The "Clemson Offense" is not the Issue

Sep 5, 2024, 4:46 PM

Hi everyone, (first post, but long-time lurker and 2020 Alum)! I've seen a lot of discourse on TNet regarding Dabo's comment prior to the 2023 Duke game, I "brought Garrett Riley in to run Clemson's offense," which is recirculating after the ass-kicking we just received in Atlanta. I don't think the scheme or CGR is the issue, it is the QB.

The 2023 offense was lackluster at best. We rarely attempted to stretch the field and were overly reliant on our defense to win games. Yet against UGa, in our 29 attempted passes, seven were targeted further than 20 yards down the field and only six passes were thrown behind the LOS. This means when Cade dropped back against Georgia, we were more likely to throw deep (24%) than throw it behind the LOS (20%). That is a shift from last season. In 2024, we seem to be more aggressive with the play calls, (at least statistically). So what is the problem?

With a quarterback that has a limited arm (in either accuracy or strength), the offense is forced into short to intermediate throws with the occasional schemed up deep-shot. With KB, DJ or Cade statistical results are roughly the same across different play callers, different offensive systems, and different receivers. I think this is where most people invoke the "Clemson Offense" quote to paint Dabo as the culprit. While it is possible Dabo meddles in the offense, do these problems only exist at Clemson? No. Look no further than 2024 FSU. Did DJU hand the “Clemson playbook” to Norvell? No. Norvell just can’t call the plays he called with Jordan Travis because DJ is not the same player as Travis. So their offense is anemic and forced into swing passes and screens into the flat, just like 2021-2023 Clemson. The problem is way simpler than we all try to make it. The most important position in team sports is the quarterback, and if the quarterback is not very good your team will not be very good.

If you have not already, I implore you to find some time and watch Aaron Murray’s breakdown of Cade’s performance in the UGa game, (YouTube). On nearly every play, we had at least one receiver open. Murray's takeaway is that if Cade can calm down and keep his feet underneath him, he will drastically improve and elevate our offense. While I agree, I also think Cade demonstrated the same deficiencies in his game against UGa that he displayed all last season. He either stares down his first option, or he panics and looks for an open jersey. He has not shown the ability to reliably read a defense with any sort of repeatability.

This exact trait is why Trent Pearman became the Spring Game hero and why Max Duggan was a Heisman finalist. Are either players truly physically gifted in relation to the rest of CFB teams with national championship aspirations? No. Yet they both showed Riley's scheme works. They delivered the ball into open space rather than to open players. On their passes, the ball is in the air before the receiver is ever open, and often while the receiver was still obscured by defenders. And what happened? Pearman marched up and down the field with both offenses in the Spring and Max Duggan led TCU to a National Championship appearance.

These examples indicate the offensive scheme and play calling are effective, but the guy running it is not. In 2024 we don’t have a Garrett Riley problem, we have a Cade issue. I don’t know the path forward for 2024, considering CV and Pearman are such unknown quantities. Let’s hope Cade miraculously puts it together and makes this offense look like 2022 TCU's… but like my boss sometimes likes to say “Hope is my Great Grandmother, don’t give me hope, give me a solution.”

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TigerNick04 said:

Garrett Riley's play calling would be considered terrible in ANY OFFENSE. You don't throw the ball behind the line of scrimmage or short of the marker on 3rd down attempts MULTIPLE TIMES....We don't even use 3/4 of the field in our passing game as evidenced by passing charts...We don't have the ability to adjust on the fly

Those things are a failure of the offensive coordinator. If Riley has to put training wheels on the offense bc Cade can't run it, Cade needs to be benched

I agree with this.

Garrett Riley is not a good offensive mind that I can tell.

He can call plays when given an offensive structure like the one he had with Sonny Dykes(2 years at SMU and 1 at TCU). But, him trying to have his own offense, is a no go.

Like Chad Morris or not; the dude made our offense better immediately. Even when the play didn't work; you could see the concept. What new concepts and plays have we seen?

I am all in on Dabo Swinney 100% and don't want him to go anywhere at all. But, I think the Garrett Riley hire was a mistake.

He hadn't put together an offense on the college level "on his own" prior. Chad had. Heck, even Streeter had at Richmond prior.

would have been better finding one of those retread NFL/College coaches like Matt Canada or something over Riley.
Hopefully, it gets better is all I can say. Sonny Dykes is not able to help him. Lincoln Riley(his brother) is not able to help him. He has to do it. Unfortunately, we have to watch his growing pains. Dude might be outstanding one day. But, he has done nothing that says he has that creative offensive mind you need. Standard plays are defended so often, the defense can just call them out just about. What can you do that's hard to simulate in practice? That's what will get players open.

The "Clemson Offense" is not the Issue

Re: The "Clemson Offense" is not the Issue

Re: The "Clemson Offense" is not the Issue

Re: The "Clemson Offense" is not the Issue

Re: The "Clemson Offense" is not the Issue

Re: The "Clemson Offense" is not the Issue

Re: The "Clemson Offense" is not the Issue

Re: The "Clemson Offense" is not the Issue

Re: The "Clemson Offense" is not the Issue

Re: The "Clemson Offense" is not the Issue

Re: The "Clemson Offense" is not the Issue

Re: The "Clemson Offense" is not the Issue

I think Garrett

Re: The "Clemson Offense" is not the Issue

Re: The "Clemson Offense" is not the Issue

Nice first post...

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