Tajh Boyd's Stellar Game Against UGA Was Not 'Fast' Enough, Clemson OC Chad Morris Says
ByTajh Boyd threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more in Clemson's victory over Georgia, but offensive coordinator Chad Morris did not think his quarterback played fast enough, the Associated Press reported.
Despite not committing one turnover, while accounting for five total touchdowns and more than 300 yards of offense, Morris thought Boyd, an early Heisman favorite at quarterback, could have raised the team's tempo on offense.
"We can play faster. Tajh slowed us down a whole bunch. That was some of our biggest downfalls," Morris said. "He played well, he played like a veteran, like he's supposed to play."
Morris also did not save any of his criticism for anyone else, saying he and the young QB had spoken about the issue.
"But as far as the tempo, especially in the third and fourth quarter, he was the one slowing us down because he wasn't getting his eyes to the sidelines quick enough," Morris said.
However, Georgia had its own technique in slowing down the Clemson Tigers' high-speed offense by milking injury timeouts. Morris said he was aware of the extra time Georgia Bulldogs defenders were taking to get off the field during injuries.
Georgia head football coach Mike Richt had reportedly told his players to stay on the ground until coaches and medical personnel reached them. While the practice is fully allowed and legal, Morris said it is a tactic to delay a game, especially against an offense that thrives on working fast.
"You figure that somebody's going to have to do something," Morris said. "But from a liability standpoint, I don't know what you can do. Officially, what would it be, a delay of game or something? Flag somebody for something like that?"
Clemson fans booed Georgia players when they went down with injuries, but Morris said he was not concerned with that. He said there is no way to tell if a player is faking or not.
"I think you're seeing that more relevant throughout the country," Morris said. "You're seeing teams that are following that suit. It's hard to say. But I think we all see the same thing."
Clemson still beat Georgia, but only by three points. Morris said Boyd will play faster next week when South Carolina State visits.
"Those are things you can improve. Those are fixable," Morris said. "We'll be faster this week."