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Forgetting Dave Clawson
Published by MoonDog on December 3, 2009
Tennessee fans would probably just as soon forget about Dave Clawson, the Volunteers offensive coordinator during the 2008 season.
Hailed as an offensive guru by former coach Phil Fulmer, the Vols suffered one of their worst seasons in 2008.
Prior to taking the Tennessee offensive coordinator job, Clawson was the head coach at Richmond from 2004 to 2007 and head coach at Fordham from 1999 to 2003 where he was named Division I-AA Coach of the Year at both schools.
In his final season at Richmond, he led the Spiders to their best season in school history. They finished 11-3 and lost to eventual Football Championship Subdivision national champion Appalachian State in the semifinals.
Most of the blame for Tennessee’s poor performance in 2008 was centered around the team’s dismal offense, which averaged only 269 yards a game and was ranked No. 116 out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision programs.
After Phil Fulmer was forced to resign, Clawson was left looking for a job. On December 12, 2008, he was hired to take over the head coaching duties at Bowling Green.
After a 1-4 start, the Falcons won six of their last seven games to finish 7-5. In the process, Bowling Green’s offense was the third best in the Mid-American Conference, averaging 391.4 yards per game.
It should be noted however, that of Bowling Green’s six wins in their last seven games, none came against an opponent with a winning record. The Falcons lost to Central Michigan, a team that completed their season 10-2 and won the MAC’s West Division championship.
Quarterback Tyler Sheehan led the Falcons offense, finishing fourth nationally in passing yards by completing 340 of 528 passes for 3665 yards and 23 touchdowns.
By comparison, Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton was abysmal in 2008 running Clawson’s offense, completing 86 of 167 passes for 889 yards and only four touchdowns.
After a shaky start in 2009, Crompton turned things around under the Volunteers’ new offensive coordinator Jim Chaney, quarterback coach David Reaves and head coach Lane Kiffin.
Crompton finished the regular season completing 209 of 358 passes for 2565 yards and 26 touchdowns. Tennessee’s offense as a whole was vastly improved in 2009 as well, averaging 395.6 yards per game.
All of these numbers raises the question why Clawson couldn’t produce a better offense at Tennessee in 2008 with more talented players than Bowling Green’s.
Some may argue that Tennessee suffered from the transition between former offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe’s system and Clawson’s.
Certainly, learning a new system takes time and the ability of the players to acclimate is never predetermined. But in the Vols case during the 2008 season, it was clear the team never adjusted to Clawson’s offense.
Perhaps more to the point is Clawson’s success having come at schools like Fordham, Richmond and Bowling Green.
The statistics would tend to give credence to the fact that his best offensive production has come at programs where the talent level of opposing defenses is no where near that of the SEC.
In 2008, the SEC had five teams among the top 20 nationally in total defense while the MAC had one.
Last season Tennessee and Alabama finished tied for third allowing 263 yards per game and Florida ninth at 285.
In their 2008 games against Florida and Alabama, the Vols managed 258 yards of offense against the Gators and 173 against the Crimson Tide.
In 2009, Alabama and Florida are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in total defense nationally, with the Crimson Tide allowing 226 yards per game and the Gators 229.
The SEC again had five teams among the top 20 defenses nationally while the MAC had none.
With Crompton learning his fourth offensive system in five years, Tennessee only gained 210 yards against Florida in the Vols third game of the season.
But with Crompton showing signs of improvement under Chaney’s system, Tennessee was able to gain 341 yards against Alabama in the team’s seventh game of the season.
Since the loss to Alabama, Tennessee has averaged 410 yards per game. In 2008 over the same five game stretch, the Vols managed 231 yards per game.
Clawson’s offense is clearly suitable for the Richmond’s and Bowling Green’s of the college football world, but just as clearly his system wasn’t a match for talented SEC defenses.
While the Volunteers have recovered nicely during 2009, Clawson will continue to be pushed beyond the consciousness of Tennessee fans and the failures of the 2008 season, one that was clearly forgettable.
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Tagged with: 2009 SEC Football, Alabama Crimson Tide, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, College Football, Dave Clawson, david cutcliffe, David Reaves, Division I-AA Coach of the Year, Florida Gators, Football, Fordham, Jim Chaney, Jonathan Crompton, Lane Kiffin, Mid-America Conference, NCAA Football, Phil Fulmer, Richmond, SEC, SEC Football, Southeastern Conference, Tennessee Vols, Tennessee Vols Football, Tennessee Volunteers, Tyler Sheehan, Vols, Volunteers
