Oct. 22—CLEMSON — To say Clemson football's passing offense has struggled this season may be an understatement.
The Tigers rank 111th in the nation for average passing yards per game and last — 138th out of 138 Division I FBS programs — in passing touchdowns. Clemson's passing problems were amplified against Charleston Southern on Oct. 17. Despite winning 37-0, the Tigers (4-2, 2-1 ACC) threw for 207 yards (127 from starting quarterback Tait Reynolds) and zero touchdowns. The last time first-year offensive coordinator Chad Morris' unit threw a touchdown was more than a month ago on Sept. 19 against North Carolina.
It's a stark difference from Morris' other first season at Clemson back in 2011, at the beginning of his first stint. Clemson quarterback and current QB coach Tajh Boyd threw for 15 touchdowns in his first six games that season as the Tigers got out to a 6-0 (3-0) start.
"There hadn't been much success at all in that regard," Morris said. "When the plays are there to be made, we got to make plays. I think that as you look at the tape and the timing of the receivers and everybody being on the same page, I think that has been a work in progress."
Clemson enters the back half of the 2026 season with a matchup against Virginia Tech. The Hokies (5-2, 2-2) possess the No. 10 rushing defense in the country, but give up 227.3 passing yards per game (ranked 95th) and have allowed nine passing touchdowns (ranked 66th) this season.
The Tigers' path to taking down Virginia Tech seems to be through the air, far from the way it's gone about winning games via defense and special teams, with a run game that wears defenses down late.
Clemson will need to find the passing output it's been lacking quickly to help its chances this weekend. A loss would all but put head coach Dabo Swinney's goal of being "in the mix" come November out the window. Win, and 10-2 plus a place in the ACC Championship is still — technically — on the table.
But to fix the passing game, Clemson first must pinpoint what exactly needs fixing. Dabo Swinney pointed to a number of reasons, but his freshman QB wasn't one of them.
"I thought it was Tait's best game," he said.
Swinney pointed to Reynolds' poise and decision making as much improved from when he made his first start against UNC. He threw for 295 yards in a 41-13 loss to Miami but didn't find the end zone. His lone touchdown of the season came against the Tar Heels — senior quarterback-turned-backup Christopher Vizzina threw Clemson's other passing touchdown Sept. 12 vs. Georgia Southern.
Reynolds again went scoreless against Charleston Southern, but not for a lack of trying.
Clemson took a handful of shots in the vertical passing game early in the Week 7 matchup. All went the way of junior receiver T.J. Moore, but none were completed due to drops and solid defense from the Buccaneers secondary.
Neither Swinney nor Morris minced words about Moore's performance or the need for Clemson's WR room, which was regarded as one of, if not the team's best position group in preseason, to step up.
"T.J. probably had his worst game as a Tiger," Swinney said. "It's probably the worst game he's had since he's been here."
"It's kind of like basketball. When you're not making it, just keep shooting. Well, we kept throwing it to him, and at some point we got to say, 'Hey, look, we got to figure this out another way,'" Morris said.
Both said they expect Moore to respond and bounce back, but Morris didn't shy from acknowledging what "another way" might entail.
"One of the greatest things that we can provide for all our players is competition," he said. "We're giving you these chances, but our sense of urgency, our heightened awareness of everything, better increase at all positions."
"How do you do that? Well, the one thing that these guys love to do is play, right? So when you take playing time away from them and you put them on sideline, things change a little bit."
Whatever needs to change, whether it's receivers finishing catches, the Tigers' often criticized offensive line or the young QB running the show, Clemson would benefit from righting the ship quickly.
"This is going to be a game that we're going to have to throw the football, just like it was against Miami," Morris said. "You can insert whoever. To us, it's a nameless, faceless opponent right now. We've got to continue to get better as an offense in all phases, and once we do that, then everything comes into play."
Next up
Next up
What: Clemson (4-2, 2-1 ACC) vs. Virginia Tech (5-2, 2-2)
When: Saturday, 7 p.m.
Where: Memorial Stadium, Clemson
TV: ESPN
Reach Jackson Castellano at jcastellano@postandcourier.com. Follow him on X @jaxacastellano.