In many ways, the Clemson vs. Wake Forest dredged up concerns for Tiger fans. In others, it reinforced what we already know about this year’s Clemson team. It was far from pretty, but the Tigers found a way to stave off a scrappy Demon Deacon team and win 17-12. There is a lot to dissect, and plenty of fans were driven back to the edge in regards to the offense or lack thereof. Here are five hot takes in the wake of Clemson’s latest victory. Pun intended.
The FSU and Syracuse games were an offensive aberration
It seemed like more of the same futility of the past two seasons for Clemson offensively on Saturday. The previous two games against Florida State and Syracuse had abated concerns to a degree and lent hope that the offense had finally figured things out. Nope. Clemson looked completely lost offensively for most of the day. There was no rhythm, there was another fumble on another botched handoff between Cade Klubnik and Will Shipley, and the Tigers’ sophomore quarterback routinely over and underthrew his open receivers. The fact is, scoring 17 points against a well below-average Wake Forest defense is alarming. Maybe it was an off day and Clemson comes out firing in two weeks against Miami. Or maybe we got our hopes up for nothing.
Tyler Brown needs to recalibrate
Clemson true freshman wide receiver Tyler Brown has been the talk of the town so far in 2023. The young man from Greenville burst onto the scene and has established himself as the Tigers’ go-to wideout. Or has he? Brown had a disastrous day on Saturday. Aside from dropping some wide-open passes, Brown also allowed an easily returnable punt to roll to the five-yard line before picking up the ball, promptly getting tackled and giving his team a horrendous field position. As if that was not bad enough, he muffed a punt not long after that added to Clemson’s negative turnover margin and again put the defense in a compromising position. Should Brown see his playing time shortened with the imminent return of Antonio Williams? I tend to think no, but we will see what the freshman is made of against a far more capable Miami team.
Sage Ennis should be the starting tight end
All that Tiger fans heard all offseason was how good tight end Jake Briningstool was. I still think he has immense talent. Right now, however, the results on the field do not bear that out. Briningstool has not exactly been dominant at the position through six games. He has made some nice catches, sure, but many times he just does not get separation, and when he does, he goes down far too easily at first contact for a player his size. I’m not sure what the problem is with Briningstool, but it’s time to give Sage Ennis more reps and maybe a start to see what he can do.
Reshuffle the offensive line
I feel like I am playing a broken record here. The offensive line has not been good run blocking. At all. There is an obvious disconnect and the answer to why and how to fix it is not abundantly clear. Either way, the Tigers are having all kinds of trouble running the ball, especially in short yardage situations. Sure, Shipley and Phil Mafah have ripped off some big runs at times, but it is the consistent failure to pick up one or two yards for a first down, or score on the ground inside the five, that is absolutely maddening. The offensive line is a position that requires more development than others, but it is time to see what some of the young freshmen can do. Give them a shot and see what happens. If it does not work you can always go back to the starting five being used now, but it has come to the point that it is worth a shot to shake things up.
Use Adam Randall or lose him
Adam Randall’s complete absence from the offense in the last several games has been puzzling to say the least. Randall is a physical specimen at the wide receiver position and possesses every natural attribute to be a dominant player. Nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors, or for what reasons Randall is not seeing the field much, but this is a kid who can help the Clemson passing game. Give him a chance. Dabo Swinney is as stubborn as ever in taking players from the transfer portal despite losing many of his own players to it every season. Randal is a South Carolina kid from Myrtle Beach, who always wanted to play for Clemson. The Tigers will lose him if they do not start playing him. All loyalty aside, players of Randall’s caliber want to play and be involved. If Swinney is not willing to give him that chance, then he is also willing to let Randall go play somewhere else in 2024. Nobody should want to see that happen.
