Seven games into the season, Clemson is still searching for answers on offense, and Dabo Swinney believes the coaching staff deserves much of the criticism.
The Tigers have struggled to consistently move the football, and Saturday night’s loss to Virginia Tech was another example of an offense that has failed to meet expectations.
Clemson managed just 288 total yards against the Hokies, with only 153 coming through the air. The performance dropped the Tigers to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in ACC play.
The season-long statistics aren’t much better. Clemson ranks 115th nationally in total offense (333.1 yards per game) and passing offense (182.6), while sitting 111th in scoring at 21.4 points per game.
The Tigers are currently on pace for their worst offensive
season since 2008.
Despite those struggles, Swinney pushed back Sunday against the idea that Clemson simply doesn’t have the players to win.
“It is on us as coaches,” Swinney said. “I think I have to be better. The coaches have to be better, as well, and it starts with me.”
“We have good players. We have good enough players,” he added. “In my opinion, we should be 5-2 with momentum, but we did not get that done.
“That is my responsibility. We have good players that we have to coach and that we have to teach and we have to get them playing like we are supposed to.”
Quarterback Tait Reynolds has faced a difficult situation since taking over for the injured Christopher Vizzina in Week 2. While Reynolds has made mistakes, Clemson’s problems have extended well beyond the quarterback position.
Swinney pointed to the team’s dropped passes and other missed opportunities as examples of why the entire offense needs to improve.
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“We have to be better as coaches, and we have to be better around him. He has definitely grown. He has definitely done some great things. We make a great throw, and we drop it on third down last night. What a throw that was.”
Clemson’s defense and special teams have shown encouraging progress this season, something Swinney hopes his offense can eventually match.
But with a road trip to Florida State coming Saturday, the Tigers are running out of time to turn things around.
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Dabo Swinney says Clemson’s offensive issues isn’t because of the roster
