Clemson’s offense has spent this season living with the same frustrating problem: too many passes hitting the turf. Freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds has not gotten much help from his receivers, and that showed again in the win over Syracuse, even if the Tigers were fortunate enough that the miscues didn’t end up costing them.
That issue was front and center again this week when offensive coordinator Chad Morris met with the media. His message was simple - the drops have to stop lingering in everyone’s head. With three games left, Morris wants more pride in finishing the play and more urgency in moving on to the next one.
Clemson OC Chad Morris: "Drops are gonna happen. Multiple drops may happen.
But at that point, it's, 'How does that affect the next-play mindset?'" Says his message to players (including top WRs) after drops has been not letting them linger -- take it on the chin and move on
- Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) November 11, 2026
Morris’ point is hard to argue with. Drops happen in football.
What matters is how quickly a player resets and gets ready for the next snap. For Clemson, that next-play mentality matters even more now, because the Tigers need close to a perfect finish to go 3-0 the rest of the way and keep their shot at Charlotte alive.
The next chance to keep building will come Saturday against Georgia Tech, a game Clemson is expected to control. It also gives the offense another opportunity to sharpen its timing before the late-November meeting with South Carolina starts creeping into view.
On the women’s basketball side, Clemson is about to face its biggest test yet. The Tigers, who are 3-0 after wins over Radford, East Tennessee State, and UNC Greensboro, will take on No. 1 South Carolina on Thursday night at 7 p.m.
Dawn Staley’s team is once again rolling at an elite level, and South Carolina is the favorite to win it all this season. Clemson is walking into a huge challenge, and if the Tigers are going to make this one interesting, Mia Moore, Taliyah Henderson, and the rest of the group will need to be sharp from the opening tip.
Saturday also carries a milestone for Dabo Swinney. The Georgia Tech game will be his 250th as Clemson’s head coach, and he enters it with 193 career wins. A victory would give him No. 194 and add another layer to the occasion.
This week will be Dabo Swinney's 250th game as Clemson's head coach.
Once he completes Game No. 250, he'll rank third in career wins through 250 games in FBS history. pic.twitter.com/JdEEVryCLZ
- Ross Taylor (@ClemsonFBRoss) November 9, 2026
Clemson is a 13.5-point favorite, according to the FanDuel sportsbook, and if the Tigers handle business against the Yellow Jackets, Swinney’s milestone will come with a win and Clemson would move to 7-3 on the season.
In Other News...
Clemsons Surging Defensive Front Could Be Getting Even More Dangerous
Clemsons defensive front has been on a sharp rise lately, climbing to 14th nationally in total sacks over the past three weeks and giving Dabo Swinney plenty to like about the way his line is playing. The current surge has only added to the buzz around what could be coming next, especially with the 2027 recruiting class already featuring five defensive pledges and a group that looks built to keep that pressure coming.
Among those future additions, Jaden Wuerth and JiQuan Rogers have each turned in senior seasons with 15 sacks, the kind of production that tends to translate quickly once a player gets to campus. With signing day approaching, Clemsons defensive front is not just making noise now, it is also positioning itself to stay dangerous well beyond this season. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Got An Important Answer Up Front At Syracuse
Clemson got a useful look up front in its win at Syracuse, and freshman Grant Wise handled the assignment like a player who understood the moment. Making his first career start at center in place of the injured Harris Sewell, Wise stayed on the field for every offensive snap and helped steady a line that needed someone to step in without much warning.
Dabo Swinney came away impressed with the way Wise performed, and the freshman also offered some perspective on the path that brought him to the position. For a Clemson offense that wants to keep its run game moving and its front intact, getting that kind of answer from a young lineman matters, even if the larger picture at center is still developing. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons Final Three Games Will Decide How Real This Progress Is
Clemsons win over Syracuse did more than lock up bowl eligibility. It gave the Tigers a little more breathing room as they head into the stretch run with a 6-3 record overall and a 4-2 mark in ACC play, a place that looks better than it did a few weeks ago but still leaves plenty unsettled. The next three games against Georgia Tech, Duke and South Carolina will tell the real story of this season, because the difference between a strong finish and a frustrating one is still very much on the table.
A 9-3 finish would put Clemson in position for a top ACC bowl and keep the late-season momentum moving in the right direction, but the path to the ACC Championship Game is not entirely in the Tigers hands. They need to keep winning and get help elsewhere in the league, with the conference race tightening at a time when the 2026 ACC Championship Game looms as the last one before the College Football Playoff expands. For a program trying to show this progress is real, the next few Saturdays will matter a lot more than the bowl-clinching win already in the books. [Read more 🡒]