Clemson Can’t Get Things Right

Clemson just can’t seem to get things right this season. Saturday’s 35-24 loss to SMU is shining a light on that. This is the first time the Tigers have lost three home games in a season since 2001. They have not been able to get enough things to go their way to get winning results.

The offense struggled to start the game, as the defense held tough through much of the first half. As time went on, the offense started to figure itself out, but the defense could not stop a hobbled Kevin Jennings. Any slim chance Clemson had at competing for a conference championship was crushed by its opponent in last year’s ACC Championship game, SMU. Now the Tigers get one more bye week to figure out what went wrong this season and how to fix things for the future of the program.

Christopher Vizzina’s Performance

One bright spot from the loss to the Mustangs was Christopher Vizzina’s performance in Cade Klubnik’s absence. Vizzina had very minimal experience coming into his first start. So, there was skepticism about how well he would do in such a big game.

It started a bit rough, as he fumbled the ball in the first quarter. He tried to get rid of it as he took a hit from an SMU defender. That was his only turnover on the day, as he would get going in the second quarter after a 32-yard touchdown pass to TJ Moore.

After making that throw, Vizzina’s confidence grew tremendously. He was not afraid to take shots down the field when they were given to him. Vizzina also showed very good pocket presence, even as the SMU defensive front started applying more pressure.

He did leave a few plays on the field, but his protection struggled to give him the time needed to make some of those plays. A couple of receivers dropped some great passes that could’ve turned into big plays as well. Still, Vizzina showed much about himself and his ability to play at a high level against great competition.

The redshirt sophomore finished the game with 29 of his 43 pass attempts completed for 317 yards and three touchdowns. Whether or not Vizzina is the quarterback who can bring the Tigers back to championship heights is yet to be seen. He did prove why he is up next to take over the role, though, as of now.

Defense Can’t Stop Kevin Jennings

Looking at the other side of the ball, the Clemson defense continues to disappoint in big spots. The players in the box played well for the majority of the game. They collected six tackles for loss and made the Mustangs’ inside run game a non-factor. TJ Parker had his best game of this season, finishing with seven total tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. Sammy Brown also played very well, racking up 10 total tackles, 0.5 sacks, and two tackles for loss himself.

No one was able to stop Jennings, though, even with him playing on one healthy leg. Jennings spent much of the game limping around as he made play after play against the Tigers’ defense. He didn’t just use his arm to do it either. Jennings called his own number multiple times on quarterback draws, with his longest run going for 10 yards. The defense was just not able to stop anything he wanted to do.

The way he was able to still make the right moves in the pocket and complete passes downfield was incredible. The junior quarterback was sacked only once while escaping pressure on a bum ankle. Jennings finished the day with 23 of his 43 pass attempts completed for 290 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. The junior quarterback showed just how badly he wanted to get this win back for his team.

Where Clemson Goes From Here

Dabo Swinney and everyone else in the Clemson football building have lots of soul-searching to do over this second bye week. They need to figure out where things went so wrong for a team that was supposed to be in the national championship conversation.

With all the returning production and a few added pieces, this was supposed to be the year the Tigers got back into the mix at the top of college football. Instead, it looks like the year the bottom completely fell out for Swinney’s program. The Tigers still have time to get some things figured out, but it’s too late to make any kind of championship run.

Clemson’s schedule also does not get much easier over the next few weeks. The Tigers face a good Duke team coming out of the bye week, then travel to Louisville two weeks after. They also have the Palmetto Bowl rivalry game to end the regular season against South Carolina. So, there is still much to play for.

The way this team prepares over the next two weeks and performs in the last five games will be important for the culture of the program moving forward. Swinney needs to get his team to finish the season strong. He also needs to prepare to make some big changes in the coming offseason.