The 2021 Clemson football season featured a return to normalcy as Dabo Swinney’s program once again played before packed Death Valley crowds. And while the Tigers largely left the tumult of 2020 behind, they nonetheless faced new challenges while integrating contributors into new roles and watching both coordinators become hot commodities on college football’s coaching carousel. For the first time in five seasons, the Tigers took the field without Trevor Lawrence or Travis Etienne in the backfield, and the offense gradually found its footing via a powerful rushing attack led by a trio of young running backs in Will Shipley, Kobe Pace, and Phil Mafah.
While the offense searched for its rhythm, the defense continued its familiar brand of dominance under Brent Venables, as standouts Andrew Booth and James Skalski anchored a unit that allowed the Tigers to secure another 10-win campaign. Myles Murphy and Mario Goodrich helped keep the Tigers in games late before ultimately closing the door on numerous final possessions, as the team brought home several white knuckle victories while displaying the championship DNA that has enabled both Clemson’s rise and extended stay among the sport’s elite.
The swan song for OC and #WRU alum Tony Elliott and uberDC Brent Venables proved to be more of a rooster’s crow, as the Tigers strolled into a particularly delusional Columbia to collect their rent check in dominating fashion. After missing out on what surely would have been a monumental beatdown of the chickens in 2020, the Tigers skunked the Gamecocks 30-0 on the strength of a ground and pound gameplan that leaned on the legs of the Tiger running backs and the suffocating strength that emanated from all levels of the defense. The Tigers bagged their 7th consecutive win in the rivalry series, and shortly thereafter bid Tony Elliott and Brent Venables adieu to take over programs at Virginia and Oklahoma respectively.
The Tigers closed their season on another strong note, defeating Iowa State in the Cheez-It Bowl to finish the season on a 6-game winning streak. A season marked by transition and plagued with injuries ultimately found itself in the familiar territory of double-digit wins, as Dabo Swinney’s program weathered the various storms of the season en route to its 11th straight season with at least 10 victories. The Tigers danced in the locker room after their final win of the year, and Dabo Swinney directed the cheers as new coordinators Brandon Streeter and Wesley Goodwin crowdsurfed their way into a slightly newer era of Tiger excellence.
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