The Clemson Tigers have a final bye week of the season and they are hoping to move on. The Tigers are also eliminated in the ACC Championship and College Football Playoff, but three more games will earn the team a bowl appearance in the 21 st consecutive year.
So far, the season of Clemson was an up and down one. The running game has not been good offensively. The Tigers are currently 12 th of the ACC with an average of 116.4 rushing yards per game. This season Clemson has had only two occasions when a rusher has gone over 100 yards, Adam Randall did so against Troy and Syracuse, indicating the inconsistency of the team on the ground.
Clemson has been more competitive through the air. Cade Klubnik, as the quarterback, has assisted the Tigers in being ranked the fourth most in the conference in terms of passing yards per game (284.3). Most impressive games with Syracuse, North Carolina, and Boston College increased those statistics, whereas the performance of Christopher Vizzina, who has scored 300 yards and 3 touchdowns against SMU is also memorable. One of the main challenges to come is playing minus a star receiver Bryant Wesco Jr who is out of the season with a neck injury. Wesco was the top receiver in terms of the receptions, yards, and touchdowns.
On the defensive side Clemson has been very strong against the run giving up only 109.7 yards per game, which is fifth in the ACC. Defensive coordinator Tom Allen has been consistent on the ground on the first year but there have been lapses against teams such as Georgia Tech. Within the passing game, the Tigers are in the middle of the pack with the eighth position that permits 228.6 yards per game. Things in the secondary were revealed to be somewhat problematic in games against Syracuse and SMU, yet overall Clemson has had a good defense and they are the leader in terms of fewest penalty yards per game (44.1).
Complementary football has been the greater problem. It is not uncommon that where the defense is doing its job best, the offense is weak, and the reverse. The first shortcoming, that of losing to LSU at the season open and the subsequent defeat at SMU, speaks of the imbalance. Clemson had only 10 points and had their opponent to 17 against LSU. Compared to SMU, the crime had a low score of only seven in the first half, and the game was close. During the second half, the Tigers earned 17, yet the defense gave 19, which deprived them of a chance of earning the ACC title.
In the future, the direction Clemson follows is quite obvious, that is, playing complementary football. In case the crime can take advantage of defensive turnover, and the team led by Allen is able to make defensive stops in case successful offensive advances are achieved, the Tigers will be in stronger positions to succeed. Next is Duke, which is expected to win its first home game of the year against a Power Four with Clemson.
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