an extent– is going to hold the keys to opening up the offense.

The only question: Can he develop and make the changes needed or do we run into a situation where the QB position is a liability for the remainder of the season? We remain hopeful, but can’t say we’re confident currently.