What Clemson Needs to Show in Tigers' 2016 Spring Game
In some ways, Dabo Swinney's Clemson Tigers are in a familiar spot heading into Saturday's spring finale at Memorial Stadium.
They have several returning stars at offensive skill positions—including Heisman finalist Deshaun Watson—but the defensive depth chart needs to be almost completely rebuilt. Last year, Clemson was able to combine that offensive firepower and new defensive talent into an ACC champion and a national runner-up.
And those defending designations are what makes this year's Orange & White Game somewhat different, despite the old storylines of defensive question marks and exciting offensive talent.
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Instead of the consistent 10-win program still looking to get over the hump, Clemson pushed Alabama to the brink in the national title game. The Tigers will either be No. 1 or No. 2 in almost every preseason poll for 2016. "Clemsoning" is lying cold in its grave.
When the Tigers return to Death Valley on Saturday afternoon for their annual spring scrimmage, observers in the stadium and all across the country will want to see some answers.
Here are three major things Clemson needs to show in Saturday's spring game as the hype train continues to build for last year's ACC champion.
Tighter play in a new-look secondary
As Clemson rebuilds two main areas of its defense heading into the 2016 season, one of its biggest focal points will be limiting opponents' big plays.
For a defense that finished 17th nationally in yards allowed per play last year, the Tigers were vulnerable to some explosive gains. They ranked 102nd in allowing plays of 20-plus yards and 90th in plays of more than 30 yards. Of the 71 plays of 20 or more yards, 48 of them were passes.
While Clemson played one game more than any other team in college football except for Alabama last season, those high numbers will still be unacceptable for the coaching staff. According to David M. Hale of ESPN.com, more than half of the total yardage Clemson allowed last year came on just 71 of 968 snaps faced.
"Alabama didn't have any busts," Swinney said earlier this spring, per Hale. "We didn't have guys running free. We earned every yard we got. But that's one of the regrets we have is that we could’ve done a better job in certain areas [on defense], and that's accountability for all of us."
So as Clemson looks to replace three starters from last year's secondary—cornerback Cordrea Tankersley is the only one to return—the Tigers are looking at the situation as a clean slate on miscommunication issues.
With Adrian Baker, who started a few games at corner last year, sidelined with an ACL injury, Clemson has had to develop some new blood in a question-filled back four.
One of the leading candidates to replace shutdown cornerback Mackensie Alexander is sophomore Mark Fields, who won the "fastest man" title at Nike's The Opening in 2014. His physical gifts aren't in question, but Fields needs to show at the spring game that he's ready to take on plenty of responsibility in coverage.
As Ryan Carter and Marcus Edmond continue to push for playing time with Tankersley and Fields at cornerback, the safety positions are currently led by Van Smith and Jadar Johnson. Smith had a couple of bright performances against Miami and UNC last year, while Johnson is an experienced backup who came down with two picks in 2015.
On Saturday, whoever lines up in the secondary will be consistently tested by one of the deepest and most talented offenses in the entire country for 2016. While the defensive backs won't be expected to shut their teammates down, Clemson will want to see better communication and fewer busted plays.
"If it's guys making great plays, that's ball," Swinney said, per Hale. "You tip your hat. But when it's guys not doing what they're supposed to do, not lining up the right way, eyes on the wrong thing—those are things we have to evaluate as a staff."
New stars on the edge
Talented defensive ends come and go on nearly every team, but none have bigger shoes to fill than the ones left at Clemson.
Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd, now headed to the NFL, were respectively No. 1 and No. 2 nationally in tackles for loss a season ago. Average it out to TFLs per game, and both are firmly in the top five.
Only one other team, Arizona State, had two players in the top 10. The Sun Devils will return one of those players in Salamo Fiso, but the Tigers will not. The top defensive end in tackles for loss heading into 2016 is Austin Bryant, who recorded two last season.
Simply put, Clemson has to prove it can continue to pump out surefire stars on the edges, which has been one of its hallmarks over its streak of double-digit-win seasons.
Bryant is the easiest call as a potential starter because of the experience he gained last season as a freshman. When the Tigers needed him to replace an injured Lawson at the Orange Bowl, he did the job well, looking strong against the run and finding ways to get after Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield.
But the player who should command the most attention at defensive end in Saturday's spring game is Christian Wilkins. Although he's a tackle by trade, Wilkins is freakishly athletic for a 6'4", 315-pound underclassman—remember, he had a 31-yard reception on a fake punt in the Orange Bowl and can do a little kicking:
With the depth the Tigers have on the interior and the emergence of early enrollee Dexter Lawrence as a potential Day 1 player, Wilkins has been able to practice some at end. The results have been encouraging for the staff, who watched him come up with two tackles for loss at end in a recent scrimmage.
"He's done well," defensive coordinator Brent Venables said, per Scott Keepfer of the Greenville News. "He looks good there. He can bend, move his feet. He's strong."
Richard Yeargin, Clelin Ferrell and Xavier Kelly will be among those also competing for playing time there as well. For Clemson, it'll be the more the merrier at defensive end, and Saturday's spring game will be a perfect launching point for some new stars on the edges.
Even more offensive playmakers
Clemson's offense for the 2016 season should be beyond loaded. When it comes to returning production on a team that averaged more than 500 yards and five touchdowns per game, few in college football can compare.
That returning talent goes beyond the heavily hyped first-team offense.
Watson's two backup quarterbacks are both back, as well as two of the four running backs who were behind Wayne Gallman in 2015. At receiver and tight end, nine of the 10 players who caught double-digit passes are back, pending Deon Cain's return to the team.
And while this should be Watson's first and last spring game in Memorial Stadium, Clemson shouldn't keep the first team out there for too long Saturday. When the reserves take the field, the work will continue to develop the additional high-quality depth needed on a championship-caliber team.
Clemson proved that last year when star receiver Mike Williams, who is back for the spring in a non-contact capacity, went down with a scary, season-ending neck injury in the opener against Wofford.
And when the aforementioned Bryant stepped in for Lawson, one of the nation's best defensive ends, the Tigers didn't miss a beat.
As the defense looks for many of its new first-teamers in the offseason, the offense can use this spring as an opportunity to establish waves of talent behind the star names.
At receiver, Brad Senkiw of the Independent Mail wrote that the reserves could eventually be as talented as the starters with the likes of Ray-Ray McCloud, Cain and Trevion Thompson.
"You've got a lot of veteran guys out here going out and not having to think," Thompson said, per Senkiw. "A lot of people who have to come in thinking are kind of behind the 8-ball. Everybody knowing the plays, knowing the system; it's a great level of competition."
Whether it's C.J. Fuller, Adam Choice and Tyshon Dye battling it out for more reps behind Gallman or new tight end weapons to deploy with returning starter Jordan Leggett, Clemson would love to show Saturday that if something happens in the regular season, it can plug and play with the playmaking talent it has further developed this spring.
If the Tigers can do that and avoid any more injuries, then the Orange & White Game should be a success for Swinney and his championship-caliber squad.
Stats courtesy of CFBStats.com.
Justin Ferguson is a National College Football Analyst at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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