Clemson winning in 5 key areas but still losing to Virginia Tech all goes back to coaching

How did Clemson lose that game? A pair of Ethan Grunkemeyer touchdown passes to Luke Reynolds may have done the trick to give James Franklin's Virginia Tech Hokies a close 20-16 road win over the Tigers. However, when you look at a few key stats, Clemson may have done enough to win this game. The Tigers took care of the ball, provided pressure, and out-gained Virginia Tech, but still lost by four.

Drew Cagle of OnSI pointed out five key areas where Clemson outperformed Virginia Tech in defeat.

• Out-gained Virginia Tech by 54 yards on the evening.
• Had 85 more rushing yards than Virginia Tech.
• Defense allowed only 1.9 yards per Virginia Tech rushing attempt.
• Clemson did not turn the football over.
• Tigers defense had six sacks on the evening.

All five of these metrics suggest that Clemson played complementary football, probably winning the time of possession. Well, Clemson only threw for 153 yards to Virginia Tech's 164 and lost the battle for time of possession by nearly five minutes... Frankly, this all comes back to coaching, as the on-field execution by Clemson looks to have been better than the four-point loss this team just suffered.

There is a chance this Virginia Tech loss could compound for Clemson

For as uplifting as the North Carolina and California victories were, this latest loss to Virginia Tech feels doubly bad in the negative. In a way, it feels akin to the Week 1 road loss at LSU. That defeat was jarring because it removed all doubt about Clemson being a serious contender to come out of the ACC. With this loss, all the positive momentum Clemson had built up this fall has gone by the wayside.

With Clemson not expected to beat Florida State in Tallahassee on Halloween, the Tigers may need to beat two teams it could not a year ago to achieve bowl eligibility in succession: at Syracuse and at home versus Georgia Tech. With the way that Duke and South Carolina can play, Clemson might not be able to score enough points to keep pace with the Blue Devils or Gamecocks, all things equal.

Frankly, this loss to Virginia Tech was a total referendum on the Clemson coaching staff. The disdain the fan base is feeling for this coaching staff falls entirely on the offensive side of the ball. Again, Tom Allen's defense did its job. When your defense gets six sacks and neutralizes the opposing offense for the most part, you cannot complain about it. Not throwing for a single touchdown is problematic.

Right now, we are going to have to ride this season out, one way or another. All the dreams and aspirations for this team have mostly bit the dust. While the players on the field are still giving their all, it once again comes back to coaching. The offensive game plan has not been good enough from Week 1 on. Clemson can only win one way because of its offensive coaching staff. It is a struggle.

If Dabo Swinney allows for this loss to snowball, he could be coaching in his final season at Clemson.

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