The biggest challenge Muschamp sees in slowing Clemson? It’s not about their playbook
The rep the Clemson Tigers’ offense has is that it’s a complex spread system that thrives on tempo and in some ways helped push the world of college football forward.
To a degree that’s true. But to hear South Carolina football coach Will Muschamp tell it, the question isn’t about getting a handle on complexity.
“It’s not that they have a vast playbook of different things that they do,” Muschamp said. “But generally the really good teams that you face, they’re good at what they do. They execute and they put the ball in space with really good players that are hard to tackle. And they do a very effective job of that.”
Through 11 games, the Tigers rank eighth nationally in yards per game, sixth in yards per play and fifth in points. They’re not as high-tempo as they once were, coming in 52nd in plays per game.
They transitioned from a dual-threat quarterback (Kelly Bryant) to a pro-style one (Trevor Lawrence) with hardly a hiccup. Travis Etienne (8.5 yards a carry 17 touchdowns) leads an explosive backfield, and underclassman receivers Tee Higgins, Justyn Ross and Amari Rodgers have all been explosive at points.
Even on film, it’s not as if the Tigers do that much more than most college spread attacks. They might have a few more wide receiver runs than some schools, but mostly it’s solid, simple and elegant plays run well with guys who can get those extra few yards, or sometimes extra 40 yards, on any given play.
South Carolina’s defense has been prone to letting opponents move the ball, though it has been better against big plays, at least when it comes to the pass. USC is 59th nationally in yards per play.
USC couldn’t handle the Clemson attack in 2016 and slowed it a little better in 2017, granted the Gamecocks never threatened. That second game was with a notably better defense, and now a banged-up group will have to solve a problem both simple and complex all at once.
“They do what they do, and that’s what makes them pretty efficient offensively,” Muschamp said. “They’ve got good players. They play with a good tempo. They execute.”