CHARLOTTE- While there is plenty of excitement surrounding the arrival of a new offense at Clemson, there are also still a few unknowns regarding exactly what Garrett Riley's variation of the air raid will resemble when the season finally kicks off on Labor Day at Duke.
At the ACC Kickoff this week, veteran offensive lineman Will Putnam provided some insight into an area the offense has been really working hard on during the summer.
"As a whole offensive unit, I think we have better chemistry, we have better cohesion," Putnam said. "And I think sometimes that chemistry off the field, it can start leading to on the field. And I think coach Riley, him coming to Clemson has brought a lot of excitement and I think that is really contagious. It's really positive for the program."
Putnam also touched on an aspect of Riley's system that is sure to inject some enthusiasm into the fan base.
"I would expect tempo. Tempo, tempo, tempo, tempo," Putnam said. "We're ready for it. We have been conditioning for it all summer so we can be prepared for it. We're ready for it."
Playing fast was something that was a staple of the Tigers' offense during the Chad Morris years, but it has not been employed as much in recent seasons. However, under the leadership of Riley, tempo might once again be a key component. At least at times, as Putnam noted, this offense is aiming to be versatile, and would prefer to dictate the pace.
"(Tempo) is something that we have practiced a lot over the summer," he said. "Being able to run tempo when necessary and if we need to slow it down, we can slow it down. If we need to speed it up, we can speed it up. We can do both. Because we want to very versatile and capable of doing whatever needs to be done."
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