Clemson and Georgia Tech line up and go at it Labor Day night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. It will cap off week 1 for a lot of teams. There will be some heartbreaks and some exciting games, but for Clemson fans, how the Tigers perform against the Yellow Jackets is extremely important.
Quarterback play is obviously the biggest concern on everyone’s mind. No question, it is an area the staff has focused on since the day after the bowl game victory over Iowa State. Coach Dabo Swinney and new Offensive Coordinator Brandon Streeter has heard it from everyone, but they’ve been sensing the urgency for 9 months.
How will DJ Uiagalelei perform Monday night? He is saying all the right things. Dabo is saying all the right things. What is the key to his success? He has lost weight. He has gotten faster. His knee is healthy, as is his forefinger on his throwing hand. It appears he has done his due diligence. But is this key to his success? Partially. DJ is the field general, and he must execute and get the ball to his playmakers. This brings up another area of concern that fans will be watching closely; wide receiver.
The injury bug hit the Tigers hard last year, it is no secret. An interesting stat showed that WR Joseph Ngata, C WIll Putnam and RB Will Shipley were all on the field at the same time only 17.2% of the time last year. This is not an excuse, this is a fact, but given that the last three games of the season, the starting WRs on the field were two true freshmen and a senior walk-on, the aforementioned statement is meaningful. Consider that trying to run a passing game with seven scholarship receivers out with injuries, and one can see where part of the problem was. In DJ’s freshman year, he lit up Notre Dame and Boston College when he had healthy receivers in Cornell Powell and Amari Rodgers. Will a healthy Ngata, Robbie Spector, EJ Williams and Will Taylor make a difference? Check out Monday night.
Speaking of Putnam, the offensive line looks to be the strongest it’s been in several years. The play of this line will go a long way getting the Tigers offense out of the “100th ranked offense” mode that many have been harping on lately. Dabo and new Offensive Line coach Thomas Austin have bragged a lot about how solid Putnam has been since making the permanent move over to center. The most intriguing move noted in the depth chart, Blake Miller gets the start at right tackle.
Miller, 6-6 315, is from Strongsville, Ohio, appropriate for this huge lineman. He did not beat out last year’s starting RT, Walker Parks. Essentially, he beat out right guard Mitchell Mayes. Parks, 6-5 300, is a powerful lineman that move to right guard, solidifying that right side of the line. On the left side, senior Jordan McFadden, 6-2 305, and Marcus Tate, 6-5 325, complete the offensive line. This offensive line is probably one of the biggest keys to the success of DJ and this offense.
An area of major interest to all Clemson fans is how different/similar the play calling will look in 2022. Streeter and new passing game coordinator Kyle Richardson will look to ignite a fire under the offense. How will that look? For one, having a group of healthy wide receivers and tight ends will enable play calling to expand to the middle of the field, an area the Tigers basically forgot about in 2021. Getting the running backs and tight ends involved early is a key to the vertical passing game. TE’s Davis Allen and Jake Briningstool are primed to help open up the middle. Will Streeter take advantage of their talents?
Prior to 2021, the Clemson Tigers had a 79-7 record, six straight College Football Playoff appearances, which included two National Championships. Clemson fans, when asked “Is Clemson going to win today?” got used to answering “We already know we are going to win. The question is by how much.” We all know what happened last year with the “down 10-3 year”. Monday night could very well be the start of another Clemson run, but areas of concern will be under the microscope for this to happen.
Dabo Swinney, on his coaches show, referenced that the opener vs Georgia Tech is on a Monday and the national title game is also on Monday. “Our goal is to start on Monday night football and end on Monday night football.”
Quarterback play. WR health. Offensive line cohesiveness. Play calling. The Tigers will be on the big stage Monday night. Millions will be cheering for an upset while Clemson fans are looking for domination. Kickoff, September 5th, 8:00pm. Spot the danged ball.
