Clemson rolled to a 37-point win, but the conversation after the game kept circling back to Tait Reynolds and what the Tigers are - and aren’t - getting from their true freshman quarterback.
In his fourth career start, Reynolds finished 17 of 26 for 127 yards against Charleston Southern. He added 40 rushing yards on seven carries, and there were moments when his legs helped Clemson move the ball.
What never came was a passing touchdown, and that has become the bigger issue. Since stepping in a quarter of the way through the Georgia Southern game, Reynolds has thrown just one touchdown pass, and that came nearly a month ago against North Carolina.
The red-zone timing with TJ Moore wasn’t there, and Clemson’s passing game again looked stuck. That is where the concern begins to sharpen, especially now that the Tigers are through with non-Power Four opponents and will spend the rest of the season facing Power Four programs.
Reynolds never asked to be dropped into this spot, and being a true freshman matters. Still, the question around Clemson now is whether he is the best answer at quarterback moving forward. Christopher Vizzina is at least part of that discussion, and Trent Pearman, despite throwing some highly questionable passes in relief, was still willing to push the ball downfield.
As one Tigers fan put it on social media: “Let me say that none of this is fair to Tait Reynolds. None. He shouldn’t be in this position & his OL/WR haven’t stepped up.
With that said, 7 weeks into the season the QB room Dabo stood pat with has to be in the discussion for worst in the P4.”
There is no question Clemson can win without Reynolds carrying the offense. The problem is that against a legitimate opponent, he has not shown he can help the Tigers separate from anyone offensively. His talent is obvious, but six games into this stretch, there’s enough to judge where things stand.
Saturday did offer one positive: Reynolds looked more comfortable as a runner. That helped ease the burden on Gideon Davidson and also opened the door for Chris Johnson Jr. to score his first touchdown in a Clemson uniform.
Even so, this was the kind of game in which Clemson needed to show it could attack vertically. Instead, it did the opposite. The rest of the ACC will notice that.
For now, Clemson appears built to win one way: play elite defense, get strong special teams, lean on the run game, and hope the passing game doesn’t become a liability. That might be enough against some of the weaker teams in the ACC. Beyond Miami, and maybe Wake Forest, the path is far less clear.
At some point, Reynolds has to own this offense. If he doesn’t, Clemson will keep playing with one arm tied behind its back. The pieces are there in spots, but the final ingredient is missing, and this offense may never fully get going this season.
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Clemson Finally Got The Reset Win Fans Have Been Waiting For
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Clemson put up 34 points before the break behind three rushing touchdowns and a special teams score off a forced fumble recovery, then spent the second half getting work for backup quarterback Trent Pearman. Nolan Hauser also added a career-long 59-yard field goal, another sign that just about everything was working for a team that badly needed a reset. [Read more 🡒]