Todd McShay has seen enough. After three weeks, the longtime analyst says Clemson’s offense looks more like a grind than a groove.
“It’s like pushing a [expletive] stone up a hill,” McShay said on his show this week. “It never feels easy and smooth, and we’re rolling again. It never feels like that with Clemson, period.”
The Offense: Nothing Comes Easy
McShay pointed to the opener against LSU, where Garrett Nussmeier lit up Clemson in the second half, as proof that the Tigers can’t match opponents punch-for-punch.
“I never get that feeling where they’re rolling,” he said. “Even when they were scoring, it took four downs. Everything’s so damn hard with Clemson and Klubnik in this offense.”
The criticism lands heavy on quarterback Cade Klubnik and an offensive unit that hasn’t found rhythm. For a program that once prided itself on explosive, free-flowing playmaking, the Tigers have instead looked like they’re dragging chains.
The Defense: Talent Isn’t the Issue
McShay was quick to acknowledge Clemson’s defensive star power — and his frustration that the group hasn’t fully imposed its will.
“You’ve got Peter Woods, T.J. Parker, Avion Terrell, Wade Woodaz, DeMonte Capehart, Sammy Brown, Jeremiah Alexander — all these dudes,” McShay said. “It’s not the ’85 Bears, but this is one of the elite-talent defenses.”
Yet against Troy, Clemson surrendered a six-minute, 90-yard touchdown drive that bled from the third into the fourth quarter — a sequence McShay called “inexcusable for great defenses.”
The Bigger Problem: The Weight of Expectations
For McShay, the real issue isn’t talent. It’s mentality.
“This game was about Clemson, number 12 in the country, backs against the wall, all this talent,” he said. “But they’re playing like the weight of the world is on them. I don’t see a team playing fast, loose, fun, excited, laughing, dancing, rallying. I just don’t see that.”
Instead of a program shaking off last year’s frustrations, Clemson looks tense, burdened, and reactive. It’s a far cry from the joyful chaos of the 2016 and 2018 title runs.