After a shocking 27-21 loss to NC State in double overtime on Saturday, Clemson is now out of the College Football Playoff race for the first time since 2006.
They failed to find any offense rhythm and consistency in the third game, continuing their offensive woes. They are now out of control in the Atlantic Division race for a seventh consecutive ACC title and have been eliminated at 2-2 from playoff contention. A playoff has never been made by a team with two losses.
Coach Dabo Swinney stated that "We have to own it." It's right where we are now. It's time to go back to work Monday. We must continue to learn, grow, fight and stay together. Let's find a way for us to win a game and get back on track to see if our season gains momentum.
It hurts. Everyone's hurt. Although there are many guys in the locker room that have never lost a road game, that's exactly where we are. We have to keep moving forward. This is what our competitors do."
Clemson hadn't lost two September games since 2014, when the Tigers were 1-2. After Tajh Boyd's departure, Cole Stoudt assumed the position of quarterback. This was the year Clemson began its six-year ACC/College Football Playoff run.
Clemson lost Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne, but nobody thought it would be this bad on offense. The school had been able to continue to work with new starters for the past six seasons and was able to keep up with them. D.J. D.J.
Uiagalelei's offense has struggled since the loss to Georgia. The offensive line has been inconsistent, and the running game has been almost non-existent. Clemson's offense performed as badly again, despite Uiagalelei promising to make some adjustments in the week before the game. Clemson had 10 first downs which was tied for the fewest under Swinney's watch (since 2008).
Even more shocking is the fact that Clemson has had zero games in which they have allowed less than 300 yards of offense from 2018 to 2020. The Tigers have less than 300 yards in only three of their four games this season.
Swinney stated that the criticism was justified because of where he is right now. "With the performance we have displayed, you will get criticisms and you will get comments. This is normal because Clemson's expectation and standard -- which we are not meeting -- are high. It's that simple. People will say what they want and we won't get it done.
Swinney said that he views this as an opportunity for growth.
He said, "We have a lot of guys who have never experienced this. This is an opportunity to grow." "Anytime you face any kind of challenge or adversity it doesn't matter if it defines you or makes you miserable. It will help you grow. I have never been defined by a scoreboard.
It's important, but it's not my primary job. My job is to educate and develop this group. My first year, we had 2-3 teams that qualified for the league championship. It hurts, but we can only focus on the things we can control. It's impossible to control anything except where we are now, getting back to work Monday and staying together.
