Clemson football: Undefeated 2020 season a near-lock for Tigers
Tigers look to continue elite well-balanced offense
The offense for the Tigers has been the pinnacle of success going back to their first playoff run in 2015. Their availability to create a dynamic offense of running and passing the ball makes them one of the hardest offenses to play against.
Last season, the Tigers were ranked fourth in the nation in points per game (43.9) and fifth in total yards per game (528.7). The Tigers project to have the same offense efficiency as last season with the stars they have returning as well as offensive coordinator Tony Elliot entering in his sixth season.
For the past two years, Trevor Lawrence has been the face of college football due to his command and playmaking abilities. He has a 25-1 record as the starting quarterback. Many NFL draft experts claim Lawrence is the most pro-ready quarterbacks with his passing abilities, arm strength, height and stature and playmaking abilities since Andrew Luck.
Lawrence had a slow start to the 2019 season, but he went on to pass for 3,665 yards, 36 touchdowns and only eight interceptions. Look for him to continue with similar results in his third season as the starting quarterback.
The Tigers continue to have no concerns at the running back position with Travis Etienne returning for his senior season. When Lawrence started 2019 slowly, Etienne was the player that brought opposing defenses to their knees. He rushed for 1,614 yards and 19 touchdowns on 207 carries. Etienne, like Lawrence, is a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate as his ability to carry the offense even without Lawrence is huge.
Junior running back Lyn-J Dixon also returns to the team after accounting for 635 yards and six touchdowns on 104 carries.
The loss of Justyn Ross will be huge for the Tigers as he accounted for a team-leading 66 receptions for 865 yards and eight touchdowns. He was one of the most dynamic receivers for Lawrence and the offense all last season. Expect senior wide receiver Amari Rodgers to take over that dynamic receiver role. Last year, he caught 30 passes for 426 yards and four touchdowns.
The Tigers are expecting sophomore wide out Joseph Ngata, senior receiver Cornell Powell and junior tight end Braden Galloway to step up their production value to fill in the void for their 23rd-ranked passing offense.
On the line, they have much to rebuild as they return only one of their full-time starters from last season in junior left tackle Jackson Carman. Last season, the Tigers’ line only allowed 18 sacks in all 15 games. They were highly efficient in creating running lanes for Etienne and keeping the pocket clean. All of the projected offensive line starters have played in plenty of snaps in at-least 11 games. The Tigers do a great job of rotations to get these reserves plenty of experience for their future starters.