Apparently, some members of the coaching staff missed that memo.
Clemson’s opponents didn’t miss that detail. They tended to scheme to stop the run. In response, Clemson tended to not put the ball in the hands of the running backs and tried to throw the ball.
Early in the season, the offense had some success. As time went on, that strategy failed. Even when the running backs appeared to be having success, the ball wasn’t going to them consistently.
That is why Dabo Swinney made a change at coordinator and brought in Garrett Riley. On the surface, Riley’s scheme falls into the air raid category, which would suggest the running backs won’t be the focus.