Is Clemson's loss to FSU another fluke or a trend?

Clemson has lost four of its last five and both games this season so far versus Power 5 conference opponents.

by Ryan Kantor - Contributor - Mon Sep 25 07:00:05 GMT-04:00 2023

Clemson used to find a way to win. It was who they were. Winners find a way. I remember exactly how I felt throughout the 2018 home game against Syracuse. Clemson was struggling and Trevor Lawrence was out with an injury. Despite that, I had a nearly arrogant confidence they’d find a way. They did. Now, it feels like it did prior to 2011. They are consistently finding ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

The loss to Florida State can be blamed on a myriad of weird decisions and plays. You can blame a missed hold here or a missed pass interference flag there. The fumble scoop-and-score is an obvious scapegoat. Blame the decision to play for the field goal, or blame the missed chip shot. Most obviously, you can blame the decision to pull and pass on third-and-one foot in overtime. You can even blame Beaux Collins for missing the block on that play if it suits your fancy.

What you can’t do, at least not in good faith, is say “We should have won, just look at the box score.” Clemson has out-gained their opponent in each of their past three losses. It’s no longer a fluke.

Clemson is 1-4 in its last five games against P5 opponents. What a world
— Dustin Black (@dustinb429) September 23, 2023

Clemson won’t keep losing at this rate. With a pair of seemingly weaker opponents before their tough Miami-NC State-Notre Dame stretch, Clemson will find their footing. Unfortunately, for the third year in a row, Clemson isn’t a playoff team. There’s no debating if they’ve declined. The question is if Dabo will shift some of his philosophies to reverse the decline.

Clemson entered the season with what I see as a major weakness at outside wide receiver following the departure of Joseph Ngata. Clemson’s two starting outside wide receivers combined for just 41 yards against FSU. Conversely, Florida State used the portal to add Keon Coleman, who went for 86 yards and 2 TDs, including the game-winner. Without Coleman, they’d likely be 2-2. Instead, Clemson sits at 2-2 (0-2). Nobody wants to see Clemson use the portal like FSU, but merely one player can make that big of a difference.

The transfer portal isn’t a fix-all solution, but it hits particularly hard when Coleman reels in the go-ahead score. There are certainly other issues, too. Clemson has to develop players better and realistically assess the roles they are ready to play. They need to treat scholarships like the valuable investments they are and re-evaluate if decisions like offering kickers out of high school is a wise way to spend them. I delve into all of these in more detail in the video below.

As for the remainder of this season, there’s still plenty to watch. How will Cade Klubnik progress and develop? What type of freshman campaign can Tyler Brown put together? Will Clemson win the Palmetto Bowl?

While all that will keep me totally engaged throughout the season, the offseason could be even more interesting. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney already reversed course on his internal hire for offensive coordinator and upgraded the staff with Garrett Riley. Will he reverse course in other areas next? Something must change because these losses aren’t all flukes, and the Clemson community deserves something special from this program.