Final thoughts, prediction as Clemson attempts to bounce back with BC in town
Clemson’s trials for the season went from an uncharacteristically sluggish offense to also include losing key players on both sides of the ball.
Defensive tackles Tyler Davis and Bryan Bresee, as well as running back Will Shipley, will be out against an undefeated and experienced Boston College squad on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium (7:30 p.m., ACC Network). Bresee is out for the season after tearing his left ACL against N.C. State, while Davis will be out for six or seven more weeks. He’s recovering from surgery on a bicep tear sustained against Georgia Tech.
Shipley suffered an injury to his left leg during the first overtime against the Woldpack and has about a month of recovery time, according to Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney. His injury-induced hiatus is a major hit to the offense. The freshman is currently the team’s leading rusher with 211 yards and five touchdowns during a time where the Tigers still haven’t been able to find a rhythm and put together a consistent performance.
The absence of Davis and Bresee will also be felt with the Tigers having to replace both starting defensive tackles.
In total, Clemson is down seven players due to injury: offensive linemen Dietrick Pennington, John Williams and Tayquon Johnson; safety Lannden Zanders; and Bresee, Davis and Shipley. The team lost one more player to the transfer portal in senior running back Lyn-J Dixon.
In the face of the injury bug, the Tigers will need other players to step up.
Defensively, the biggest advantage is the Tigers’ depth. Ruke Orhorhoro had already stepped in for Davis against N.C. State, and Tre Williams replaced Bresee when the latter went out in the third quarter on Saturday. Payton Page, Etinosa Reuben and Darnell Jefferies will get rotated in with Justin Foster also moving inside to add more depth.
“He’s a big, athletic guy,” Clemson defensive coordinator said of Foster. “Smart, got good instincts, heavy-handed, so he’ll do a good job playing both inside and outside.”
On the other side of the ball, the Tigers will have to rework their plans at running back with Shipley gone. Kobe Pace will be the new starter until further notice with Phil Mafah coming in as the backup and Michel Dukes and Darien Rencher rounding out the position.
“He played a little bit last year, but now he’s got to embrace this role,” Tigers offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said of Pace being the starter. “It’s always different when you have to go in there and be the guy every single snap. Not that it’s added pressure, but it’s a different level of intensity that you’ve got to have.”
Whether it’s Pace, Mafah or any of the other offensive players, the Tigers have to execute consistently, which has been lacking for the better part of the four games this season. That’s why Swinney said this week the team would be going back to basics and fundamentals.
There still has to be an element of leadership and accountability among players in that process. The Tigers have noted that they’ll often have 10 players doing the right thing and one not — or nine players on the same page and two who aren’t. It’s in the moments where players have to hold other players accountable, which tight end Davis Allen says is the case.
“There’s a fine line of being a jerk and calling someone out and then holding them accountable because you care for them and you want them to do their best, and we have a lot of those guys,” Allen said. “Especially this team this year, they do a good job of holding each other accountable and we’re honest with each other, especially the offense. I can’t really speak for the defense, but in our meetings we’ll sit down and (say), ‘All right, this is where we’ve got to get better. We’re not on the same page right here and this is where you need to get better, so-and-so.’ ... We have those meetings. We’re honest with each other.”
Saturday’s game against Boston College will be a moment of truth for Clemson. With all the team is facing between injuries and inconsistencies, a lot rides on how the Tigers respond in the face of the adversity. While these struggles are not something the current group has had to deal with, Swinney assured that it’s not his first go-around and will have his squad ready in an attempt to get back on the winning side.
“I just laugh when people act like we’ve never had any adversity around here,” he said. ‘This program was built from adversity, it was built through adversity. We’re just in a little rough patch right here, but we’ve had so much success, it’s unbelievable. You’ve got to take the good with the bad. This ain’t all bad. We’ll be fine.”
▪ Prediction: Boston College 23, Clemson 20
