Athletic Dir [870]
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Dabo talking about the offense and DW is a full go.
May 12, 2015, 12:24 PM
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Clemson offense has potential to put up big numbers -- again
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Andrea Adelson, College Football
AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- Clemson has put together the most prolific offenses in school history over the past several years.
Could this year's team be the best yet?
Artavis Scott and Clemson's offense have the talent to produce huge numbers this fall. AP Photo/Richard Shiro
The potential is there given all the returning talent, from quarterback Deshaun Watson to receivers Mike Williams and Artavis Scott to a loaded and deep backfield. Though Chad Morris is gone, co-offensive coordinators Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott have recruited these players and worked with this players and learned directly from Morris how to run the offense.
Now, there is a pretty lofty standard to beat. The 2012 Clemson team that set the school mark with 512.7 yards per game featured a record setting quarterback in Tajh Boyd (4,410 total yards, 46 TDs), 1,000-yard back in Andre Ellington, DeAndre Hopkins (1,405 yards), Sammy Watkins (708 yards) and Martavis Bryant -- all future NFL draft picks.
"We have a chance to be good offensively. Is it the best? I don’t know," coach Dabo Swinney said. "We’ve got good backs, we’ve got good tight ends, we’ve got good receivers, we’ve got a good quarterback, we’ve got good depth up front on the offensive line. We have the makings of a good offense. Potential is one thing. Performance is another. We have to go perform.
"I like the ingredients we have. It starts with having the right type of ingredients. I think we have the ingredients to make something great, but we’ve got to put it all together and you’ve got to turn that potential into performance."
Williams and Scott form the best receiving duo in the ACC after a season in which they both nearly got to 1,000 yards. Clemson has never produced two 1,000-yard receivers in the same season, but there is a real shot for that to happen this year.
"You need to have a great quarterback for that to happen," Swinney said. "I think we’ve got a good one. I think you’ve got to be balanced enough to where you can create one-on-one matchups. Now you get yards after the catch and things like that so I think we have the potential because we have great ability in our skill positions with our quarterback and our receivers. The improvement of our running game is going to really help us. That’s a tough thing to accomplish, and it’s not something we set out to do because we’re very balanced as far as how we distribute the ball. If it happens it happens. We certainly have the ability."
If anything, ball distribution could prevent dual 1,000-yard receivers. Swinney is high on Charone Peake, finally healthy after knee injuries have hindered him over the past few years. Swinney said the tight ends will be more involved in the offense this year, too, especially with the way Jordan Leggett has made improvements.
Watson will begin offseason workouts with teammates next week and be full go for fall practice. He is expected to wear a brace, at least initially, to protect his surgically-repaired knee. But a quarterback like Watson raises expectations for the offense to potentially be even more productive, so long as he stays healthy.
"Our goal is to win," Swinney said. "We’re not trying to win a statistical war or get this guy 1,000 yards. But what I know is if we’re doing the right things and we’re productive offensively and making the right decisions, the stats will be there."
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