Elliott: ‘We probably need to hand the ball to Travis’

Clemson OC explains why Tigers struggled on third-and-short last year

Last year, Clemson converted 44.2 percent of its third down opportunities, which ranked 27th nationally. Overall, the percentage was not too bad. However, when it mattered most, in the biggest of games, the Tigers struggled a lot more on third than the coaching staff would have liked.

In its Fiesta Bowl win over Ohio State, Clemson converted just 5-of-14 third down conversions, 35.7 percent. In the national championship game against LSU, it was even worse. In fact, it was the worst performance ever on third down by a Clemson offense under head coach Dabo Swinney.

The Tigers converted just 1-of-11 third downs in the title…