The Clemson offense is now starting to look more like its defending National Champion self. With a solid win against Boston College – their execution was smooth enough to look like they were playing against a lower division team. I’m sorry, Boston College, you never had a chance.

With their returning Quarterback Trevor Lawrence executing the offense nearly flawlessly, there are three plays that I have selected to break down and give some insights on.

You can also take these plays and adapt or use them in your own offensive systems. Lots of teams run RPO’s, Slow Screens and Smash Concepts to Trips, but there is a lot to be learned from the way Clemson uses them in their offensive strategy.

Clemson RPO

This RPO shown in the breakdown here is a good example of timing your Pass option so that not only can the ball be caught in a great position to run after the catch, but also getting receivers blocking after the catch for +yac runs.

When I was coaching at the NAIA college level I used a post game grading system to measure and reward receivers based on their extra effort blocks. If they showed this or other effort related things, they would get points that they could get special privileges from. It make grading the game a lot more meaningful when even if you didn’t catch the ball, you could still contribute and be part of the team with your blocking efforts.

Clemson Slow Screen

If you run a Slow Screen you know how it can be frustrating sometimes to get it all of the timing to work out properly. This example is a nice version of one that is run to the boundary with a wing back as the assigned kick out block on the corner. It’s also a great example of how to run one when you have a press defender in the receivers face and how to shake him and make the screen successful.

Clemson Smash Concept

Most offenses typically see zone defenses – especially to a trips formation, but what happens if you see a man coverage? That’s why I like this Smash Concept you will see here below.

Conclusion

Clemson’s offense is starting to heat up and if Dabo has it his way they will be running like a smooth machine right as the season hits its most important games.

If you liked these breakdowns leave a comment below on what you learned or would like to learn more about the Clemson offense below.