Swinney says Tigers are in a better place in year two of Garrett Riley

Riley explains a play to quarterback Trent Pearman.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu Apr 18 07:00:03 GMT-04:00 2024

Dabo Swinney is expecting more out of offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and the Clemson offense in 2024.

The Clemson offense finished 48th nationally in total offense in 2022, averaging 410 yards per game and 30th nationally at 33.2 points per game. Swinney replaced Brandon Streeter with Riley in an effort to jumpstart the offense, but those rankings fell to 402 yards per game (52nd) and 29.8 points per game (also 52nd).

Swinney, appearing on ACC PM with Mark Packer and Taylor Tannebaum, explained why he thinks Riley and the offense will all be better in 2024.

“Yeah, I would say just that he's just really settled in, knows our players. This time last year, I think we had one scholarship receiver go through the spring, so that was a challenge for him with a lot of guys out and hurt and so forth,” Swinney said. “But it's been really good. I think he's more comfortable. All the staff, everybody settled in, obviously Matt Luke coming in. I think that's been a great addition for him as well. And just like your quarterback, you just take another step, and he's a very talented coach, very talented coordinator, and I'm really proud of how we finished. We were second in plays per game last year, and we were 15th in first downs last year.”

However, the Tigers failed in a few key categories.

“The problem is we were 112th in fumbles, and as a result, we were 121st in red zone, scoring turnovers in the red zone, missed kicks in the red zone. And so that was a very frustrating thing for him,” Swinney said. “But man, I'm proud of how Garrett hung in there, and we got over the hump, and we had some close losses in overtime, double overtime, pick-six, the opening game we had 250 yards rushing, 250 yards passing, and we got beat for the first time in 128 years of Clemson football (with those numbers). We don’t lose a game when we do that.

“So, it was a year for everybody just to kind of battle through, and we did, and we're in a good spot. We just have to go and keep building on what we've done this spring and have a great summer of skills and drills. The coaches are all in a good place. And now, hopefully, we can stay healthy and really build on the foundation that we put in place last year with Coach Riley.”