Clemson's Best and Worst Coaching Decisions of 2020

As we look back on the 2020 season for the Clemson Tigers, it is only right, if we are going to grade the players, that we also look at the coaching decisions that were great and those that were not great.

Three of the best coaching decisions of the 2020 season:

D.J. getting the backup job: The Clemson coaching staff had a big decision before the opening game of the season: who would be backup to Trevor Lawrence. This was not only a big decision for the preparation of the heir to the Tiger offense but because of COVID protocols, whoever was chosen would have to be ready to go if Lawrence went down with COVID—which he did.

The two games he missed Uiagelelei showed his moxie and gut, leading the Tigers back from an 18-point deficit in his first start against Boston College, then throwing for more than 400 yards in the Tigers' double-overtime loss at Notre Dame.

Venables' coaching job against Notre Dame: Defensive coordinator Brent Venables' defense was exposed in the 47-40 loss to Notre Dame. Quarterback Ian Book was able to have his way both throwing the ball and running the ball, as Clemson allowed the most rushing yards (208) to an opponent since 2016.

However, in the second meeting of the 2020 season, the Tigers held Notre Dame to 44 rushing yards, counting sacks. ND running back Kyren Williams had just 50 yards on 15 carries.

Starting Murphy and Bresee: True freshmen Myles Murphy and Bryan Bresee were two of the bright spots in a much-maligned defensive front that experienced injuries and various other issues throughout the season.

Venables and Swinney understood that if the Tigers were going to reach the playoff again, they had to get better up front—and that was exactly what Murphy and Bresee did for the Tigers. Bresee earned first-team All-ACC honors, while Murphy was a force the entire season. Give these two a non-COVID offseason and look out next year.

Three of the worst coaching decisions of the 2020 season:

Abandoning the MOF: The Tiger's production from the tight end position improved in 2020, but it still wasn't where it needed to be. Getting Braden Galloway back for a full season was a plus, and Davis Allen had his moments, but Jalen Lay was a non-factor—as was the Tigers' attacking the middle of the field.

They completely forgot about attacking the middle of the field for games at a time, opting to attack with the long pass down the sideline or quick outs or the screen game. In fact, the amount of tunnel and bubble screens this season brought back memories of the mad scientist Rob Spence.

Time management in ND game: The first of Dabo Swinney's biggest blunders of the season occurred when the Tigers were attempting to run out the clock. The Tigers got the ball back from ND with 2:10 on the clock and gave the ball back to the Irish after using up only 30 seconds of game time.

The Tigers mismanagement was highlighted when Travis Etienne ran to the short side of the field on third-and-14 and was forced out of bounds, a mistake that not only stopped the clock but also meant ND was not forced to use a time out,

Not Going for it twice on fourth-and-less-than-3 against Ohio State: The biggest coaching head-scratcher came in the biggest game of the season, as not once, but twice, Swinney chose to punt the ball to Ohio State on fourth down with less than 3 yards to go.

While the charts may have said it was the right decision, to try and pin the Buckeyes deep in their own territory, common sense said it was maybe the worst coaching decision Swinney made all season. The defense could not stop a runny nose, and was reeling, with two of the best players in college football history in the backfield, Swinney's decision was the football equivalent of waving the white flag.