Burning Questions For Clemson’s Offense

Is Garret Riley Clemson’s savior?

Twelve years ago Dabo was forced into a change at OC after an UGLY season of offense. Back then, Chad Morris revolutionized the Clemson offense into a HUNH juggernaut, once the kinks were worked out against Troy of course. That offense, and several derivations, resulted in 8 ACC titles, 2 National Championships, and an additional 4 College Football Playoff appearances. But it is clear the derivations have gone stale and there was no innovation.

Enter Garrett Riley. He worked wonders at TCU and has a wealth of knowledge from his brother out at USC in Lincoln Riley. The question is going to be how well he can translate this offense to a team that is certainly much more talented than what he had at TCU. Like every hire there is uncertainty and it may take some time to work out the kinks in the offense. It may not be as simple as saying “Go” on day 1.

Cade Klubnik - Trevor Lawrence or DJU?

We have almost two entire games of Cade Klubnik footage, and depending on which game you watch he is either the true heir to Trevor Lawrence and Clemson’s recent QB history, or he looks too much like DJU.

The truth is Clemson has been spoiled with Watson and Lawrence. QBs don’t normally show up as freshman and just ball out. There is a learning curve, something Cade had to deal with and will likely continue to deal with this year. But we need to see improvement in his performance, not just improvement because he’s in a better offense.

What’s the OL going to look like?

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, Dabo talks up the OL during Spring Practice and Fall Camp. The OL shows up during the opener and acts more like traffic cones than an OL. The QB is hurried, the RBs have to generate their own yards, and the OL fails to do much.

The good news/bad news is that cycle is already in full swing this year. But if you want a bit of optimism, the folks that get to see practices, including the press, seem to be more optimistic than usual. If that optimism is correct and the OL can merely be average to above average like most years then Clemson should be fine, but I’ll remain skeptical until I see it on the field.

Return of #WRU?

It is fair to say Clemson WRs have had a rough few years. Injuries, poor recruitment, and a lot of time spent eating at local greasy spoons made for some poor performances. Too many drops in critical situations and a lack of WRs getting open only exacerbated the issues on offense. Optimism is high this year, but this group needs to stay healthy and catch the ball. We’ll see if they can actually do that.

Oh and can someone find Stellato? I’m not sure he’s a real person at this point.

What are your burning questions on offense this year? What do you think Clemson needs to do to be successful?