Clemson Football: How the Tigers Can Avoid Another Late-Season Collapse

Last season, Tiger fans saw a new-look Clemson team with a new offense led by offensive coordinator Chad Morris that gained national acclaim thanks to the likes of quarterback Tajh Boyd, freshman sensation Sammy Watkins and the ever-present Andre Ellington leading Clemson's rushing attack.

And yet several weaknesses, such as an inconsistent offensive line and a porous defense, proved to be the Tigers' downfall late in the season, suffering blowout losses to Georgia Tech, NC State and South Carolina in the regular season while also being embarrassed in the national spotlight by West Virginia's "Air Raid."

Despite these losses, the Tigers will enter 2012 with targets on their backs, and if they want to make it back to Charlotte and back to Miami, several things must be done to ensure the Tigers don't suffer a critical meltdown, as they seem to do whenever the media attention shifts towards them.

Ignore the Media Hype

Clemson will have the nation's attention in Week 1 as they face the Auburn Tigers in the Georgia Dome in prime time on ESPN 

Coming into the game, much of the media will compare this team to the 2008 Clemson team that was loaded with talent but faltered against the Nick Saban-led Crimson Tide in a game where they failed to score one offensive touchdown. This year, they will face the same criticisms, coming off of an ACC Championship with many pieces returning to power Chad Morris's spread offense.

Clemson players must ignore the hype, as this hype has proven to be Clemson's downfall in games like these. But there is a big difference between the 2008 and 2012 teams: Tommy Bowden is no longer the head coach, and Rob Spence is no longer the offensive coordinator.

Let the Defense Develop

After the beatdown Clemson took against West Virginia, Swinney said goodbye to former defensive coordinator Kevin Steele, replacing him with former Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables to counter the spread offenses and mobile quarterbacks that Steele failed to contain in his four years at Clemson.

While Venables has drawn praise from both coaches and players, it will take time before the defense settles in, and there will be growing pains. The Clemson players must catch on to this defensive scheme, which, according to middle linebacker Stephone Anthony, is easier to catch onto than the previous defense. 

But it is ultimately up to this defense to make those plays late in the season that they were unable to make when the offense failed to bail them out of jams last year.

Be More Physical on the Offensive Line

Throughout all of last season, the Tigers' offensive line failed to make an impact in short-yardage situations and impose their will upon any of the teams the Tigers played. The line was not very physical when it came to running the football, and it showed late in the season.

That's why it is essential that the coaching staff make this line more aggressive and physical at the point of attack. The three likely starters are all young, which, in this case, gives the staff more opportunities to make this line more physical than the finesse lines the Tigers have had for several seasons now.

A more physical line means a better running game. A more physical line means a healthy Tajh Boyd and a more physical running game with an already aggressive, physical runner in Andre Ellington.

Establish Your Pass Rush

Clemson has always done well in developing aggressive, pass-rushing defensive linemen. This year, there is no clear-cut pass-rushing threat, with three of the new starters on the defensive line being relative unknowns.

With Mallicah Goodman appearing to have hit a ceiling, rising sophomore Corey Crawford will look to pick up where Daquan Bowers and Andre Branch left off. Crawford showed potential in his limited time on the field, and he has clear separation from the other ends currently on the roster.

Near season's end, the Tigers' pass rush was non-existent, and they became less physical at the point of attack. This D-line must have that aggression late in the season and keep their motors high to force opposing quarterbacks into making bad decisions with the football.

Avoid Costly Mistakes on Defense

Sometimes, all it takes is one play to take the wind out of a team's sails.

In the game against West Virginia, after Clemson's long drive just yards out of the end zone, the Mountaineers forced and returned a 99-yard fumble for a touchdown. After that happened, the Tigers never really recovered and conceded what would eventually be a 70-33 loss in the Orange Bowl.

These kinds of mistakes must be avoided if the Tigers want to get over that hump. Mistakes like these have a kind of rippling effect that can completely change the course of the game.

Can one really say the Tigers would have won if they had not fumbled? Maybe, but the game may not have gotten away from the Tigers had the fumble not occurred when it did. At the very least, the game would have still been within reach by the fourth quarter.