CLEMSON -- Starting with the opening game last season, a familiar pattern developed in how opposing defenses were playing Clemson's offense.

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Drop a bunch of guys into coverage to take away the vertical throws, and then watch the Tigers struggle to come up with answers in the passing game.

Yes, it was more complicated than just that. An inability to run the ball consistently tends to make everything else a lot harder, and that was the case last season.

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But one of the major objectives for the new offensive braintrust in the wake of Tony Elliott's departure is to give the quarterback and receivers more counters when the defense chooses to take away one thing.