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Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley stood at the podium last week with the Tigers sitting at 1-3, their worst start in more than a decade, and an offense that has sputtered far below expectations.
In last weekend’s 34-21 loss to Syracuse, the Tigers put up a season-best 503 yards — a number that tied Duke's output in a 38-3 victory over the Orange and surpassed Tennessee’s 493 yards in its 45-26 win. But the yards, obviously, weren’t enough and for only the third time in program history, Clemson lost a game despite topping 500 total yards.
Clemson has now lost back-to-back games despite outgaining its opponents. Through four games, the offense is No. 85 nationally in total offense, averaging just 365 yards per contest, a dramatic fall from last season’s No. 18 ranking, when Riley’s group averaged over 500 yards per game.
“You always have things that you would want back,” Riley said when asked to evaluate the offense. “I can think of a lot of games where we’ve probably been rolling and scored a bunch that day. [I] wish we had some things back. But yeah, we’re always going to self-evaluate and be brutally honest within ourselves. You have to do that if you want to adapt, if you want to continue to grow, if you want to get better.”
The Tigers’ struggles haven’t been confined to the stat sheet. Clemson’s offense sputtered badly in its loss to LSU, looked out of sync for much of the first half against Troy, and again stumbled early against Georgia Tech. Against Syracuse, the improvement in yardage didn’t translate into enough scoring.
Riley, in his third season at Clemson, insists that he and the unit are learning through adversity.
“You’re always going to grow. If you’re not, then you’re falling behind,” he said. “I think anytime you get challenged, you got to dig deep, right? As coaches, as players, you got to really dig deep, and kind of find out what you’re made of. And we’re certainly in one of those times right now. But just like I told the players, we’re going to have their back no matter what, and we’re going to enjoy going to battle and fighting together.”
Head coach Dabo Swinney has made it clear that everyone on the staff, including himself, is under the microscope. He’s pointed to execution as a glaring issue and admitted there has been a mix of “good playcalling and bad.”
Riley didn’t shy away from acknowledging that challenge.
“There’s always challenges. I mean, it’s business,” Riley said. “We’re professionals and we’re big boys. Everybody’s going to get challenged. We’ve got to rise to the occasion. We’ve got to find a way.”
The 1-3 start has also fueled heavy criticism from outside the program. Swinney has borne the brunt of it, with some analysts even speculating about his long-term future at Clemson. But the offense, led by veteran quarterback Cade Klubnik, receivers Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco, and T.J. Moore, and a seasoned offensive line, has faced its share of boos inside Death Valley.
Riley, though, said he refuses to get caught up in the noise.
“I don’t pay attention to any of it,” he said. “I’m always going to try and be a great example to our players. If I get affected by that, if our head coach gets affected by that, then what does that show the players? So, you know, I’m confident in myself. I’m confident in what we do. I know how we prepare. I know how we coach our guys. So I’m not going to let any of that certainly affect me.”
Riley, now in his 13th year as a coach, said he leans on his experience through the ups and downs of the game.
“It’s a joy to go through times like this,” Riley said. “I know it sounds crazy, but to go to battle with these kids and the staff, like, it’s football and it’s still the greatest sport that there is in the entire world. I certainly don’t lose perspective of that.”
Perspective is important, but the margin for error is thin, and the Tigers know that perspective has to turn into points, and soon, if the season is going to be salvaged.
