CLEMSON FOOTBALL

Elliott says offensive line is playing hard, but has issues to clean up
Trevor Lawrence is swarmed by the Syracuse defense Saturday. (Photo courtesy ACC)

Elliott says offensive line is playing hard, but has issues to clean up


by - Senior Writer -

Tony Elliott says his offensive line continues to play hard but has some issues to clean up as the Tigers hit the stretch run of the season.

The Tigers put up 455 yards of total offense, the second-lowest output of the season (405 against The Citadel). Included in those numbers was a third quarter that saw the Tigers gain just 42 yards despite running 15 plays (an average of 2.8 yards per play). Clemson also had a negative number in the rushing column – minus 1 yard.

Elliott said the offensive line continues to play hard but has work to do from a technique standpoint.

"They continue to play hard. There weren't a ton of issues from a communication standpoint,” Elliott said. “The biggest thing is just cleaning up some things technique-wise. We knew this front was going to challenge us in how multiple they are and stunting and moving. As you look at it, they continue to play hard. Got some things and some areas to clean up from a technique standpoint. But definitely a lot better than it may have felt coming off the field."

Syracuse gave up 338 yards rushing to Liberty the week before the Clemson game, but the Tigers managed just 147 yards on the ground and a season-low 3.97 yards per rush.

"They had a couple of alignments that were different, but what I think they did a much better job of this week was staying disciplined in their gap assignments,” Elliott said of the difference in the Syracuse defense. “They still brought the twists but the defensive line did a good job of not looping too far and getting out of gaps and not creating those big rush lanes. I think it was also a function of us taking outlet screens on the perimeter because they have that one extra coming in the box, and if we hand that off, we had some plays that would hit, but it's just how we are built.

“You live with it and you move on. You can't sit there and overanalyze it because you're going to paralyze the quarterback and he's going to start to question his decision. And now you're going to be sitting there playing slow. And the positives, if you look at the balls we threw out there, we had some 10, 15-yard gains with the ball being thrown behind the line of scrimmage, so the guys on the perimeter are doing a good job of understanding what their responsibility is running with the football and how we need to block on the perimeter."

Elliott was asked about the lack of production in the RPO game, and he said there was only one time he saw on film where quarterback Trevor Lawrence should have handed it to Travis Etienne.

"In the run game, people don't realize when you're built like we are, you can sit there and try to force the run, but Syracuse was committed to stopping the run with all their run-stopping and twists inside and they were going to try to get an extra guy to the box,” he said. “You have to take those outlet runs. A lot of times people want to see the ball in Travis' hands, but in fairness to Travis if they're going to load the box or have unblocked guys, we need to have outlet screens to loosen us up. You see we were able to have those 6, 7, 8-yard gains per pop on those."

An area of concern for some is the production – or lack thereof – from wide receivers Frank Ladson and Joseph Ngata, but Elliott said both players will continue to improve.

"Starting with Joe, I think it's unfair right now to say that because he's been battling (injury) and hasn't had as many opportunities,” Elliott said. “Frank is a guy that I think is just going to get better. And it's unfortunate that they're at 'WRU' so they're always going to draw comparisons to other guys but at the same time too, sometimes as a coach you just have to meet them where they are. Don't really have a set expectation of where they are. We know there are areas where they've got to improve and we've just got to keep pushing those guys in the right direction. They'll respond and they'll continue to improve. As they improve, they'll be able to be more productive. It's hard to say I would like for them to be here.

"Because the circumstances are different. Both of them were out for a little bit in fall camp. Joe is battling his deal. And I thought he looked the best he's looked in a while the other day. And Frank is continuing to figure out how to play. There's a lot of things when you're a backup you may not have had experience with, but when you become a starter, the game is moving a little faster and there are a lot more things that you're experiencing. But pleased with both of them but still going to push those guys to improve every aspect of their game."

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