Clemson Spring: Tigers seeking players to make big-time plays on revived offense

Updated Apr. 5, 2024 2:54 p.m. ET

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CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Garrett Riley sees what he wants most from the Clemson offense this spring — lots of players making big plays.

The Tigers second-year offensive coordinator believes that will continue into the regular season after a year of false starts, miscues and struggles where the defending Atlantic Coast Conference champions were out of title contention by the end of October.

Clemson finishes spring practice Saturday with its annual Orange-and-White game. Riley and coach Dabo Swinney like what they have seen from their team.

“The best positive we've had is a lot of guys, different people making big plays,” Riley said. "Whether a first-down conversion, a long play, a touchdown, whatever it might be. Running backs, a couple of tight ends, receivers, quarterbacks making plays with their legs.

“We're having some playmakers emerge and that's what you've got to have,” he said.

Clemson and Riley learned that the hard way in 2023. The Tigers were picked as favorites for another ACC crown — they had won seven of the previous eight titles — and were expected to return to the College Football Playoff.

Instead, problems surfaced quickly as Clemson's offense turned the ball over twice inside the opponents' 20 as the ninth-ranked Tigers were stunned at Duke 28-7.

Things didn't get better for a while. Quarterback Cade Klubnikfumbled the ball at midfield after a sack against Florida State three weeks later as the Tigers lost the lead, missed a game-winning field goal at the end and fell in overtime 31-24.

After losing at North Carolina State, Clemson was 4-4 and out of any championship chase.

Clemson averaged just 29.8 points a game last season, sixth in the ACC and the second time in three seasons it was held to fewer than 30 points per contest after averaging more than 33 points a game from 2011 through 2020.

The Tigers averaged 402.7 yards a game, their second lowest total in a 13-season stretch that saw them surpass 500 yards a game seven times in that span.

The Tigers finished last season with a five-game win streak, including victories over ranked opponents in Notre Dame and North Carolina, to head into the offseason with plenty of confidence and lots of desire to get back to their championship past.

Klubnik went through his play, game-by-game, to fully understand what went wrong and how to prevent similar mistakes this season.

Klubnik said injuries cost the Tigers, especially at receiver, where expected starters in Cole Turner and Antonio Williams both missed significant time. Freshman Tyler Brown led the team with 52 catches for 531 yards.

Neither Turner nor Brown will play Saturday.

Clemson has added a pair of standout, first-year wideouts in Bryant Wesco and TJ Moore.

Wesco has made an impression on the Tigers.

“Sometimes you see guys, they got all the talent, man. They can run, they can jump, they can change direction. But their maturity doesn’t match the talent,” Swinney said. “He’s very talented but he’s committed. It’s given him a chance to get the attention of everybody early. He’s done that.”

Clemson lost versatile runner Will Shipley to the NFL draft, but returns Phil Mafah, who led the Tigers with 965 yards and 13 touchdowns — four of them in the team's wild, 38-35 Gator Bowl victory over Kentucky.

Mafah is ready to become Clemson's featured runner. He also sees a group behind him just as hungry to perk up the team's running attack.

“They just want to gain the trust of the whole offense and show that we can do our job,” he said.

Add healthy, skilled receivers and committed runners to Klubnik's increased maturity, and the result could be exactly what Clemson missed early on last season.

“Obviously, we're not lowering the standard,” Klubnik said. “Our goal is to go undefeated and I fully, fully believe that this is the team that can do that. I believe we've got every single piece that we need.”

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

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