ESPN College GameDay gives honest evaluation of Clemson program

Clemson is in an unusual spot as it closes out the month of September. The Tigers are normally cruising along unbeaten at this point under Dabo Swinney.

However, instead, Clemson is 2-2 (0-2) and looking to avoid a third-straight ACC loss to open the season.

ESPN College GameDay analysts discussed where the Clemson program currently is during Saturday morning’s show.

“We can talk numbers all we want but if you just watch Clemson – this year, last year, versus going back to the Deshaun Watson era with Trevor Lawrence – it just feels different,” Kirk Herbstreit said. “And it’s nothing against Cade [Klubnik]. I think it’s more really about the perimeter.”

Herbstreit believes Clemson is lacking elite receivers at the moment and is still searching for an identity under new offensive coordinator Garrett Riley. Still, he feels that the Tigers are talented.

“They’re still trying to find an identity with a new offensive coordinator. Now let’s not get this thing carried away – they’re a chip shot away from beating Florida State and everybody talking about how great Clemson is on their way up to Syracuse,” Herbstreit said. “They fumbled twice inside the 10-yard line against Duke. They threw a pick. They are self-destructing. But I’m just saying, this isn’t like they’re still not a competitive team. I wanna see their psyche and how they deal with two losses in September, going to Syracuse today.”

Fellow ESPN analyst Pat McAfee added that he expects Clemson to go on a roll the second half of the season, beginning Saturday afternoon against Syracuse.

“I think Clemson’s been playing good. If you wanna talk about why they’ve lost so much the last couple of years, it’s because the offense has been basically inefficient. … I think what Clemson’s doing is getting unlucky whenever they would normally get lucky,” McAfee said. “Instead, it feels like one of those days where they remind a lot of people that they’re Clemson. And then for the rest of this season they kind of lay low in the weeds, because we’ve already kind of ruled them out.”

Desmond Howard agrees with Herbstreit that the problem for Clemson is a lack of elite receivers.

Howard feels that Clemson is more talented than it is getting credit for and will be a tough out for everyone the rest of the way.

“I think it’s an overreaction, because we expect a standard and they haven’t hit that standard. The guys haven’t stepped up on the perimeter. Even the Duke game, they shot themselves in the foot in the red zone. They could’ve easily won that game,” Howard said. “So I think it’s a little bit of an overreaction, but they don’t have the difference makers. They don’t have Trevor Lawrence; they don’t have Deshaun Watson. I think that’s been the difference in these close games.”