How Swinney, Clemson plan to fix what ails Tigers offense

For the first time since 2014, No. 25 Clemson has started the season with a 2-2 record.

Head coach Dabo Swinney said he doesn’t need to consult anyone about it because he knows why. The devil is in the details, and the details are what’s costing the Tigers so far in 2021.

Ball security has been the biggest issue for Clemson’s offense, fumbling the ball 11 times this year, while penalties plagued both sides of the ball in a 27-21 double-overtime loss to N.C. State over the weekend.

Because the Tigers haven’t been able to get the little things right, Swinney said, they’re going back to “fall camp” mode and the basics to reassess the fundamentals of football.

“We all know where we are and how we got here, what we’ve got to do and we’re moving forward. It’s not complicated,” Swinney said. “It’s very simple, actually, but the simple things lead to big things. Until we get great at the details, we’re not going to get it turned around.”

That’s the difference in Clemson being 2-2 instead of 4-0, according to the Tigers’ head coach.

“We lost to Georgia on a pick-six and we went on the road and lost in double overtime and, man, stunk it up in so many ways,” he added. “Still got a chance to win the game in double overtime. It’s not that far, as I say, from the penthouse to the outhouse and it ain’t that far from the outhouse to the penthouse.

“It’s simple. It’s not complicated.”

The first goal will be avoiding the outhouse when Boston College comes to town for a 7:30 p.m. contest on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

The undefeated Eagles will be similar to North Carolina State in the amount of experience the team has on each side of the ball. Swinney called Dennis Grosel one of the most experienced backup quarterbacks in the country after coming in for Phil Jurkovec, who suffered a season-ending hand injury in the second game. Grosel has totaled 477 passing yards and four touchdowns this season.

Defensively, Boston College is only giving up 16.25 points a game, while Clemson is averaging 21.8 points — or less than 13 a game when factoring out the 49 scored against FCS South Carolina State.

The Clemson offense ranks No. 121 of 130 teams nationally in total offense with 295.5 yards per game.

The Tigers have left even more points on the field due to errors that resulted in empty drives. They are 24 for 55 on third-down conversions, have yet to convert on three fourth-down tries while still being 11-for-14 on scoring touchdowns in the red zone. Freshman running back Will Shipley has contributed five TDs on the year, but will be out for at least three weeks with a lower leg injury.

“The biggest thing is, we’re just out of sync right now,” Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. “It’s 10 guys and then one guy not doing the right thing, or it’s nine and you’ve got two guys not doing the right thing. … I don’t think we’re at that point of ‘it is what it is’ yet, but we’ve just got to get the right pieces in place, just really kind of assess and say what each individual can do and then try to build our plans towards putting them in position to be successful.”

Clemson’s coaching staff hasn’t ruled out making changes to the starting lineup and rotations.

Offensively against NC. State, the Tigers had three new starters in Davis Allen (tight end), Shipley and Paul Tchio (left guard). Even then, the looming problem of mental mistakes and failure to execute in the little details remain. So don’t expect to see anything especially new or fancy with the Tigers’ offense. There’s work to be done before they can get back to that point.

“Sometimes to make progress, you’ve got to go backwards,” Swinney said. “We’re not going to make progress if we don’t get better fundamentally. You’re not going to make progress if you don’t have discipline. Pre-snap penalties, post-snap penalties, ball security, the basics. You’ve got to be better at the basics before you get better at anything else.”

Clemson vs Boston College football game, TV info

Who: Clemson (2-2, 1-2) vs. Boston College (4-0, 0-0)

Where: Memorial Stadium, Clemson

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

TV: ACC Network

Line: Clemson by 16