Clemson doesn’t want repeat of offensive struggles against Auburn

Clemson had its worst offensive outing of the season last year at Auburn, finishing with season lows of 19 points and 399 yards.

Clemson coaches said Auburn’s defense, which finished ranked No. 7 nationally in scoring in 2016, deserves some credit. But they also believe the Clemson made uncharacteristic mistakes in the 19-13 victory.

“We didn’t play very well last year in this game, offensively especially,” Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said Tuesday. “We hit some plays, did enough to win, but we missed a lot of opportunities. And give them credit for that. We had several dropped balls.”

Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson completed 19 of 34 passes for 248 yards with one touchdown and one interception, which was statistically one of his worst passing days of the season.

Outside of Mike Williams, Clemson’s receivers didn’t do much. Williams finished with 174 of Clemson’s receiving yards and was Watson’s only consistent target.

Clemson had a pair of false-start penalties, including one on the first play of the game, and finished with six penalties for 55 yards.

“Last year when you watch the Auburn game, obviously we came out with a win, but we didn’t play our best football,” co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. “We had dropped balls and weren’t as consistent running the ball at time as we wanted to be.”

That wasn’t the case for Clemson in this year’s season opener this past Saturday against Kent State.

Yes, the competition level was down, but the sloppiness that plagued Clemson against Auburn and Troy in 2016 wasn’t there.

“What you saw was just a team that looked like they had been practicing for 30 practices. That was pleasing as a coach,” Elliott said. “You always worry about an opener and first-time players out there, you’ve got a new quarterback, you’ve got a new center, you’ve got a lot of new pieces, but the communication was where it needed to be, the targeting was where it needed to be, the effort was there.”

Clemson receiver Hunter Renfrow, who had three catches and a touchdown last season against Auburn, said the focus has been better with the offense this season.

“Maybe we were not as prepared as we should have been,” Renfrow said of the 2016 game. “We were so focused on getting back to the national championship, maybe we overlooked it and forgot about the steps we had to take to get there.”

Renfrow added that with a new quarterback, running back, center and a pair of new starting receivers, Clemson isn’t looking ahead.

“We have so many new guys we can’t. We have so many guys that want to play well,” Renfrow said. “It’s their first night game in (Death) Valley. They’re excited to play.”

This story was originally published September 5, 2017 at 6:10 PM with the headline "Clemson doesn’t want repeat of offensive struggles against Auburn."