Clemson got a much needed bye week after the tough 1-3 start to the season. It’s a great time to reflect on the first few weeks and clean up a lot of the mess that kept this team from meeting the expectations it had.
The biggest goals of the season may be off the table right now, but there is still much the Tigers can prove about themselves.
They’ve got six tough conference games coming up and the big rivalry game against South Carolina to end the season. Clemson can show it is still as great as many of us believed to start the season. This Tigers team has a chance to not let the start of this season define who they are.
Lean on the run
One thing that can help turn the Tigers fortune around is relying more on the run game. Adam Randall has shown he is able to carry more of a load at the running back position. It’s time for Garrett Riley to give him that responsibility.
Randall averaged over five yards per carry in the last three games. He averaged 8.1 yards per carry against Syracuse but only had 16 rushes.
It is no question the offense looks its best when the run game gets going. Cade Klubnik also looks most comfortable when he has a run game that he can rely on to open thing up. So it should be a no brainer the run game must be leaned on more as the season goes on. It doesn’t need to all be on Randall either.
Use the depth
Another thing that would be great to see from Clemson out of the bye week is relying more on its depth. Dabo Swinney said just before the season began that he liked where the depth is at in many positions. Yet, it feels like we don’t see as much of that depth as we could.
Cade Klubnik claimed at the ACC Football Kickoff that he believes there are multiple running backs on the roster good enough to be starters. But, Randall has 51 more carries than all other running backs combined. It was said freshman running back Gideon Davidson had a great spring and summer, looking like potentially the next great Tigers running back. He’s only ran the ball three times in four games though.
Another newcomer who was able to drum up a ton of excitement through his offseason work is Tristan Smith. The 6’5 wide receiver has not taken many offensive snaps and is rarely targeted. He needs to be looked to more in the struggling passing game.
A player who is taking quite a few snaps but could still use more in key situations is Jahiem Lawson. The defensive end has been described as “a one” by Swinney and is arguably outplaying TJ Parker to begin the season. Also on the defensive line Stephaylin Green has played very well and may need more of Peter Woods’ reps as he’s also underperforming.
These are just a few examples of players the Tigers could look at more to contribute, where returning “stars” aren’t making the plays necessary to win. Digging more into the depth of this team will allow the Tigers to find more playmakers. Also it pushes the other players who aren’t meeting the standard.
More Energy
The biggest thing we need to see from Clemson after this week is more energy. It seems like any excitement for the Tigers from those on and off of the field disappeared after the LSU loss. More specifically after going down in the first quarter against Troy.
It is tough to stay upbeat about the season when it seems everything keeps going wrong so early on. Especially with the amount of hype around this team coming into the year. But, if there is any chance of things turning around at all there needs to be a fire lit by someone in the program.
Players need to be flying around on the field, jumping around on the sidelines, and getting the fans behind them again. Fans need to be loud in the stadiums and support the team.
The doom and gloom around the program won’t change until the attitude of those who represent Clemson football does. Getting back on track won’t be easy, but college football is not an easy game.