It's not much of a preview since it contains no predictions but its an interesting over view.
Last season was expected to be a transition year after the Tigers lost several offensive weapons. But the emergence of QB Deshaun Watson and a host of young talent already have coach Dabo Swinney’s system clicking. The challenge in ’15 is to do the same on D as the No. 1 unit in the FBS undergoes an overhaul.
Offense
How the Tigers beat you: Watson’s true freshman season was injury-plagued (only eight games, five starts due to a broken finger and an ACL injury), but he made believers out of ACC defensive coordinators. With Watson under center, Clemson’s downfield passing game excelled: 10.7 yards per attempt, 14 TDs and 2 INTs, compared with 6.3 ypa, 9 TDs and 10 INTs with senior Cole Stoudt. Other young talent also flourished and will benefit from a full season of Watson’s mobility and strong command of Swinney’s up-tempo scheme: Junior WR Mike Williams had the fourth-most receiving yards in the ACC (1,030), and sophomore WR Artavis Scott had 76 catches and 8 TDs, both team highs.
How you beat the Tigers: Watson has suffered three serious injuries since arriving in January 2014, and the ACL kept him out this spring. With a line that has three new starters, protecting him is a priority for new coordinators Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott, who must be cautious with Watson’s scrambles (7.9 attempts per game in ’14). If the QB becomes too one-dimensional, questions will remain about the ground game. For all of soph RB Wayne Gallman'slate strides (571 of his 769 yards were over the final six games), Clemson gained just 3.5 yards per rush (No. 105 in the FBS).
Defense
How the Tigers beat you: Last year a dominant front seven, which was largely responsible for the unit’s 45 sacks (tied for No. 7 in the FBS) and opposing QBs’ 13.1 adjusted QBR (No. 1), overshadowed the secondary. But emerging star CB Mackensie Alexander leads one of the ACC’s most talented secondaries, a group that made its impact felt over the final six games: Opponents completed just 47 percent of throws, averaged 4.4 yards per attempt and had 4 TDs against 8 INTs. Still, with the new faces up front, the DBs must maintain the momentum. “That ball may not come out as fast,” says coordinator Brent Venables. “They’ll need to be tighter in coverage, play with better awareness and eliminate mistakes. They need to make marked improvement.”
How you beat the Tigers: Clemson’s top-ranked scoring D was built on great line play, led by Vic Beasley (ACC-high 21/2 tackles for loss in ’14). This year, however, every front seven starter has fewer than five starts, and while the replacements aren’t exactly green—junior Shaq Lawson was second on the team with 11 tackles for loss—there are uncertainties about experience. “That’s the challenge: getting these guys to take responsibility for the day-in, day-out grind of what it takes to be a starter,” says Venables.
http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/81968/clemson-tigers-preview
Last season was expected to be a transition year after the Tigers lost several offensive weapons. But the emergence of QB Deshaun Watson and a host of young talent already have coach Dabo Swinney’s system clicking. The challenge in ’15 is to do the same on D as the No. 1 unit in the FBS undergoes an overhaul.
Offense
How the Tigers beat you: Watson’s true freshman season was injury-plagued (only eight games, five starts due to a broken finger and an ACL injury), but he made believers out of ACC defensive coordinators. With Watson under center, Clemson’s downfield passing game excelled: 10.7 yards per attempt, 14 TDs and 2 INTs, compared with 6.3 ypa, 9 TDs and 10 INTs with senior Cole Stoudt. Other young talent also flourished and will benefit from a full season of Watson’s mobility and strong command of Swinney’s up-tempo scheme: Junior WR Mike Williams had the fourth-most receiving yards in the ACC (1,030), and sophomore WR Artavis Scott had 76 catches and 8 TDs, both team highs.
How you beat the Tigers: Watson has suffered three serious injuries since arriving in January 2014, and the ACL kept him out this spring. With a line that has three new starters, protecting him is a priority for new coordinators Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott, who must be cautious with Watson’s scrambles (7.9 attempts per game in ’14). If the QB becomes too one-dimensional, questions will remain about the ground game. For all of soph RB Wayne Gallman'slate strides (571 of his 769 yards were over the final six games), Clemson gained just 3.5 yards per rush (No. 105 in the FBS).
Defense
How the Tigers beat you: Last year a dominant front seven, which was largely responsible for the unit’s 45 sacks (tied for No. 7 in the FBS) and opposing QBs’ 13.1 adjusted QBR (No. 1), overshadowed the secondary. But emerging star CB Mackensie Alexander leads one of the ACC’s most talented secondaries, a group that made its impact felt over the final six games: Opponents completed just 47 percent of throws, averaged 4.4 yards per attempt and had 4 TDs against 8 INTs. Still, with the new faces up front, the DBs must maintain the momentum. “That ball may not come out as fast,” says coordinator Brent Venables. “They’ll need to be tighter in coverage, play with better awareness and eliminate mistakes. They need to make marked improvement.”
How you beat the Tigers: Clemson’s top-ranked scoring D was built on great line play, led by Vic Beasley (ACC-high 21/2 tackles for loss in ’14). This year, however, every front seven starter has fewer than five starts, and while the replacements aren’t exactly green—junior Shaq Lawson was second on the team with 11 tackles for loss—there are uncertainties about experience. “That’s the challenge: getting these guys to take responsibility for the day-in, day-out grind of what it takes to be a starter,” says Venables.
http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/81968/clemson-tigers-preview
