By Southern Pigskin Staff
SouthernPigskin.com

Follow us at Twitter.com/SouthernPigskin.  Become a fan at the SouthernPigskin.com Facebook Page

Dave Holcomb previews Clemson at NC State.

The Clemson Tigers havent been worse than third in points or below fifth in yards in the ACC since starting their dominance in the conference during 2015. One has to go back to 2010 for the last time the Tigers were in the bottom half of the conference in either category.

Over the last three seasons, Clemson has easily finished first in the ACC and inside the Top 5 in the country in points scored.

But three weeks into the 2021 season, the Tigers have not only seen a digression in their offense but a complete collapse. Clemson is second-to-last in the ACC in points per game and dead last in yards per contest.

Its a small sample. September isnt even finished yet, so theres a long way to go this season. Even so, there should be a lot of urgency for Clemson to get its offense rolling this Saturday against NC State.

History suggests there isnt much to be concerned about for Clemson in Week 4. The Tigers have beaten the Wolfpack in 15 of their last 16 meetings. But NC State has been close at times, losing by just a touchdown in 2016 and 2017.

That history also doesnt mean anything if Clemson cant move the ball again.

Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei came into the season with so much hype that he was one of the first active college football players to appear in a commercial. Good thing he cashed in when he could because hes completed under 60% of his passes for 5.5 yards per pass and has more interceptions than touchdowns to begin the season. Thats not exactly endorsement worthy.

Uiagalelei has yet to throw for 200 yards in a game this season. Whats strange about that is the sophomore had at least 340 passing yards in both of his only two starts during 2020. Against Notre Dame — a 2020 playoff semifinalist — Uiagalelei had 439 passing yards with three total touchdowns. No wonder he got the commercial.

But Clemson doesn’t have receivers Amari Rodgers and Cornell Powell for Uiagalelei to throw to anymore. Rodgers and Powell combined for 130 receptions, 1,902 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2020.

The preseason assumption was that with veteran receiver Justyn Ross returning from injury, Uiagalelei would have the necessary weapons outside. Ross caught Uiagaleleis lone touchdown pass in the first three games, but hes averaging under 10 yards per catch. Defenses are game planning to stop Ross, and he probably isnt at full strength yet after his neck and spinal surgery a year ago.

Who Clemson misses the most, though, is Travis Etienne. The running back was third on the team in receptions and receiving yards last year, which means the Tigers are trying to replace their top three pass-catchers. In Uiagaleleis two starts last season, Etienne posted 15 catches, 197 receiving yards and a touchdown. He also scored a rushing touchdown in each of those games.

A great running game can make a lot of quarterbacks look good. Throw in Etiennes playmaking ability in the passing attack, and that explains why Uiagalelei looked so much better last year.

Theres no way for Clemson to get back Etienne, so for the Tigers to fix their offense, they must get who they do have in the backfield more involved. That includes freshman Will Shipley, who is averaging 5.3 yards per carry on 33 attempts.

Of those 33 carries, 21 of them came on Saturday against Georgia Tech. He scored both of the teams touchdowns and rushed for 88 yards. Look for Clemson to continue to emphasize Shipley on the ground and even get him involved in the passing game.

But while Clemson had the opportunity to build up its confidence against South Carolina State following the loss to Georgia in Week 1, the NC State defense isnt really the unit the Tigers would prefer on the schedule this Saturday. The Wolfpack are second in points allowed and third in yards yielded in the ACC through three weeks this season.

Against the only Power 5 competition they have faced in 2021, the Wolfpack lost to Mississippi State by two touchdowns. But they also only gave up 24 points.

This Saturday, NC State will be searching for just its fourth victory against Clemson since 2000. Quarterback Devin Leary has been good, not great, to begin his sophomore campaign. He has a high completion percentage — 67.3% — and as a result, he is fifth in the conference in passing yards per game (264.7). He also has six touchdowns and two interceptions.

In all likelihood, the defenses will determine the outcome of this matchup. After all, Clemson is the only team in the ACC allowing fewer points per game than NC State. It could get ugly, and the winner may simply have fewer offensive mistakes.

An ugly defensive game should be just fine for either program. Although Clemson definitely prefers to return to its offensive dominance, the Tigers defense is good enough to keep Clemson competitive in every game remaining on the schedule.

But until Clemson can score more points, its games will be close. And the chance of an upset will be higher than in years past.

Prediction: Clemson 13, NC State 9