Will Clemson's Offense Show Firepower Once Again?
ORLANDO - What will everyone see when Clemson’s offense attempts to move the football today in the Cheez-It Bowl against Iowa State? New players? New formations? Anything?
Bottom line, will there be better production?
After a very disappointing 2021 regular season for the offense, Clemson fans and college football fans alike are quite curious as to what will happen. Further, the Tigers will be facing a team that can challenge them based on the statistics, so it’s a good game to help understand what’s to come in 2022 and beyond.
Iowa State holds the No. 10 total defense rating by allowing just 309.2 yards per game, and are the 26th best team nationally in points per game allowed at 20.6.
Indeed, Iowa State is a quality opponent and one that a Clemson offense that did not play well for much of 2021 cannot take lightly. There’s still that Clemson persona that the Tigers can rise up though.
Considering it’s Clemson, no big deal against Iowa State, right? Well, for much of the last decade, that’s probably correct. For the 2021 season, however, the Tigers averaged just 26.8 points per game.
Some fans might point to the injuries at wide receiver, and there certainly were several, but there’s been something more. There’s not a good amount of continuity with the Clemson offense. That’s the bigger issue. The running game went through ups and downs, and so too has the passing game.
Take starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. Big arm, highly recruited, bright young man, and did well during his two starts as a freshman. He’s been mediocre for much of this season, however.
Yes, another player that has been hurt (knee, hand). Still, he has not even remotely reached his potential. Uiagalelei has only four games where he threw for 200 or more yards this season, and no game of 300 yards or more. In fact, Clemson currently sits at 103rd in passing yards per game with 191.5.
Why?
At Notre Dame in 2020, this is the same player that tossed the pigskin for 439 yards and two touchdowns. He’s not lacking talent. There’s still enough talent around him to throw for 300 yards in a game, too.
What’s going on with Clemson’s coaching? Is there a fit issue? Uiagalelei is not a classic Clemson quarterback in terms of a runner and thrower. He’s a pocket guy that can make a few runs here or there. He’s not going to zig and zag through Ohio State’s defense like Trevor Lawrence once did for a truly huge play.
With the running game in general, there are some bright spots and some question marks.
When running back Will Shipley is in the lineup, Clemson tends to do quite well. He’s not been healthy for the whole season, but he’s been really good while he’s playing. His 678 yards rushing leads Clemson, and he averages 5.2 yards per carry.
The Tigers also did well with sophomore Kobe Pace in the lineup. He’s sitting at 590 yards and 6.4 yards per carry. So there has been a true running game for the Tigers to work with albeit with different running backs toting the football. The quarterback run game has been okay much like 2020 was.
Uiagalelei only has 296 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 3.0 yards per carry. Ironically, that’s almost identical to Lawrence from last season, as he had 203 yards, a 3.0 average, and eight scores on the ground.
There’s still just something missing. It’s hard to define. Maybe this game starts a new trend with a new Offensive Coordinator.
Clemson’s offensive staff is transitioning from Tony Elliott as its Offensive Coordinator to switching over to Brandon Streeter.
Maybe there will be some change in how the new offense looks? A few questions need to be answered today to not only help further define Clemson’s current offense, but the future for Clemson.
**Can the Tigers be the explosive offense that it once was with a pocket passer as the main man?
**More specific, can Clemson throw the football over the top of the Iowa State defense for big plays?
**How will Coach Streeter implement the quarterback run game into the offensive game plan with a banged up Uiagalelei behind center?
**Will Clemson find creative ways to get the football to Shipley, the talented freshman running back (Shipley scored 10 touchdowns in nine games)?
**Same for Pace, the talented sophomore running back (six touchdowns in 10 games)?
**With the Tigers being the 99th best third down conversion offense in the country, will there be a sign of marked improvement against an Iowa State defense that’s savvy and experienced?
**What formations will Coach Streeter implement that gives the Tigers a mismatch at wide receiver?
**Following up on the last question, what third down formations help produce first downs for a porous third down offense?
There are a lot of bits and pieces to the Clemson offense that sound good, but it did not add up to success this season. Clemson went from 43.5 points per game in 2020 to 26.8 in 2021. Now let’s see how Clemson does in the bowl game with a new coach calling plays. No matter what happens, it’s probably a sign for what’s to come in 2022 and beyond.
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