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Clemson Football: The Good, the Bad, and the Sus – Duke edition

By John Chancey

Sep 4, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers safety Kylon Griffin (18) and wide receiver Antonio Williams (0) after a game against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 4, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers safety Kylon Griffin (18) and wide receiver Antonio Williams (0) after a game against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Bad

We noted the team statistics should sound familiar. That is because this situation mirrors what we saw from the Tigers in last season’s Orange Bowl. The team moved the ball, got into scoring position, and somehow managed to shoot themselves in the foot every single time they had a chance to put points on the board.

The usually reliable BT Potter wasn’t reliable. Neither was Robert Gunn. I know Coach Swinney suggested that Gunn’s trajectory was too low on his blocked attempts. I agree with that assessment on the second attempt. I don’t on the first. The blocking was simply terrible by the field goal unit.

Overall, the blocking wasn’t good, and it wasn’t all on the offensive line by a long shot. They didn’t run block fantastic in the first half, but by the second half, the line was opening up wide holes for Shipley and Phil Mafah. The glaring place the Tigers are still weak is on their perimeter blocking. They just can’t figure out how to find a player and get in their way.

The defense had strong points. They got several three-and-outs from the Duke offense when they were on the field. It looked like the defensive line was getting a push, but it just didn’t deliver in the end. Zero sacks for the defense, and only four TFLs all evening.

Tackling was atrocious at times, and the truth is many times they didn’t even get their hands on the opponent. There were several examples of over-pursuit and bad positioning. Some guys who were considered All-American caliber talents were getting juked out of their shoes.

All this is true, but it doesn’t change the main problem. The offense can’t score. They continually choke the ball away, and it isn’t all on one player. As I said, one blocked field goal was on the blockers. The other was on Gunn. One miscue was a fumble on the handoff that appeared to be on Klubnik. The next was another fumble by Mafah (that should sound familiar too).

I didn’t see a problem with the effort Monday night, just the execution. This performance was clumsy and uncoordinated.

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