Tigers have options on offense

CLEMSON, S.C. --- No. 18 Clemson's offense has become much more than speedy stars C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford.

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Associated Press

Dabo Swinney: Clemson coach's team has nearly doubled its scoring average from its first five games in the past five.

Just ask starting linebacker Brandon Maye, who hears about it each practice from a mouthy freshman.

"Now, we got Dwayne Allen talking trash to us every day," Maye said of Clemson's tight end.

There are plenty of Tigers crowing over their expanded roles in Clemson's revived offense. Tight end Michael Palmer, receiver Xavier Dye and young runners Andre Ellington and Jamie Harper have all become significant contributors as Clemson (7-3, 5-2 ACC) has nearly doubled its scoring average from its first five games to its past five.

The Tigers can clinch a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game against Coastal Division champion Georgia Tech with a victory over Virginia (3-7, 2-4) at Death Valley on Saturday.

A big reason has been the stunning turnaround of an offense that had been largely a two-man attack through early October.

Spiller and Ford had nine of Clemson's 11 touchdowns during a 2-3 start. The duo has scored 12 TDs the past five games. However, 10 other Tigers have added a combined 17 scores as they've gone from averaging 24 points a game to 42 during their five-game win streak.

"Our kids finally figured out, 'Hey, if we're going to be any good, we've got to take care of business,'" Clemson offensive coordinator Billy Napier said.

Coach Dabo Swinney figured his offensive course was set when Spiller and Ford both passed up the NFL for their senior seasons. After close losses to Georgia Tech, TCU and Maryland early on, some questioned Clemson's offensive direction.

"We had a lot of drops, guys running the wrong routes and missed assignments on the offensive line," Palmer said. "Just a bunch of little things where guys were killing drives."

Virginia coach Al Groh said the reason for Clemson's offensive rise is Kyle Parker's improvement at quarterback.

The Tigers "have some remarkable playmakers, and he's very tuned into getting the ball to those playmakers," Groh said. "So those things work very well" together.

Plus, Clemson's additional options haven't slowed Spiller or Ford.

"I think that's why we've been so successful because teams haven't been able to key in on me and Jacoby," Spiller said.