TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – No. 15 Clemson went on the road and knocked off Florida State 29-13 on Saturday.
While there were a number of positives to come out of the win, there were also some areas that got exposed, none being bigger than the left side of the line on field goal attempts.
Freshman placekicker Nolan Hauser had a 38-yard attempt blocked in the second quarter and then late in the third he had a 25-yarder blocked. Both times there were breakdowns in the protection on the left side of the line and head coach Dabo Swinney was understandably frustrated by the lack of execution.
“Just absolutely horrible on the left side at tight end and wing,” Swinney said after the win. “Just awful. It is that simple.”
Not all was bad with the kicking game, Hauser did hit on his other five attempts after having come into the game a perfect 5-of-5 on the season. The two he did miss were absolutely not on him.
With another road game at Wake Forest next weekend (Noon/ESPN), it’s an area that Swinney is determined to get fixed and quickly.