Clemson trolled for epic red zone failures against Duke
The red zone was a dead zone for Clemson in its stunning 28-7 loss versus Duke.
Despite moving the ball well in the second half, the Tigers weren't able to capitalize on three drives that ended inside Duke's 10-yard line, dooming them to failure.
Duke's defense created a couple of huge fumbles while Clemson kicker Robert Gunn III's 23-yard field goal attempt was badly missed after being blocked.
Dabo Swinney's Tigers were justifiably ridiculed on social media for their red zone struggles.
Associated Press preseason No. 9 Clemson looked far from a top-10 team against Duke with its revamped offense under first-year offensive coordinator Garrett Riley.
Swinney brought in Riley, who Greenville Online notes is the first outside hire Swinney's made at coordinator in over a decade, to rejuvenate an offense that had grown stale.
Last year, Riley served as TCU's offensive coordinator as the Horned Frogs averaged 38.8 points and reached the Conference Football Playoff final.
The hiring could eventually work, but the first game was a deep regression. Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman highlighted how poorly the Tigers were in the red zone on Monday compared to their excellent marks inside the 20 last season.
Clemson outgained Duke 422-374 and led in first downs 29-17, so it wasn't as though the offense wasn't moving the ball. Had it scored touchdowns on those three goal-to-go situations, it's a 28-28 game heading into overtime.
That makes the Tigers' epic gaffes even more painful. They moved the ball well enough for the game to be closer but ended up with a lopsided defeat.
More must-reads: