Clemson Offense Playing With High Expectations

CLEMSON — Clemson put up another solid showing against Wake Forest last Saturday. As the 10th-ranked Tigers continue to impress, they have redefined their standards of success.

While the foremost goal is always to win, Clemson’s offense wants to prove that it can do more than squeak by opponents. The Tigers believe they can drop 40 points every game.

The idea of the “40-point mark” was brought up in an offensive meeting by wide receiver Adam Randall ahead of the Wake Forest game, according to quarterback Cade Klubnik.

“It’s a mentality thing,” Randall said. “Each week when we go out there we expect to make plays and we go out there expecting to put forty points on the board. In the past sometimes when we got forty we might have been excited. Now it’s the expectation.”

In the past five games, the Tigers (5-1, 4-0 ACC) have scored 40 or more points in every game except in their 29-13 victory at Florida State. However, the only reason they did not hit 40 points in that win was due to their inability to execute in the red zone. They settled for six field goal attempts instead of touchdowns in the red zone that night.

Klubnik shared that while reaching this threshold is not a specific focus for the team, they feel their play could have been in the Florida State game.

“That game could have gotten a lot farther if we just converted three-for-five of those red zone opportunities,” Klubnik said. “The expectation that we have for ourselves, it’s a different mentality that we’ve had before.”

These high offensive expectations are not exclusive to the wide receivers and quarterbacks. Offensive lineman Blake Miller also believes this mindset is part of a new culture that the 2024 team is cultivating.

“I think young guys have seen that we can do it and I think older guys like myself have seen this has been in us and we’ve been trying to kind of rep at that mindset,” he said. “We’re going to go out there and we’re going to put up big points every single game because we’re capable of doing it. So why not go out there and give it your best.”

Clemson has another chance to have a 40-point day on Saturday (noon, ACCN) when the Virginia Cavaliers come to Memorial Stadium to take on the Tigers.