The expectations are sky-high for Gideon Davidson coming into this season. The sophomore running back will not only be tasked with replacing Adam Randall as the Clemson Tigers' lead back, but the ground game needs to be a bigger focal point of the offense. Fortunately for Davidson, and everyone involved, Clemson finally has the right offensive coordinator in place to make all of this happen.
With Chad Morris coming back to replace an ineffective Garrett Riley, it will do wonders for Davidson's opportunities in the backfield. Jackson Castellano highlighted the offensive play-calling differences between Morris and Riley in his latest article for The Post and Courier. Under Riley, Clemson averaged only 31.5 rushing attempts per game, while Morris averaged 41.6 during his previous run at Clemson.
Davidson seems elated about the fact he will be playing for an offensive mind who will strive to get 40-plus carries out of the Clemson backfield every week. “That really made me excited,” Davidson said. “Here’s an opportunity to improve my skills, my skillsets, allows me to get more yards.” For the record, last season's national runner-up Miami averaged 43.6 rushes per game as the ACC's leader.
With this increased workload, it is only a matter of time before Davidson scores his first touchdown.
Chad Morris can unlock everything for Gideon Davidson this season
Last year, Davidson was second on the team in rushing with 260 yards on 60 carries. Randall led the way with 814 rushing yards on 168 carries for 10 trips to pay dirt. Davidson did have a handful of catches out of the backfield to get him to 71 total touches on the season. However, nobody is going to light up the stats sheet with only 5.5 touches per game out of the backfield. It is a numbers game.
Even if Davidson were to only barely eclipse the 15.6 touches per game Randall averaged as Clemson's lead back, that will do a world of good for his production. A stronger commitment to the ground game from Morris will not only unlock the best parts of Davidson's game, but also the entire offense. Clemson will only get back to the ACC Championship Game by winning time of possession.
With Morris choosing to go uptempo spread, this could allow more than just Davidson to break out. Clemson is expecting big things out of SMU transfer Chris Johnson Jr. in the backfield as well. With these two tailbacks playing off each other, it could go a long way toward Clemson's next starting quarterback having his best chance at success. It looks to be Christopher Vizzina, at least for now...
Since Morris appears to be more than willing to give his running backs far more touches than his predecessor, look for this to breed confidence into the entire offense. Clemson will be able to dictate pace far more readily on offense. It will keep the opposing defense on the field, allowing for its deep receiving corps to break off a big play every now and then. Clemson can now score points in a hurry.
For everything to come together for Clemson, Morris and Davidson will need to lean on each other.
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