During our week 8 ACC Power Rankings, this is what I said about Clemson…
I still don’t know if Clemson is much better since week 1 considering Syracuse has lost 3 in a row, and they barely beat Wake Forest. They need to show something against Miami to prove they are on track.
The answer is clear now. Clemson has not made progress since the opening game loss to Duke.
Against Duke, Clemson had 3 Fumbles, an interception, and 3 Turnovers.
Against Miami, Clemson had 3 Fumbles, an interception, and 3 Turnovers.
Most fumbles since start of last season:
Clemson, 39 (22 lost)
Pitt, 37 (12)
Nevada, 37 (14)
Auburn, 36 (14)
Ark, 35 (13)Clemson’s 22 lost fumbles are also most in FBS — 3 more than anyone else. https://t.co/OQW2EW5I2X
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(@ADavidHaleJoint) October 22, 2023
Fumbling and turnovers are not a product of bad luck.
They are a product of poor ball security, poor coaching, and inferior players.
When you have the most fumbles in the country, you are probably going to have the most lost fumbles in the country too and Clemson leads there as well. QB Cade Klubnik going off script, and not running the play called in the 2 OT is another disturbing sign the players and coaches aren’t on the same page.
At this point, there is no quick at Clemson. A singular coaching change or a singular player change isn’t fixing things. A couple of extra practice sessions aren’t fixing what is broken.
The era of Clemson as an elite program is over and has been over for a couple of years.
Dabo Swinney needs a long look in the mirror, like when he took over for Tommy Bowden or lost the 70-point game to West Virginia, and systematically tear down the current structure of the Clemson program and rebuild it once again.
So what can Clemson do for the rest of the year?
For sure Clemson better not lose to a bad South Carolina team, or the Tiger fanbase may truly turn on Swinney. You don’t think a fanbase can turn on a national championship-winning coach? Just ask Phil Fulmer or Mack Brown how their tenures ended at Tennessee or Texas. Even the legendary Bobby Bowden lost the FSU fanbase at the end.
You can’t fix the lack of speed of the offense, but the execution can improve. Your coaches and QB should be in agreement.
That’s inexcusable.
There’s probably no way can Clemson can run the table, but how about just showing some tangible improvement?
We didn’t see that from game 1 to game 7, but if you can get something from game 8 to game 12 and possibly a bowl (not guaranteed) you might buy some goodwill, as the goodwill can’t come from great seasons getting further and further in the rearview mirror.
