CLEMSON — Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley acknowledges certain aspects of his unit’s performance through four games have been inexplicable.
How did they gain 503 yards against Syracuse on Sept. 20 but only score 21 points?
“I feel like it’s hard to do,” the 36-year-old Texan said with a laugh.
If he wasn’t laughing, he might have to cry, because the struggles of Clemson’s offense have been an extraordinary disappointment.
This is Riley’s third year in his job, and the Tigers were scoring about 35 points per game a year ago. They brought nearly everyone back this fall, including a senior quarterback with Heisman hype, Cade Klubnik, and Clemson has somehow dipped to 20 points a game.
Somehow, they are less explosive. Somehow, they are just as inconsistent, if not more so.
Riley has found himself talking about a veteran roster in ways that aren’t typical.
“I think a lot of times some bad things or some inopportune stuff happens in the game, (and we) just kind of let that linger too much,” Riley said. “That’s just kind of what I’ve seen at times with (Klubnik), and just our offense in general, is we gotta move on quicker.”
Riley maintained his characteristically cool demeanor on Sept. 23 as he addressed the media for the first time since Clemson’s extraordinary rough start. Because he certainly doesn’t want to add to the negativity of the Tigers’ 1-3 start and exacerbate the spiral.
Right now, Clemson’s offense is pressing too hard.
“I think us as coaches, we got to set the tone with that and let them know that we believe in them and we got their back and we’re gonna go find a way,” Riley said.
Riley’s head isn’t buried in the sand, though. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said this week there’s “accountability” for the Tigers’ failures, and he said that in response to a question about the potential for midseason staff changes.
Swinney said he “doesn’t anticipate that,” but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t seriously challenged his offensive staff behind closed doors.
“It’s business. We’re professionals and we’re big boys,” Riley said. “Everybody’s going to get challenged, and we gotta rise to the occasion. We gotta find a way.”
Riley knows he’s young, but he’s 13 years into a coaching career. He learned “Air Raid” principles under Texas Tech legend Mike Leach, like his older brother, Lincoln, and he won a Broyles Award as the top assistant in college football in 2022.
He had a short but consistent run prior to Clemson, posting strikingly similar outputs of about 38 points per game in three years at SMU and TCU. That run was broken in 2023, scoring just 29.8 in Year 1 with the Tigers. But that was Klubnik’s first year as a starter.
In Year 2, Clemson averaged 34.7 points per game. Klubnik went from throwing 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a sophomore to a 36-to-6 ratio as a junior.
Riley’s offense just couldn’t maintain a linear trajectory. Klubnik has thrown six scores to four picks in four games. The offensive line, in Riley’s estimation, has not been as consistent as an “older” group should be.
A litany of failures in execution has led to some unsightly numbers. Clemson ranks 118th in turnovers lost, 117th nationally in time of possession, 103rd in third-down conversion rate, and 91st in red-zone offense.
“It is a joy to go through times like this,” Riley said. “I know it sounds crazy, but to go to battle with these kids and the staff — it’s football, man, and it’s still the greatest sport that there is in the entire world. I certainly don’t lose perspective on that.”
Swinney and Riley have both used the word “reset” to describe the Tigers’ bye week. They have to put aside the pain of losing three of their first four games of the season and do the best they can with the remaining eight.
The first four weeks have, undoubtedly, been painful. Clemson came out flat in a 17-10 loss to LSU, then appeared uninspired in a 27-16 win over Troy, then finished painfully close in a 24-21 defeat at Georgia Tech.
The Tigers were already down 10-0 to Syracuse before they touched the ball this past weekend. They kept the lead to 10 at halftime but scored zero points in the third quarter, failing to stitch together drives to cut into the deficit.
“We just got to find ways to keep swinging,” Riley said. “I think if we do that, collectively, and don’t let one bad play or one negative play kind of compound as the game goes on, then I think we’ll be in a much better spot.”
For now, the Tigers aren’t considering benching Klubnik in favor of backup Christopher Vizzina. They don’t appear anxious to tear up Riley’s playbook and start from scratch.