Tennessee is still making Dabo Swinney look silly nearly a year after beating Clemson in the Orange Bowl
The Tennessee Vols' high-powered offense must have made quite an impression on Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers last December. After losing to Tennessee in the Orange Bowl, Swinney fired offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter and hired former TCU offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, the younger brother of USC head coach Lincoln Riley. When Swinney made that […]
The Tennessee Vols' high-powered offense must have made quite an impression on Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers last December.
After losing to Tennessee in the Orange Bowl, Swinney fired offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter and hired former TCU offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, the younger brother of USC head coach Lincoln Riley.
When Swinney made that move, the assumption was that Tennessee's offense made such an impression on him, that he wanted to move Clemson toward that style of offense.
Hiring Riley, who comes from a similar background as Vols head coach Josh Heupel (Riley, like Heupel, played for Mike Leach) appeared to make sense if that was indeed the objective.
Comments from Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik during spring practice seemed to confirm that the Tigers were looking to Tennessee for inspiration.
"You look at what Tennessee could do (last season) and everybody talked about how fast they played, I think that’s going to be a lot similar to what we’re going to be doing this next year,” said Klubnik in March. “Just the speed we can play at, but also the efficiency. It’s not a bunch of guys running around trying to figure out what we’re doing. Even in the first day after 10 minutes guys were running around and getting to the spot and snapping the ball 15 seconds later.”
(To be clear, Clemson wasn't necessarily saying they were planning to run Tennessee's exact offense, but the elements of getting players in space and going extremely fast are likely Vols-inspired after the loss in the Orange Bowl.)
Clemson's new offensive coordinator was so confident in the offense that he talked a little trash during spring practice.
Clemson unveiled their new offense on Monday night against Duke. And it didn't go well. In fact, it went about as terribly as it could've gone.
The Tigers managed just seven points while turning the ball over three times in the loss to the Blue Devils.
Ahead of the game against Duke, Swinney made some weird comments about hiring Riley to "run the Clemson offense", which is an entirely different tone than we heard coming from the Tigers during spring practice.
The whole thing looks like a mess at Clemson. Why hire someone to run an offense similar to Tennessee's and then limit how he runs it?
It seems possible that Dabo realized during spring and fall camp that running Tennessee's offense, or something similar to it, is easier said than done. Part of the reason it works at Tennessee is because of the continuity of the coaching staff (plus the fact that Heupel is an X's and O's savant). Everyone from student assistants to third string players have to be on the same page or it won't work. And it's clear that everyone at Clemson isn't on the same page.
Dabo has a natty, he has equity as a head coach, and he has bragging rights over quite a few programs. But he's starting to trend in the wrong direction. And his inability to hand over control of the offense (Dabo, you were never even an offensive coordinator…what are you doing?!?) is what could ultimately sink him as Clemson's head coach.
Some might say the ship is already sinking in northwestern South Carolina.
Vols fans will view Josh Heupel’s recruiting skills differently after hearing Dylan Sampson’s recruiting story
Tennessee Vols fans will view Josh Heupel’s recruiting skills differently after hearing Dylan Sampson’s recruiting story
Featured image via Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
