Quick Reaction: Selfie game was strong, offense struggles in colorful Death Valley

Will Swinney scores on a fake field goal for the first touchdown.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Nov 13 18:14:51 GMT-04:00 2021

CLEMSON – At least the selfie game was strong.

In the recent home win over Florida State, the fans sitting in front of the press box stayed on their feet for long stretches and cheered from the time the Tigers ran down the hill until Barrett Carter scored a touchdown at the end of the game.

Saturday against UConn was the exact opposite as an inconsistent Clemson offense meant the fans sat on their hands for much of the contest, waiting on something big to happen, or at least something consistently good, and that never materialized. The fans cheered dutifully during the pregame ceremonies and at other, sporadic times, but the fans in front of me spent a good part of the game taking pictures with their kids, taking selfies, and posting to social media.

It was that kind of day in Death Valley as a picture-perfect, colorful afternoon turned into a picture-taking opportunity more so than the chance to watch football.

The biggest cheers of the day were saved, and deservedly so, for a defense that held UConn to just 99 yards of total offense, registering six sacks and nine tackles for loss. The defense, for the most part, has been good all season, but more was expected of the offense Saturday and it didn’t deliver.

Injuries are, of course, a big part of the equation. The projected three starters at wide receiver this season – Joseph Ngata, Justyn Ross, and Frank Ladson – were all in street clothes by the start of the second quarter (Ngata and Ladson were already out). Starters Matt Bockhorst and Will Putnam were out for this game, and backups like Mason Trotter have been hurt. Still, the Tigers should have been better against UConn, and when passes were delivered with accuracy, they were dropped. When receivers flashed open, passes were off target.

Backup quarterback Taisun Phommachanh sparked the offense with a touchdown drive in the second quarter, and offensive coordinator Tony Elliott told us that with starter DJ Uiagalelei limited with his knee injury, there were conversations about letting Phommachanh take over the reins. Instead, Phommachanh went to the locker room with a shoulder injury. It didn’t help that the Tigers’ top two backs – Will Shipley and Kobe Pace – were held out.

The Huskies sold out to stop the inside zone run game of the Tigers, and Phil Mafah and Darien Rencher did what they could, but the holes simply weren’t there. Mafah and Rencher combined for 31 carries for just 86 yards, an average of 2.77 yards per carry.

Wide receiver Dacari Collins was one of the stars, catching six passes for 97 yards. But he admitted that the woes on offense were a byproduct of “guys not doing their job.” It’s obvious now that there will be no breakout game for the offense, that this team will have to win with defense and special teams and hope the offense can put together enough plays to score.

Yes, it was hard to watch at times, and the boo birds rained down more than once. It’s the kind of season Clemson didn’t expect, and that was borne out by a mystified crowd Saturday. The picture-perfect day turned into the kind of day to take the perfect picture, but the film will say this offense doesn’t appear to be getting better, and Tony Elliott and company will have to spend time developing a game plan that will beat Wake Forest next week and South Carolina the following week.

It was that kind of day in Death Valley.