The Clemson football team secured their first win of the season on Saturday to go 1-1 in the year with a 49-3 victory over the SC State Bulldogs in front of a crowd of more than 70,000 in Death Valley.
For the first time since November 2019, Clemson football fans returned to Death Valley at full capacity.
While the 46-point victory shouldn't be written off entirely, the truth is that Tiger fans got away with the same two takeaways from the matchup when Clemson lost to Georgia:
- Defense is elite.
- Crime has a long way to go.
There's no doubt that Clemson has the darkest defense we've seen in quite some time. SC State was completely dominated by starters - as they did against UGA - and that unit is going to be able to give the offense some time to escalate.
But, let's be clear in saying that crime needs to escalate.
The Clemson football offense must find its identity in motion again
DJ Uiagalelei completed less than 60 percent of his passes and ended the afternoon with a touchdown with only 171 yards and an interception. He also ran for two touchdowns. Will Shipley led the running back with eight carries for 80 yards and two touchdowns, while Kobe Pace had seven carries for 68 yards and one touchdown.
While it's great to see the running back posting production, let's be clear on understanding what the opponents are going to do from here: They're going to stack the box and beat Uyagalelli with their hands.
Unfortunately, he hasn't proven he can do it—not this season, anyway—yet.
Uiagalelei can make every throw in the book, but he looks like he's pressing. If the game slows down for him, only then will this offense start clicking.
Speaking of slowing down the game for Uiagalelei, that brings us to the offensive identity: it needs to accelerate with pace.
Quick, easy reads to get the ball out of your hand fast. Line up and go and get the defense on your heels. The Tigers put in some momentum in the first quarter and it worked to perfection. That pace can lead to some quick 3-and-outs every now and then, but more than that, it's going to highlight the offense's strengths and reduce some of its weaknesses.
As Uigalelli gets into the rhythm, the game will slow down for him and then, all of a sudden, we're talking about a high-powered attack. But, for better or worse at this point, the only answer is to let the crime's identity be 'tempo', like in the old days with Chad Morris.