The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Clemson at Duke

Breaking down the tough season opener for Clemson at Duke.

In one of the more strikingly bad performances in recent Clemson history, the Tigers dropped a dud in front of a national audience on Monday night. The Tigers turned the ball over three times and missed two field goals in the ugly 28-7 loss to Duke.

That's the weirdest game I've ever been a part of," said Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney following the loss. "I've been beat. I've had my butt kicked. But that's the strangest game I've ever been a part of." For the first time in 108 such games, Clemson lost while rushing and throwing for over 200 yards.

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The Good

There wasn't much. Bad tackling, lethargic offense, and turnovers plagued Clemson, but one positive was the growth of Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin. Yes, Duke scored 28 points, but the defense was put in bad spots again and again by the offense. After an opening drive that saw Duke march down the field against soft zone coverage from Clemson, Goodwin switched to a more aggressive man coverage look with four down linemen. The switch worked and Clemson's defense was able to force multiple three-and-outs and give the offense chances that they inevitably squandered.

The Bad

Clemson's offense. This isn't even about the turnovers. The new high-flying offense that was promised never even got off the runway. Cade Klubnik averaged under 8 yards per throw while attempting 43 passes. Receivers struggled to find separation all night, and when they did, they dropped multiple passes. The running backs were a bright spot as both Will Shipley and Phil Mafah averaged over 6 yards per carry, but those yards felt strikingly similar to last season. Instead of being plays that got the offense in gear and rolling, they were the desperation yards the group needed to stay on the field. There was zero rhythm with the offense, and that might be the scariest thing of all.

The Ugly

You create your own luck. No matter how badly you want to blame this loss on tough luck, you can't. When Clemson needed to execute, they imploded. Both fumbles occurred when Clemson ran the ball against a loaded front. The interception occurred when the Tigers were trying to go fast already down two scores. Riley Leonard's long touchdown run happened after All-American linebacker Barrett Carter missed an easy tackle. Duke executed, Clemson didn't. 

Clemson's entire season is still in front of them as are all of their goals, but make no mistake, this team is currently far from a contender. Luckily for them, they have two home games against Charleston Southern and FAU to get ready for a now extremely daunting matchup against Florida State.