Which Clemson Side is More Trustworthy: Offense or Defense?

It's safe to say inconsistency has plagued both Clemson's offense and defense this season.

It's also safe to say that many teams in college football have faced the same issue and not very many schools have played four amazing quarters of football each week for six or seven games.

That's college football. That's sports.

But which side of the ball for the No. 5 Tigers has gained the most trust after seven weeks? The fact that it's even debatable is a topic of its own. After all, the offensive side of the ball entered the season with by far the most question marks.

Everyone wondered if the scoring attack was going to be better than last year when it ranked among the nation's worst. It most certainly has this season, thanks to a greatly improved DJ Uiagalelei at quarterback, cohesion on the offensive line and playmakers making more plays.

It's been a pretty simple formula for success, but the Tigers are still far from perfect offensively as they rank 61st in total offense. They still leave some big plays on the field.

They also didn't do much for the final quarter and a half at FSU last week and were unable to churn first downs and run the clock out in the fourth quarter.

Right tackle Blake Miller hasn't been stellar the last two weeks and got benched for a time at FSU. Has he hit the proverbial freshman wall? Does Clemson need a long-term solution there? Can they run the ball better when they have to?

Overall, though, this unit has exceeded expectations.

Meanwhile, playing complementary football has been an issue. There have been times when the offense was really good (see Wake Forest), but the defense struggled to match it. The Tigers gave up over 300 passing yards, a ton of penalty yards on pass interference calls and 45 points in that game, but still won it.

The defense had issues last week against FSU, allowing over 200 rushing yards for just the fourth time since the 2017 season began. The foot came off the gas in the fourth quarter and the Tigers had to sweat out an onside kick to hold on to the victory. But they won.

There was a head-scratching performance against Furman in which the screen game killed Clemson's vaunted unit. Then Louisiana Tech threw for 300 on the Tigers, who were banged up in the secondary.

The NC State win in a top-10 matchup was the closest Clemson's come to a complete game this season.

Which leads us back to the original question: Which unit do you trust the most?

Clemson needs to play better for a full four quarters, but if it doesn't which side of the ball can carry the team to victory? The defense was certainly the reason the Tigers kept their 10-win streak going last season.

This might surprise you a little: Clemson ranks 21st nationally in scoring offense and 26th nationally in scoring defense. That's a little telling. But one way to look at this debate is to think of it as matchup-related.

The defense is the more talented and deeper unit, but it's been susceptible to giving up big plays, including 30 pass plays of 20+ yards. There have been some teams, like Wake Forest, that overpowered the Tigers with a stellar receiving corps. Then there are teams, like La. Tech and Furman, that were at talent disadvantages that schemed around them.

When they played a more straightforward NC State team that was going to challenge the Tigers physically, Clemson dominated. So the matchup matters.

Offensively, most of Clemson's issues have been self-inflicted, not matchup-based. There really hasn't been a scheme or a particular pass-rusher who's given the Tigers problems.

Uiagalelei has stayed on his feet for much of the season as the O-line has done well in pass protection. And Clemson hasn't turned the ball over much.

Could the offense be the side that garners more trust?

That might come down to what you think about the defensive front, which is now the healthiest it has been and appears ready to be the stellar unit people thought it would be going into the season.

That's a strong argument, but it's also based on something you haven't really seen yet. Clemson's front has underwhelmed at times this year, although there have been some really good individual performances from KJ Henry, Tyler Davis and Ruke Orhorohoro.

This week offers another chance to answer that question as No. 14 Syracuse comes to Death Valley for a noon kickoff. The Orange have a top-10 defense and an offense led by a dynamic quarterback and running back.

With high stakes and the first release of the College Football Playoff rankings right around the corner, this would be a great time for the Tigers to put together the ultimate complementary game and leave this debate for another time.

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