Thoughts on Clemson vs. Florida State
Ask any Clemson fan right now, and many will tell you they are as infuriated over the result of a game as they have been in quite some time. It is one thing to lose. It is quite another to lose of your own volition where self-inflicted mistakes, compounded with mind-boggling coaching decisions, sealed the fate of the Tigers’ season in terms of contending for the playoffs, and probably an ACC championship. There was a lot of good that happened on Saturday. Unfortunately, it was overshadowed by some of the most preposterous actions Clemson fans have witnessed in quite some time.
Klubnik is maturing…
Let’s start with something good. Cade Klubnik had a heck of a day for Clemson. Against the #4 ranked Seminoles, Klubnik looked the part of a savvy veteran, making tight throws, plays under duress, and at times willing the offense down the field. For the most part, Cade made good decisions. For the most part, but we will get to that shortly. Klubnik completed 25 of 38 passes for 270 yards and a score and rushed for another, and regardless of the outcome, it was a gigantic step forward for the sophomore signal caller.
Coaching cohesion or lack thereof…
Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin made some, shall we say, questionable decisions in the first half on Saturday. For much of the second quarter, Goodwin played Florida State with a three-man defensive front which allowed Seminoles’ quarterback Jordan Travis ample time to sit in the pocket comfortably. Fortunately, Travis was not on target during the first half, and the Tigers took advantage by taking a 17-14 lead into halftime. However, it was only a three-point cushion due to the aforementioned soft defensive alignment which allowed FSU to score a touchdown just before the intermission. That drew the obvious ire of Dabo Swinney, who visibly chewed out his defensive coordinator within sight of 83,000 fans and television cameras. Goodwin and Swinney must be on the same page, and in a game of such magnitude, anything less than all-out aggressiveness was irresponsible. Swinney was spot-on in his anger.
Bad bad Tyler Brown…
The true freshman wide receiver was one of the baddest men in the whole damn town of Clemson on Saturday. Brown continues to flash and impress each time out, making spectacular catches and showcasing his strong hands and blazing speed. Tyler recorded another touchdown grab in the first quarter on a dart over the middle from Klubnik in which he hauled in the pass falling into the endzone. If the past three games have been any indication, Brown is going to become a beloved fan favorite over the next several seasons.
Clock mismanagement…
Here’s where it gets ugly. That might be putting it nicely. Dabo Swinney mismanaged the game clock about as egregiously as could be done in the fourth quarter. Swinney burned through his final two timeouts in seemingly inconsequential situations, and when the Tigers’ defense stopped Florida State at the Tigers’ 39-yard line with 12 seconds to play in regulation, there was no way short of throwing to the sidelines for Clemson to stop the clock. Robert Gunn III had lost his job as a starting placekicker, but the fact remains he can connect from 60 yards and maybe further if you believe what has been said. If that is true, then the Tigers needed only 25 yards to set up a kick from 53 yards. Gunn may not have made it, but why not try? You can viably run three plays in 12 seconds by working the sidelines. Instead, Swinney and Garrett Riley simply handed the ball to Will Shipley for a run up the middle which drained the final seconds away and sent the game to overtime. There was no attempt to even get within Gunn’s range when it was absolutely doable. That is inexcusable.
Limited options…
To cap off the heartbreak for Clemson fans, there was the Tigers’ possession in overtime. After the Seminoles scored first, on a pass from Travis to Keon Coleman, Clemson had a chance to answer. Shipley busted a run up the middle for more than nine yards on second down, and with 3rd and half a yard coming up, it was assumed by everyone that either Shipley or Mafah would get a simple handoff for the easy first down. No. Instead, Riley called an RPO (run-pass option) play for Klubnik, who for some reason decided to pull the handoff and fire a screen pass to the left sideline behind the line of scrimmage to Adam Randall which resulted in the loss of a yard. On 4th and 2, Klubnik’s pass sailed high, giving an outplayed and exhausted Florida State team the win on a day in which they had been thoroughly whipped in most phases of the game. Swinney shouldered the blame after the game, saying it should not have been an RPO call. You called a play in which Cade was handed a decision. He chose wrong and it cost the Tigers the game. It was a bad call, period.
