Author : college football/basketball writer @MattZemek, Editor at @TrojansWire .
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Clemson scored just three points against Georgia, but it was easy to think that in a Week 1 game, a defense as great as Georgia’s was able to expose Clemson’s transition at quarterback, the loss of Travis Etienne, and the weaknesses on the Tigers’ offensive line.
Scoring just 14 points against Georgia Tech at home? That’s a lot harder to explain.
Georgia Tech lost to NORTHERN ILLINOIS. On Saturday, Northern Illinois gave up 63 points to Michigan.
Clemson’s offensive line couldn’t hammer Georgia Tech’s defensive front for 60 minutes? That’s a big problem.
I know this game was delayed by weather, and weather delays can interrupt an athlete’s rhythm and timing. Maybe that had a small affect on Clemson’s performance, but the Clemson defense was just fine. Clemson’s defense has been lights-out this season. Why can’t the offense do its part? How big a crisis is this?
Only time will tell, but this certainly is alarming and not to be taken lightly.
Clemson’s schedule is soft on paper, but Georgia Tech is one of the weaker teams on the slate. If the Yellow Jackets could keep the Tiger offense in a straitjacket, what will North Carolina State or Wake Forest do? They might actually be able to beat Clemson if Dabo Swinney and Tony Elliott can’t get this thing fixed.
What needs to happen? It starts with the offensive line. Getting blown up by Georgia obviously did not lead to soul searching or improvement. How can this position group be such a disaster? Clemson hasn’t won all these ACC titles and gained all these College Football Playoff berths in the absence of a strong O-line. Clemson has kicked the snot out of its opponents up front, allowing its gifted quarterbacks and running backs to do their thing.
O-line improvement is where this all begins.
If there is hope for Clemson, the Tigers can look around at the rest of the country and see that other prominent programs aren’t making the grade up front.
Oklahoma’s offensive line hasn’t played well. Ohio State’s offensive line hasn’t played well. Texas A&M’s offensive line hasn’t played well. Lots of big-name programs can’t score. We have seen some very ugly games and not all that many shootouts. The pendulum has swung to defense in ways we haven’t seen in recent years.
The solution is simple for Clemson on a conceptual level. The solution seems difficult only because of how atrocious the Tigers’ offensive line has performed. If Dabo and Tony Elliott can fix that, they can improve D.J. Uiagalelei and breathe a lot easier as the season goes along.
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