Brayden Jacobs ruined Matt Luke's promising Clemson offensive line dreams in one play

If there was one play that perfectly encapsulated why Clemson never stood a chance vs. LSU, look no further than this horribly executed blocking attempt by left tackle Brayden Jacobs. Coming into this season, Jacobs was seen as the best offensive lineman on Matt Luke's much-improved unit. This was supposed to be a strength for Clemson. Instead, the Tigers were completely outmatched against LSU.

The play in question shows Jacobs and guard Elyjah Thurmon completely turn their backs on one another. While Thurmon actually attempted to block someone, Jacobs stood there like a total buffoon, allowing LSU star linebacker Whit Weeks to sprint into the backfield to bring Clemson running back Gideon Davidson well behind the line of scrimmage. What was the plan on this play?

Simply put, you are either coaching it or you are allowing it to happen. What a disaster of a play call...

Brayden Jacobs' bad whiff proves Matt Luke's line is still in a state of flux

When you are deep in your own territory down bad on the road, you cannot be this careless. Clemson needed to be far more locked in than this, especially along the offensive line. The disparity between Clemson's 1.5 yards per rush and LSU's 5.3 was largely the deciding factor in this game. It became apparent that the trenches were going to be a massive problem for Clemson from opening kickoff.

For Clemson to get back into good graces with its fanbase, the Tigers need to be more locked in up front. Chad Morris would prefer to run the football 40-plus times a game. Clemson only had 26 carries for 40 yards on Saturday night. That is not how you keep games close, or interesting for that matter. Either way, Jacobs' bad moment showcases that we have massively overhyped Luke's offensive line.

Unlike Morris, this is not his first year back at Clemson. Luke has been here for a minute. The former Ole Miss head coach was part of national championship teams at Georgia prior to being let go at his alma mater. Even if Clemson has never really been a dominant team up front throughout most of Dabo Swinney's run, this unit was supposed to be an area of strength. It looks like another weakness.

Right now, we have to wonder if LSU put anything on tape that less talented teams on Clemson's schedule can take full advantage of. While Miami looms large in a few weeks, the Hurricanes still need to figure out what they want to do to get a pass-rush going. Admittedly, everything snowballed in the worst way possible for Clemson, but you cannot be thrilled to see your best lineman struggle like this.

The good news is next week's home opener vs. Georgia Southern could be the epitome of a get-right game. Clay Helton is a sound head coach, but he is coaching a Sun Belt team these days. Assuming Clemson can get its act together, maybe it can find enough of something good to keep the North Carolina Tar Heels at bay in two weeks? Otherwise, this could be such a long season for the Tigers.

We can only hope that this unfortunate lowlight for Jacobs is a jumping off point for the offensive line.

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