CLEMSON, S.C. — For nearly a decade, Clemson football set the national standard for explosive, high-flying offense, routinely tormenting defenses with downfield fireworks and NFL-bound quarterbacks. Midway through the season, the Tigers’ passing attack looks almost unrecognizable.

Despite a 4-2 record and a 2-1 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play, Clemson’s aerial unit has ground to a near standstill. Through six games, the Tigers have managed just 2 touchdown passes against 7 interceptions, averaging a meager 174.2 passing yards per contest and under 6 yards per pass attempt.

The issues were laid bare once again Saturday during a 37-0 shutout of FCS program Charleston Southern. While the score was lopsided, the passing game remained clunky and out of sync. True freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds finished 17 of 26 for just 127 yards with no touchdowns, while backup Trent Pearman threw two fourth-quarter interceptions. Red-zone miscues and drops continued to mount, highlighted by an 0-for-5 afternoon on end-zone targets directed to top receiver T.J. Moore.

Asked at halftime what his offense needed to jumpstart the air game, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney did not mince words.

“Well, we’ve got to catch the ball,” Swinney said. “I mean, this is a start right there. You’ve got to complete the catch. So I was disappointed with some of the drops we had.”

Clemson’s passing woes are not isolated to one afternoon. In a 51-10 blowout loss at LSU to open September, the Tigers passed for just 105 yards, leading Swinney to lament a game where Clemson “didn’t do football stuff well.” Two weeks later against North Carolina, Reynolds took over under center and engineered a second-half comeback, yet explosive passing plays have remained elusive. In a 41-13 loss to Miami earlier this month, the offense repeatedly missed open targets and failed to hit routine throws, prompting Swinney to admit his unit missed critical “layup-type opportunities.”

Even after Saturday’s win, Swinney acknowledged that his passing game continues to make routine plays taxing.

“I mean, everything’s got to be better,” Swinney said. “Put the ball in the money, made good decisions, created and extended. He did some good things. Ran when he needed to run. I thought it was his best day. We just didn’t finish some of the plays that we’re going to have to finish to win the games we want to win.”

Without a consistent deep threat, Clemson has leaned on running backs Gideon Davidson and Chris Johnson Jr. alongside placekicker Nolan Hauser, who drilled a 59-yard field goal Saturday. But leaning on field goals and between-the-tackles runs provides little margin for error against top-tier competition.

The Tigers face a pivotal stretch that begins Saturday against Virginia Tech at Memorial Stadium before a road trip to Florida State. Unless Clemson can solve its self-inflicted errors and stretch the field through the air, Swinney’s squad risks watching its ACC championship aspirations slip away.

“The team still needs to take another step in the routine plays,” Swinney said. “There were a few plays in this game that didn’t hurt us, but down the line, they would hurt us.”