Clemson football's offense doesn't have much of a pulse.
The Tigers rank last in the ACC and 115th nationally in total offense. Clemson (4-3, 2-2 ACC) has thrown a nation-low two touchdown passes entering its game at Florida State (3-4, 1-3) on Oct. 31 (7 p.m., ACC Network).
The Greenville News spoke with former Tigers guard and current ACC Network analyst Eric Mac Lain to get his take on Clemson's offensive problems. Here's what he had to say.
At times, freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds flashes talent. At other times, he makes freshman mistakes.
Christopher Vizzina's elbow injury in Week 2 against Georgia Southern has made Reynolds the Tigers' best option. Mac Lain believes that's unfair to Reynolds and wishes Clemson had signed a transfer quarterback.
"He should be learning," Mac Lain said of Reynolds. "He should be getting in at the end of games, if that's the situation. He should be lifting, in the film room, practicing, not needing and having to be the starting quarterback."
Swinney said one day after the Georgia Southern game that Reynolds had earned the opportunity to start based on his "body of work." He said on Oct. 28 that since then, it has been a combination of Reynolds earning the job and Vizzina not being able to compete. Swinney believes Reynolds separated himself from Vizzina while he was hurt.
Mac Lain doesn't think Reynolds is ready, but acknowledges he's starting "because of the situation that Clemson chose." If Reynolds remains the starter, Mac Lain expects him to grow.
"He's going to get better naturally, just as the season goes," said Mac Lain, who played at Clemson from 2011-15.
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New Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris has come under fire. Mac Lain places more blame on Clemson's players.
"He's not missing any blocks. He's not not running the right track. He's not not throwing the ball (or) dropping the ball," Mac Lain said.
Mac Lain believes Clemson's offensive issues have nothing to do with its scheme, and that poor player execution means problems would still be present with another play-caller.
"Who's the best play-caller in college football right now? You put them on this staff, does it look different?" Mac Lain said. "It's not a schematic thing ... If you can't execute it, it doesn't really matter what you call.
"I get it, and I understand the criticism, and that's the easiest way of thinking is, 'Oh, our play-caller sucks.' But I don't think that's true, and I don't think that's fair."
Swinney has defended Clemson's offensive line several times this season and believes it's received too much criticism. That's something Mac Lain disagrees with.
"I have no idea why (Swinney defends the offensive line so much)," Mac Lain said. "It makes no sense."
Mac Lain believes Clemson's offensive line has "dramatically" regressed from last season. He stressed that the issue isn't a lack of talent but that communication problems need fixing.
Mac Lain believes the communication particularly breaks down against double teams, or when defenses adjust their front.
"If a guy walks up on the outside of the tackle, they're not immediately screaming, 'Hey ... We got to go out of here. We all have to slide,'" Mac Lain said.
Mac Lain said the unit can be "a total cluster" and that the offensive line isn't playing to Clemson's standard.
"They're obviously just getting physically whipped time and time again, particularly on the right side of the line of scrimmage," Mac Lain said.
Swinney has said that Clemson's starting receivers — Bryant Wesco Jr., Tyler Brown and T.J. Moore — will be "playing on Sundays" in the NFL soon.
Mac Lain shares Swinney's sentiment, calling the trio "three of the best receivers in the country" and blaming Clemson's underwhelming passing structure for their modest production. He said that's one of the most frustrating parts about Clemson's offense.
If Wesco, Brown and Moore were on other teams, Mac Lain said they'd be doing better.
"If we fast-forward eight months and T.J. Moore transfers to Miami and Bryant Wesco transfers to Texas, what do those guys' careers look like that year?" Mac Lain said. "I guarantee it's going to be dramatically different.
"You have this unreal talent ... and you can't take advantage of it. You can't utilize it, and it's just so baffling to me that you have all that, and still, you're one-hopping screen passes. You're missing (on) overthrows. In the end zone, you're throwing the ball out of bounds. It's crazy to me."
Nick Coppola covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA Today Network. Email him at [email protected], follow him on X and like his Facebook page at .
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: