The Clemson football team has had some major issues to address over the course of the open date as we look ahead to the remainder of the 2021 season.
The Tigers currently sit at 3-2 overall with a 1-1 record in the ACC and they are looking at a streak of seven-straight games, a couple of which they could be Vegas underdogs, once they come back from the bye week.
If they want a shot at winning the ACC Atlantic Division and competing for the conference title, they’ll likely need to win out and to do that, we’re going to need some changes on the offensive side of the ball.
Three things we need to see from the Clemson football offense on the bye week
1. Hunter Rayburn needs a permanent home as the starting center
The offensive line still has had its fair share of problems this season, but the group played its most competent game of the season Saturday evening against Boston College.
The Eagles had some big bodies up-front and they had no problem stacking the box. While the offensive line still failed to get a push on a few key plays– ie. that 3rd and goal from the two-yard line, or the early 4th down attempt– the truth is that we saw improvement with the group.
Why? It all started with Hunter Rayburn at center and then Matt Bockhorst moving to guard.
These two need to have a permanent home on the starting offensive line. That may mean relegating Will Putnam to a backup role. It may mean taking Paul Tchio and having him come off the bench.
The only thing that is for certain about this interior line, at least in my opinion, is that Rayburn needs to be the permanent starting center and that Bockhorst is need at guard. From there, the coaching staff will have to figure out who the best option is between Tchio, Putnam and freshman Marcus Tate.