RALEIGH, N.C. — Clemson fell short at North Carolina State in a 27-21 double-overtime loss at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday.
For the fourth straight week the Tigers’ offense failed to meet the standard of head coach Dabo Swinney and offensive coordinator Tony Elliott.
Elliott and the staff re-evaluated and self-scouted themselves after last week’s anemic performance in the win over Georgia Tech. But in the coordinator’s assessment the Tigers failed to execute in their first true road test.
“We did some self scouting and tried to break up a couple of tendencies,” Elliott said. “But at the end of the day our job as coaches is to put together a plan that gives our guys the best opportunity to be successful and from there they have to do their part and go make plays.”
The Tigers amassed just 214 yards of total offense in the game that included two overtime periods. But the biggest issue on Saturday was moving the chains on third down.
Clemson (2-2, 1-1 ACC) finished the game just 2-of-11 on third down with its only two conversions coming in the fourth quarter and the first overtime period.
In the passing game D.J. Uiagalelei completed 12-of-26 passes for 111 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
The offensive line surrendered three sacks for a loss of 27 yards and did not get the push it wanted in the run game. Clemson rushed for 103 yards on 23 carries for an average of 4.5 yards per rush.
Swinney expressed his disappointment after the loss because the Tigers have yet to reach the program’s standard. And he also responded to criticism of the team’s lack of offensive prowess.
“You are going to get comments and things like that and it comes with a territory because the expectation and the standard at Clemson and who we are, we aren’t meeting that,” he said. “It’s just that simple, so people can say whatever they want and there’s not really anything we can say because we are not getting it done right now.”
The Tigers showed flashes of rhythm on Saturday particular in their first quarter scoring drive and at the end of the game. But they have yet to reach their standard.
Clemson hopes to right the ship before it hosts undefeated Boston College at Memorial Stadium next Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Football season has finally arrived. Time to represent your Tigers and show your stripes!
