Clemson OC Riley says attack too inconsistent during first half of the season

Updated Oct. 10, 2023 4:27 p.m. ET

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CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley was hired to supercharge the Tigers' attack. Halfway through the season, the Tigers have yet to truly get things going.

“The big picture is we've been inconsistent too much,” Riley said this week. “Perfect time to have a bye week for us, really hone in on those things and tighten up.”

Clemson is averaging 437 yards a game, 35th nationally and up from a year ago, when the team averaged 410 yards on the way to its seventh Atlantic Coast Conference title over the previous eight years.

Still, there was something missing from the offense that was there during a run of six straight College Football Playoff appearances from 2015-2020, which included national championships in 2016 and '18.

That's why Clemson coach Dabo Swinney hired Riley away from TCU. Under Riley, the Horned Frogs averaged nearly 7 yards a play and advanced to the national title game a year ago.

So far, things have not fully clicked and Clemson, the preseason ACC favorites and a top-10 team when the year began, is 4-2 heading into its bye week without much hope of lifting a trophy this season.

Clemson is coming off a 17-12 home victory over Wake Forest in which the Tigers entered as nearly three-touchdown favorites before escaping with a win.

“It just felt like we were playing with 10” people instead of 11, Riley said of the last game. “It was a guy here or there, and it wasn’t the same guy all the time. We played with 10 too many times.”

Another area of concern is turnovers. Clemson has lost 10 through six games, leading to 49 points for the opponents. That total should've been higher after quarterback Cade Klubnik and tailback Will Shipley mishandled a snap for a fumble near the goal line and Wake Forest recovered at the Tigers 9.

But Clemson's defense held Wake Forest without points to keep the Tigers ahead.

Shipley blamed himself for the miscue afterward. Klubnik was having none of that.

“He can take the blame, but it was my fault,” the quarterback said. “It was on me, for sure.”

Riley said he had an advantage last year at TCU of an experienced quarterback in Max Duggan, poised and patience in all situations. Klubnik, a sophomore with just seven career starts, is still learning Riley's Air Raid schemes.

“Every offense is different,” Riley said when asked why the Clemson offense doesn't yet look like that of the Horned Frogs last year. “We've got different players, a younger quarterback, all those things.”

Klubnik has thrown for 1,370 yards with 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He has completed better than 65% of his passes but at times badly overthrows or misses open receivers.

Klubnik's fumble this past week didn't cost Clemson. Others he's had in the first five games have. Klubnik mishandled a snap with Clemson inside the red zone in the season opener at Duke and trailing 13-7. The Blue Devils recovered and went on to a 28-7 win over the ninth-ranked Tigers.

In a showdown against No. 4 Florida State last month, Klubnik was hit by Seminoles linebacker Kalen DeLoach and fumbled. DeLoach picked up the ball and went for a 56-yard TD return to tie things at 24-all in a game FSU would win in overtime 31-24.

“For me, I feel like I've seen myself get better every week in certain categories,” Klubnik said.

Klubnik believes he was too erratic in the first two games — “I got all the dumb crap out of the way, in my mind,” he says — and has steadied himself week after week.

Riley, too, has watched Klubnik grow in the system. The only way to get the consistency Riley needs is to keep drilling and demanding the right technique.

“That's kind of where we're at right now," Riley said.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

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