Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris says he is happy with the play of senior left tackle Brandon Thomas. Other than that ...
Things we learned
From Jadeveon Clowney returning to form to Florida State's complete dismantling of Clemson, here are the lessons learned from the college football weekend. **More ...**
"There's 10 other positions out there that are not playing well at all," Morris said. "It's hard to get in any consistent flow."
Clemson lost for the first time this season last Saturday, when it was dominated by Florida State, 51-14, in a matchup of top-five teams. The Tigers ran 86 plays but managed just 326 yards, or 3.8 yards per play; their season average is 5.9 yards. Morris is known for his high-tech offense, but he says he is having to keep it basic.
"We're about as simple as we can be offensively right now," he said. "We're unable to really push the envelope forward right now. It's just a base offense, to be honest with you."
While emphasizing that the Tigers' offensive problems can't all be blamed on senior quarterback Tajh Boyd, Morris also said, "It all starts and ends with the quarterback."
Boyd played poorly against FSU, going 17-of-37 for 156 yards, a TD and two interceptions. It was the fourth time in his 34 games as a starter that Boyd completed less than 50 percent of his passes and just the third time he had more picks than TD passes.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said he saw value in the simplistic approach to the offense.
"My message to the staff this week was, 'Let's major in the minor this week,'" Swinney said in his teleconference. "Stance. Starts. Footwork. Ballhandling. Let's treat them like they don't know anything."
Morris said he is confident Boyd will rebound.
"We wouldn't be in the position we're in today, or where this program has been over the last two years, without what Tajh Boyd has done for us," Morris said. "We all have seen that. We've seen him play at his best; we've seen him struggle at times and be able to find his way and get back on track, and that's what you're going to see with him."
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
