New Clemson coordinators taking it slow with new-look offense
Clemson’s co-coordinators have made no secret that they plan to keep it relatively simple on offense this season.
Taking over for one game in December, Jeff Scott and Tony Elliott ran the show with a backup QB in Cole Stoudt – and averaged an elite-offense-esque 6.9 yards per play in a 40-0 rout over three quarters against Oklahoma.
Managing a two-deep with six players who have started six-plus games, Elliott says the focus is on allowing the talent to show and not overthink it.
“The big thing for us is if our guys know what they’re doing – we’re going to have a chance with anybody,” Elliott said. “The biggest thing is putting these guys in position to be successful by not overloading them and being too complicated. Just letting them get out there and win the one-on-one matchups.
“At the end of the day, football is still blocking and tackling, running and catching. One-on-one matchups are what we’re looking for.”
Week 1 of practice is in the books, and the easy storyline has been the freshmen from back-to-back top-15 classes (as high as fourth in 2015) showing they belong.
“I think everybody had high expectations of Deon (Cain) and Ray Ray (McCloud),” Elliott said. “And I believe they’re as good as advertised. They still have a lot of opportunities to grow and learn, but the talent is definitely there. I’ll tell you, Garrett Williams, a freshman tight end, has been very, very impressive. I like what I see out of the entire offensive line. It’s a blue-collar mentality. They come to work every day.
“There’s not a lot of mental errors. Sometimes there’s a technical breakdown, but that’s why we practice every day to build that muscle-memory to create that technique that we need to be successful. Mike Williams – Artavis (Scott), the influx of the young talent is pushing all of our top guys to perform better.”
Also impressive? The tempo, which was at a high-pace all week in front of the early showcase for the media.
“They have a lot of enthusiasm and tempo,” Elliott said. “As you can see, we’re going faster than we’ve ever gone. Coach is doing a good job of mixing it up too. Giving them obstacles to challenge our tempo. The guys are doing a phenomenal job. There’s a lot of retention, so that’s a positive sign that the guys have put in a lot of work in the summer in the playbook.
“As we continue to go through our installation, you see a few mistakes. But they’re executing at a high level. The procedure part of it has been pretty good as well. We’ve had a few opportunities to improve and get better, but overall, it’s a fun group.
“They’re enthusiastic. They want to. Now it’s going back to work and getting better from a technique standpoint.”