Tag Archives: Dabo Swinney

Seven Reasons Clemson Could Play For The 2013 National Championship

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

Next season marks the final year of the BCS as we know it. In 2014, the National Championship will be determined by a four-team playoff. I’m not staunchly opposed to the move to a playoff, but it will surely make some of the games (see Orange Bowl potentially getting SEC #3) less special and packed with tradition. That being said, Clemson, whose fans are on top of the world at the moment, has a legitimate shot to play in the final National Championship that to be decided purely by the BCS standings. Here are seven reasons why that’s the case.

1.  Pre-Season Ranking: Clemson should begin next season well within the top 10. That could be key given the Tigers are not in the uber-respected SEC.

2.  Senior QB: After a weak draft projection and the return of Chad Morris, it appears highly likely that Tajh Boyd, the ACC Player of the Year, will return for his senior season. So, we’re looking at Clemson coming into the season as the highest ranked team in the ACC with the best player in the conference, not too shabby.

3.  Offensive Identity: After a 6-7 2010 season, Dabo Swinney made the bold move to bring in a largely untested offensive coordinator from Tulsa. He has completely changed the identity of Clemson’s Program. They’ve gone from a decent program that can’t win the big game to a fast-paced offense that wears out their opponents with great skill players. In an article from my favorite Clemson writer, Greg Wallace, Dabo Swinney says:

“It’s a Clemson offense, not a Chad Morris offense,” Swinney told reporters. “When we hired Chad, this is what we wanted to do philosophically. Our first year in 2009, we had dynamic guys like C.J. Spiller and Michael Palmer, Jacoby Ford, it’s well-documented what those guys did. We knew what we wanted to go to, it was just a matter of having the right personnel. It was a matter of who I thought was the best fit for our personnel. We settled on Chad and he’s done a tremendous job.

4.  Balanced Schedule: Clemson’s 2013 schedule is picture perfect. It holds no trip to Tallahassee, like 2012, and no trip to Athens, like 2014. The Tigers swap VT with Syracuse and take a trip to Charlottesville. In a weird scheduling quirk ACC rival, Georgia Tech, will play in Clemson in Death Valley for a consecutive year (GT asked for the change so they would never have a season without a home game against either Clemson or UGA). There is a tremendous talent gap after the Yellow Jackets have been saddled with Paul Johnson’s “unprofessional environment”  and weak recruiting for four years. FSU, Clemson’s chief conference rival (see what I did there with “chief”?), will be severely depleted after losing stars at QB, RB, DE, and CB to the NFL draft. Additionally, a schedule that boasts UGA, FSU, NCSU, GT, and South Carolina should be tough enough to earn national respect. Eventually Clemson has to beat the chickens from the dumpy part of the state, right?

5.  Matured Offensive Line: If you read my season preview, my biggest concern was the offensive line. They exceeded my expectations in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game against Auburn and only got better as the season progressed. In the finale against LSU, Gifford Timothy went down to injury. Clemson responded to adversity with a second half rally and game-winning drive. They’ll return four offensive lineman!

6.  Wide Receivers: Clemson has one of the best receiving corps in the country. DeAndre Hopkins has been named to the 2013 Heisman Watch List, but even he leaves the Tigers will return: Sammy Watkins, Adam Humphries, Charone Peake, and Martavius Bryant. Jaron Brown, who had an epic block against LSU will graduate, but even if the Tigers lose both Hopkins and Brown, I’ll still be exceedingly confident in this group of players.

7.  Brent Venables:  The Tigers have been churning through defensive coordinators the last few years. Vic Koenning was let go due to philosophical differences with Dabo Swinney. Kevin Steele came in and the defense worsened. Steele was dismissed, and Brent Venables joined the staff with much to improve upon from the 2011 Orange Bowl fiasco. The defense got exposed against FSU, but continued to improve and came through against LSU. I expect further improvement from the defense in Venables second year.

I have my concerns though. Firstly, Andre Ellington’s graduation leaves a hole at RB, but “Hot Rod” McDowell, DJ Howard, and Zac Brooks are more than capable replacements for the speedy back (who fumbled in the last two Clemson bowl games). Secondly, Clemson’s recruiting over the past four seasons has been strong, but not on par with the Alabamas and Floridas of the world. While the Tigers will be extremely talented next year, they certainly won’t be the most talented team vying for the title. Thirdly, Tajh Boyd could stun me and decide to leave early for the NFL. His soft draft projection, down in 6th/7th round territory, coupled with the return of Offensive Coordinator, Chad Morris, seem to make it unlikely, but I suppose it is possible. Finally, Clemson will end the season with the tough task of winning at Williams Brice Stadium. Nobody beat the Cocks at home this year (they lost at LSU and at UF). I can’t fathom another loss to them though, so I’m going to mark it down as a win for now and continue to enjoy Clemson’s victory at the hands of the “other” Tigers who play in the “other” Death Valley.

Now, most experts will likely pick the winner of the SEC to match up with a program like Oklahoma or Notre Dame in the next National Championship, but I believe Clemson has a great opportunity to continue to best program records and find themselves in their first BCS National Championship Game. The seven reasons outlined above along with the winning culture that is being instilled under Swinney’s tenure present a tremendous opportunity for Clemson in 2013. This year’s team was just the fourth 11-win Clemson team in program history. I expect even more victories next season. Start planning your trip to Pasadena!

Go Tigers!

Feel free to tell me why I’m crazy in the comments section below.

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As always, please subscribe to this blog by clicking the “Follow” button at the top of the right sidebar. If you don’t have a WordPress account, you’ll have to enter your email address. You can share your opinions in the comment section below or by tweeting to @Ryan_Kantor. Thanks for reading!

Ranking The ACC Football Programs: The Decade Ahead

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

As a follow-up to my previous post arguing for the need to realign the ACC divisions, we will now look at which of those programs appear poised for the most success over the next five to 10 years. From one to 14, here’s how I see the ACC programs stacking up. I attempted to remove my orange tinted glasses, and write fairly objectively.

1. Florida State University - The Seminoles and their “Bacon Man” mascot began dominating the Atlantic Coast Conference immediately upon joining, winning the conference in 11 of their first 12 seasons. They then faded back to the pack with Virginia Tech winning three conference championships in between FSU’s two most recent ACC titles (eight years apart). Despite the disappearing dominance, The Seminoles have brought in the top ranked recruiting class in the ACC each year since 2009 (Rivals). That’s a pretty outstanding job and will keep them extremely competitive.

Although Defensive Coordinator, Mark Stoops, heads to Kentucky where he will become a head coach, FSU will remain the most talented team in the ACC more years than not. Stoops was only at FSU for three years and I expect the Noles to take the loss in stride. Players were reportedly very happy and proud of their coach, and not at all bitter or hurt.

I do not expect the Seminoles to be very special in 2013 after losing so many key parts (25 seniors including the starting QB, plus multiple coaches), but over the next decade there is no reason they shouldn’t be a very strong program and towards the top of the ACC almost every year.

FSU Bacon

The proud bacon men of Florida State should compete with Clemson each year for the Atlantic Division title.

2. Clemson University - A strong case could be made for the Clemson Tigers belonging atop the ACC “Decade Ahead” rankings, however Clemson is still in the process of establishing a consistent winning program. Just two years ago they finished 6-7 with a Meineke Car Care Bowl loss to South Florida. Since then, Tajh Boyd has taken over at QB and Chad Morris at offensive coordinator. Nobody misses the classic “Parker scrambles right, throws across his body, intercepted by the linebacker” play that was the trademark of the 2010 season.

Clemson is without a doubt a program on the rise. Dabo Swinney, unlike his predecessor, has not been afraid to let poorly performing coaches go (see Rob Spence, Billy Napier, Vic Koenning, and Kevin Steele) and created an environment of accountability. In addition, he has given up part of his own salary to better compensate assistant coaches. As a result, Clemson has one of the best (and best compensated) coaching staffs in the country.

Dabo has traveled an unpaved road to reach his current level of success (insert moving, emotional article here), and I suspect his level of loyalty and success will keep him in Clemson for the next decade (assuming he can occasionally beat Columbia). Issues for long-term consistency crop up when looking at the assistant coaches. Although Dabo has done everything possible to make sure they are well compensated, one (Charlie Harbinson) has already bolted to join Gus Malzahn’s staff at Auburn. Chad Morris interviewed for the head coaching openings at NC State and Auburn, was rumored to have a shot at the USF job, and now is a prime candidate for the open position at Texas Tech–where DC Brent Venables has also been discussed as a target.

As long as the staff at Clemson can stick together, I believe the ACC’s two best teams are Clemson and Florida State. They could trade ACC Championships for years to come (Clemson winning in odd-numbered years and FSU taking the even-numbered years). In fact, if both coordinators, Tajh, and Hopkins stay on board, I believe the 2013 season will end with an ACC Championship for the Tigers. Beating UGA and South Carolina will be tough, but FSU should be down and the Noles will have to travel to Death Valley, a place they never win. Now that Clemson has learned to avoid losses to bad teams, I expect them to have an undefeated 2013 ACC season…given they keep the staff intact and juniors don’t leave early.

Clemson’s program is as strong as it’s been in years as they transition in their new Athletic Director, Dan Radakovich. Dabo has poured his heart and soul into the program, and as a result, we’ve seen great progress. The strategy of having a CEO at head coach and using well paid, superstar assistants is thoughtful, but problems with continuity could stunt growth if major waves of change hit every time an assistant takes a head coaching position. That said, it won’t be another 20 years before Clemson wins another ACC title.

3. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University – The Turkey was cooked before Thanksgiving this year, wasn’t it? It’s been a long time since the Hokies have looked so bad, but it’s hard to believe it will last. At the moment (12/10/2012) their 2013 recruiting class is ranked second in the ACC.

Given their placement in the much weaker Coastal Division, where they compete primarily against Miami and Georgia Tech, it’s hard envision a Frank Beamer program not playing for the ACC Crown in Charlotte more often than not. It appears that there won’t be major changes on the coaching staff, and continuity, will reign supreme in Blacksburg, as it has for a very long time. With the division alignment the way it is, VT may find more than their fair share of success.

4. The University of Louisville – The Cardinals will join the ACC in 2014 and assume the Terrapin’s spot in the ACC Atlantic. They will be immediately disadvantaged by being placed in the more competitive division, but they have become serious about football and have an ever strengthening program. That seriousness was tested when The University of Tennessee made a play for Charlie Strong, their top-notch football coach. Many felt that Louisville, still being a “second-rate” job, would lose their head coach. To the contrary, Charlie Strong, already making $2.3 million (yes, that’s more than Dabo Swinney, and about what he would make if he didn’t defer money to his assistants) will likely get rewarded with an even sweeter 8-year contract from Louisville AD Tom Jurich.

Louisville already has one of the biggest budgets in the ACC with the most valuable basketball program in the nation according to Forbes (their average attendance is more than double the capacity of beautiful Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson). They completed renovations of Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium before the 2010 season and it appears to be quite the venue. They certainly have the resources to compete. In Strong’s tenure, they have shown the ability to recruit, not at the level of FSU or Clemson, but as good as the next tier of ACC programs. Moving to a stronger conference should only help that cause.

5. North Carolina State University – The Wolfpack have an AD in Deborah Yow that believes they can be more than an 7-5 football team, and in refusing to accept mediocrity, she terminated Tom O’Brien. Not all seemingly strong hires work out (see Randy Edsall for evidence), but Dave Doeren, the former Northern Illinois Head Coach, does appear to be a solid hire. They’ll be tasked with facing FSU, Clemson, and Louisville every season. I don’t believe they can be a consistent 10-win team, but it’s not unfathomable for them to hit that mark “once in a blue moon.” It’s challenging to forecast how good they will be in the coming years under control of the new Doeren regime but, Coach O’Brien didn’t leave the cupboard bare.

6. University of Miami – The biggest question about this program is the pending investigation that has led them to voluntarily pass on two straight bowl games and their rightful place in the 2012 ACC Championship game. Recruiting is down this year, but it is due to the lack of room on the young roster. They’ll return most of their talent and should be very competitive next season and for years to come–assuming Al Golden stays aboard and they survive the NCAA investigation. I like Miami to win the Coastal in 2013.

7. Georgia Institute of Technology - 108 years after John Heisman left Clemson for an upgrade to coach at Georgia Tech, Athletic Director Dan Radakovich left Georgia Tech for an upgrade to manage the Clemson athletic department. Georgia Tech has a great football history (Four claimed national championships, 16 conference titles), but is in a bad spot. Paul Johnson’s inability to recruit has caught up with them, and his biggest mark of success, a 2009 ACC championship, was vacated due to impermissible benefits. The Yellow Jackets haven’t cracked the top seven in the ACC recruiting rankings (Rivals) since 2007. Now that Chan Gailey’s recruits are gone the glaring weakness of Paul Johnson and staff is revealed. The triple-option experiment, after a hopeful start, seems to be failing. If Paul Johnson is let go, they’ll have a long road to build a talented team that can compete with their rivals at their own game, modern football, but if they hang on to Paul Johnson they’ll be no more than an 8-win team.

8. Boston College - Paul Johnson’s weakness is Steve Addazio’s strength. Addazio, the former Temple Head Coach and 2010 recruiter of the year will take over at Boston College. He was an offensive coach on Urban Meyer’s Florida staff, which automatically qualifies him to be the leader in Chesnut Hill. He has a lot of ground to make up. They lost to Army this year. They are very, very bad, but they will get a lot better, and in the toughening Atlantic, they better hurry.

9. The University of Pittsburgh – Paul Chryst, former Wisconsin Offensive Coordinator, took over this season and guided the Panthers to a bowl game. His philosophy seems to be a good fit for the type of blue-collar football you’d expect a team in Pittsburgh to play. Pitt actually has an extremely impressive football history. They claim nine National Championships, with their 1915, 1916, and 1918 championship teams coached my Pop Warner. They count the 3rd most NFL Hall of Famers as their alumni. Their most recent National Title though, came in 1976, and by the looks of the crowd at this 2011 game against Syracuse, the passion isn’t what it was. The Panthers average about 50,000 in attendance, which puts them in the middle of the pack in the ACC. Their potential, in many aspects, is limited by their off-campus stadium that they share with the Pittsburgh Steelers. They generate less than $60 million in athletic revenue, putting them above only Wake Forest. Do I believe that with some stability at head coach they can be a solid program that typically ends their season a bowl game? Yes. Do I believe they can reclaim national relevance? No.

10. The University of Virginia - I like Mike London a lot (see here), but I agree with Collin Cowherd is right about the program being soft (this is an absolute must listen, click here). If UVA is capable of rekindling the glimpses of success the saw in the ’88-’98 decade of relevance Mike London will be the one to get them there.

11. Syracuse University - The Orangemen (yes, I am going to call them that. I’m sorry if that offends you) are “New York’s College Team,” at least that’s what their ad in Yankee Stadium says. The only problem is that New York is a pro sports area. In fact, the whole the Northeast is more interested in professional sports which makes me wonder why the ACC continues to expand northward. Louisville is the lone basketball school I have ranked in the top 10, and Syracuse is a basketball school that struggles to fill the Carrier Dome to 40,000 fans. I don’t believe their indoor basketball/football stadium is an attractive place to play (poor recruiting agrees), and I don’t think they have the potential to bring back the glory days of their 1959 National Championship or berth in the 1998 Orange Bowl. My hope is that their inclusion in the ACC will bring the Pinstripe Bowl into the ACC Bowl line-up.

12. The University of North Carolina – The academic scandal at UNC is absolutely despicable and if the NCAA doesn’t come down extremely hard on the Tar Heels it’ll show that they’re not concerned about student athletes actually learning, but rather just insuring they don’t make money. That said, Larry Fedora is a very good coach and if they find their way out of trouble, they will be ok. You can bump them up about five spots if they avoid more probation, but it seems like it could get bad.

13. Duke University – The Blue Devils have a great coach in David Cutcliffe, and he figures to stay in Durham for quite a long time. Further, they have some major renovations to bring Wallace Wade Stadium up to respectability. They have earned a berth in the Belk Bowl, their first Bowl Game since 1994. Duke still can’t recruit, but with Cutcliffe at the helm they are an improving program.

14. Wake Forest University - I love the Deacons, and I love Winston-Salem, but there is no reason to not think Wake Forest is a program on the decline. They are currently 10th in the ACC (current members) in recruiting and they’ve stopped over-performing for their talent level.

They were always (at least in my view) that small Baptist school that was easy to root for, but now they’re not even doing things the right way. Murmurs are that players weren’t “all in” during their last game against Vanderbilt. They don’t make any money on football and are at the bottom of the ACC (current members) in revenue. The Orange Bowl season six years ago was more of an aberration than the norm. It was just their second conference championship in school history. They have a losing record overall at 426–615–33 (.412) and actually have a losing record in 12 years under Jim Grobe. I like Wake Forest a lot, but having a the smallest student population in the BCS, an off-campus stadium, and a culture that is more concerned with basketball are all major factors limiting their ability to put a consistent winner in BB&T Field. I wish them well. Their couple of fans deserve it.

…

Unfortunately, if conference realignment strikes again, God forbid, and college football gets completely shaken up, then this all goes out the window. Four of the top five programs in my rankings are in the Atlantic division, underscoring the need for conference realignment. Given that I didn’t spend hours upon hours pouring over revenue figures and contractual obligations before publishing these rankings (although I did to a small extent), I am open to adjusting these rankings based on your comments. Please leave your comments/complaints below.

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As always, please subscribe to this blog by clicking the “Follow” button at the top of the right sidebar. If you don’t have a WordPress account, you’ll have to enter your email address. You can share your opinions in the comment section below or by tweeting to @Ryan_Kantor. Thanks for reading!

Clemson Season Review: How Close Were My Pre-Season Predictions

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

The college football regular has ended for most conferences, and now is a time to review, reflect, and for those involved rest, and then quickly refocus. At the start of the season both myself and a guest blogger made predictions, one of us was close and the other spot on. We’ll take a look at that, as well the keys this season and moving forward.

For the first time since Clemson’s 1981 championship season, the Tigers won 10 regular season games, yet somehow the season feel empty. Influential Clemson tweeter, @DannyFordIsGod, shared an article calling it an “empty circle” that started in the GA Dome against an SEC team and will end in the GA Dome against an SEC team. Looking at the season schedule, you see that Clemson only played two ranked opponents and lost to them both.

To be fair, I have to give the Tigers a lot of credit for winning the games they are absolutely supposed to win. In my preseason predictions I took the stance that our weak offensive line would lead to inconsistency and we would lose to either Virginia Tech or Wake Forest. Beating GT, VT, and Wake Forest (Thursday Night ESPN Game) all in a row seemed like an impossible task given our struggles against GT and on Thursday nights, and nobody would’ve said those team would be a combined one game under .500 (and will fall to two games under .500 after GT loses to FSU).

Reviewing my original predictions…

I had Clemson finishing 9-3 and 2nd place in the ACC Atlantic, only one game off. I picked Clemson to lose to Auburn, FSU, and one of the two in the quick turnaround VT/Wake Forest week. I’m going to unilaterally give myself a pass for missing the Auburn game. I didn’t think they’d be world beaters, but I certainly thought they’d be one of the better teams on our schedule. As low as the ACC sunk this year, maybe they still are one of the tougher games on the schedule, but you get my point, which is to say that we all thought they’d be much better than they ended up. Clemson did not beat anyone as good as the 2011 Auburn Tigers this season.

As far as the FSU pick, neither team wins road games in that rivalry so it was an easy pick. As for beating both VT and Wake Forest, I credit Dabo and the growing maturity of the squad for not allowing a let down. I’ve become accustomed to  ridiculous Clemson losses to the likes of Boston College (2010) and Maryland (2009) so to beat the teams we’re supposed to beat was a change.

Finally, I had picked Clemson to defeat Columbia behind an offensive line that had all season to gel and get stronger. I thought the O-line would be a major problem, and for the whole of the season, it really wasn’t, but the difference in the ACC and SEC was exposed in a big way against Columbia. Clemson scored no less than 37 in games against non-SEC teams. Against Auburn, a team that would end the season at 3-9 and looking for a new head coach, they scored just 26 and then in the tragedy against Columbia they scored only 17. Jadeveon Clowney had 4.5 sacks in the game, a Memorial Stadium record, and a number that eclipsed the amount of A’s than he received in high school (Not really. I have no idea how many A’s he earned in Rock Hill, but he did get a 500 on the SAT). I’m not sure what to attribute that to, because FSU has a defensive line as good as any, but there is something about SEC teams that isn’t just ESPN hype.

Also, bookus of credit is owed to guest blogger and preseason predictor, Jon Tomevi, who was 12/12 in his predictions, putting us at 10-2 with losses to FSU and Columbia. I think I’ll just ask him who’s going to win each game rather than buying season tickets next year.

In the preseason prognostication, we said that Clemson needed to avoid the trap game (check!) and get production from Corico Wright, Dalton Freeman, and Brandon Ford (check, check, and check). The thing we didn’t realize was just how bad our defense really was, and how long it would take for Venables to fix things. The 20 yard run on 3rd and 19 by South Carolina will mark their low point in a game where the offense inexplicably abandoned them amidst drop after drop from Hopkins and Watkins. Clemson led the ACC with six All-ACC players, but only one was on the defensive side, and even he (R. Hall) was on the second team.

Looking forward, I imagine the Tigers will face LSU in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl with Florida going to the Sugar Bowl and Alabama and Georgia splitting the National Championship and Capital One Bowl. If I’m right, I think it could get ugly. If you can’t beat South Carolina at home, at night, with an amazing crowd and everything in the world to play for, how the heck are you going to beat LSU in an uninspiring neutral site game? I wouldn’t want anything less though. Beating Mississippi State would provide nothing more than false hope and illusions of national title contention. Gimme LSU and a wake up call (screaming that “those ACC wins over GT and Maryland don’t mean squat, and you still have a long ways to go”) or a big win and reason to believe that next year is going to be special, and it really could be. 2013 starts with UGA, a team that at the moment, is just one win away from a National Championship berth. It’s quite possible that Clemson could return almost all their star players and be improved next year. It’s also possible that Tajh Boyd, DeAndre Hopkins, and Chad Morris could all be gone next year.

From the time I became a Clemson fan, my goal for the program was to win the ACC, and I was THRILLED when we finally did it. Now, that goal has moved up a notch, to winning a BCS bowl. We won’t accomplish it this year, but I believe next year, barring key departures, Clemson could have an undefeated ACC regular season (but that does not mean they will beat UGA or Columbia) and have another shot at the Orange Bowl, and the last real shot before the BCS playoff blows up the system and requires a recalibration of goals.

Until then, Go Tigers!

As always, please subscribe to this blog by clicking the “Follow” button at the top of the right sidebar. If you don’t have a WordPress account, you’ll have to enter your email address. You can share your opinions in the comment section below or by tweeting to @Ryan_Kantor. Thanks for reading!

Clemson Football Check-Up: 3-0 Headed Into ACC Game of Year vs FSU

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

Before the season started, a guest blogger and I wrote Clemson football season previews. With the first quarter of the year now complete, it is time to review, and then examine what lies ahead.

Clemson began their journey to a 3-0 start with a telling win in Atlanta, versus Auburn. Against the SEC West foe, we learned that the young offensive line is pretty darn talented, and with experience, they can be very solid. Behind that inexperienced O-line, star running back, Andre Ellington, ran for 228 of Clemson’s 320 rushing yards. On a less positive note, a blemish in the Clemson defense was revealed as they struggled against the run. At the time, the victory seemed extremely impressive, and while I still believe it is a quality win and a potential “spring board,” Auburn isn’t quite as good as we expected. They followed up their loss in the Georgia Dome with an 18 point loss to Mississippi State in Starkville before returning home to squeak out a win against LA Monroe–in overtime!

After the exciting, nationally televised season opener, Ball State made the trek from Indiana down to Death Valley to face the Tigers. The Clemson offense was pumping on all cylinders as they ran 84 plays and posted 52 points. They scored 45 points in the first half–the most since posting 49 against Wake Forest in the national championship season, 1981. The highlight of the game came in the closing seconds of the first half when Clemson kicker, Spencer Benton, connected on a 61-yard field goal, posting an ACC record.

Still, Ball State was able to exploit the Clemson run defense. After allowing 4.9 YPC against Auburn, The Tigers surrendered 6.3 YPC. Ball State collected  252 net rushing yards en route to scoring 27 points. Ball State defeated a Big Ten opponent this week (9/15), going on the road and beating Indiana 41-39. (With the Big 10′s awful start, Dari Nowkhah of ESPN said the ACC is now the fourth best conference, leapfrogging the Big 10.)

Finally, after serving a two game suspension, Clemson welcomed back Sammy Watkins for a home tilt against nearby Furman. Watkins reminded the nation of his explosiveness with an early 58 yard run. Still, the coaching staff was dissatisfied (an attitude I love) with the defense–primarily due to the chunk plays Clemson continues to give up.

As a Clemson fan, you have to feel good about the way they’ve played to open the season. They surpassed my expectations by defeating Auburn, but to be fair, nobody could have predicted quite how mediocre Auburn would be. Jon Tomevi has been just about spot on in his early season predictions, predicting a 3-0 and being relatively close in his to the score predictions. 

The next quarter of the season features trips to Tallahassee and Chestnut Hill for the first two ACC games of the season before returning home for a battle with cross-divisional rival, Georgia Tech. This is the most difficult stretch of the season.

The game versus #4 FSU will feature two top 10 teams, and will have National Championship implications.The winner will have a great shot to earn a National Title Game berth where they’d promptly get waxed by Alabama. This Clemson/FSU game will be the biggest game the ACC has to offer this season, and the the best dating back to 2007 when Boston College visited Virginia Tech on a rainy Thursday night. Check out this link, courtesy of @ACCFootballNews to see the biggest ACC games over the past decade: AllSportsDiscussion.com 

Beating a top five team on the road is a lot to ask! Clemson’s offense appears to be up to the task, but they haven’t seen a defensive line quite like FSU so it’ll be a big test for the O-line. Despite FSU’s suffocating defense which allowed an average of…one point in its first three game, I’m more worried about Clemson’s defense being tested. “Twelve years ago, a 10th ranked Clemson traveled to a fourth ranked Florida State and the Seminoles came away with a 54-7 victory. Both teams have the same AP ranking entering this game.” I guarantee you Clemson will score more than seven points, but this will be an extremely tough one to win. The ACC game of the year in Tallahassee, which will be host to College Gameday Built by The Home Depot, will be nationally televised at 8:00 pm ABC.

Clemson won at Tallahassee in 2006, but that’s the only time since 1989. The highest ranked opponent I’ve watched Clemson beat in recent years was a sixth ranked Tennessee team that they faced in the 2004 Peach Bowl . I’d love to know the last time we defeated a top five ranked squad. If you can find it (I could not) please post in the comments.

With the O’Rourke-McFadden trophy on the line, Clemson will go on the road to play BC in Alumni Stadium–a house of horrors for the Clemson Tigers. The Eagles will be coming off a bye week, but let’s not dance around it, they’re bad. There is absolutely no excuse for Clemson to not pick up the road win in this matchup. Boston College surrendered 41 points to Miami at home (a Miami team that lost 13-52 at Kansas St.) and was beat soundly by Northwestern on the road. Clemson will be coming off the big FSU game, but they should still take care of business here.

After road games at FSU and BC, Clemson returns home to their nearest ACC opponent, Georgia Tech. GT, with their gimmicky triple-option offense, is capable of beating (and losing to anyone)! Kevin Steele’s defenses seemed to struggle against the triple option (most memorably in the 2009 ACC Championship), but Clemson’s defense is now led by Brent Venables so it’ll be interesting to see how the coaching staff handles Georgia Tech.

Clemson’s 2012 schedule offers five “lose-able” matchups (AU, FSU, GT, VT, USC). They conquered the first one in the Georgia Dome. For the second quarter of the season, Both Jon Tomevi and I predicted a split with FSU and GT, losing to the ‘Noles on the road and beating the Yellow Jackets at home. Clemson has a great chance to go undefeated at home this season. They’ve won nine straight in Death Valley after going undefeated in 2011 and winning the first two home games of 2012.

The opening line of Clemson @ Florida State is FSU -14.5, a huge line considering Clemson is a top 10 team. Of course, I said the same about the Wake Forest @ Florida State line of FSU -28. What are you thoughts on what we’ve seen from the Tigers so far, and what do you expect in these first three conference games of the year? Is Monday’s line of 14.5 more than you expected?

Go Tigers!

As always, please subscribe to this blog by clicking the “Follow” button at the top of the right sidebar. If you don’t have a WordPress account, you’ll have to enter your email address. You can share your opinions in the comment section below or by tweeting to @Ryan_Kantor. Thanks for reading!

A Winner for the ACC and Notre Dame: Irish Joining ACC as Non-Football Member

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

 

The University of Notre Dame has joined the ACC in all sports except football, where it feels like they’ve halfway joined. As an alumnus of a ACC charter member Univeristy, I am excited to welcome the storied program to our proud conference.

Notre Dame will be full conference members in basketball adding them to the list of strong basketball programs that will join the ACC in coming years (Syracuse, Pittsburgh). It was beyond doubt even before this move, and adding Notre Dame only exaggerates the fact that the ACC is the premiere college basketball conference.

Big East commissioner Mike Aresco was dead wrong when he told The Associated Press,

“Our football conference is stronger than ever. We lose Notre Dame in basketball, but we remain top to bottom the strongest basketball conference in the country.”

Admittedly, it would be hypocritical for me to commend the ACC for adding more power to their already stacked basketball lineup. I’ve told countless UNC and Wake Forest fans here in Winston-Salem that the Syracuse and Pittsburgh additions were bad for the conference because they bring little to the table from a football perspective. Basketball is pennies compared to the big money of college football. The median net revenue (profit) generated by college football is nearly four times higher than college basketball ($3.15 million vs $788,000)–despite playing many fewer games.

Although Notre Dame will not a full-fledged member for football they will play five ACC teams and just as importantly:

With the ACC agreement, Notre Dame will play each conference member at least once every three years, so you’ll begin to see some new faces (and colors) around South Bend each season.

That means seven ACC schools will play in a nationally televised game on NBC at Notre Dame every three years! Additionally, it means Notre Dame will visit Death Valley (and other ACC stadiums that are less exciting) on a semi-regular basis, creating a huge matchup, a near guaranteed sell-out, great publicity, and something positive to talk about with recruits. Notre Dame football wins by joining the ACC’s non-BCS bowl lineup, giving them access to the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, Russell Athletic Bowl, Hyundai Sun Bowl, Belk Bowl, and the other incredibly prestigious bowls that are affiliated with the ACC. (Yes, I’m being facetious. Our bowl lineup is garbage after the Orange and Chick-Fil-A Bowls).

My big worry was that Notre Dame would be selected over a more deserving Clemson, FSU, or VT teams for the Chick-Fil-A or Russell Athletic Bowl.

Notre Dame would be a potential team to play in any of the ACC contracted bowls. Its overall record would have to be better than, equal to or within one win of ACC teams available to be selected. Notre Dame would share in the revenues if selected to any of those bowls, and get an expenses allowance. If Notre Dame is picked for a BCS game, it would keep its revenues from that appearance. This bowl partnership would begin for the 2014 season.

Given the stipulations put in place (above), they’d have to be within one win of any ACC team they are selected over, so that concern is largely quelled. Plus, it seems reasonable that the affiliation with Notre Dame would help improve the non-BCS bowl lineup. (I’m still upset that we lost the Gator Bowl.)

The only problem is that if the ACC continues the new 9 game conference schedule, then in years with Notre Dame on the docket, schools with out of conference rivals will only have one flexible game on their schedule (e.g., Clemson would play Notre Dame, USC, a ninth conference game, and then one game of their choice which would likely be against an FCS school). You’d love to have more flexibility than that to set up matchups like the one Clemson enjoyed in the Georgia Dome with Auburn this season.

It will be odd that Clemson has to travel all the way to Indiana for conference games in sports like baseball and volleyball, where there isn’t enough money generated to justify such a trip, but players shouldn’t mind since it is Notre Dame (and that’s still special) and frankly, those sports are largely paid for by football so they’ll have to somewhat accommodating to the needs/wants of the football program. The current football of the ACC already entails trips to Boston and Miami anyway.

In this agreement, Notre Dame wins by leaving an unstable conference (the Big East) and joining the best basketball conference, and a very strong conference in baseball and the Olympic sports. Notre Dame further benefits by gaining access to the ACC’s non-BCS bowl lineup, which while not stellar is certainly better than Notre Dame’s current non-BCS bowl options.

The ACC wins by bolstering their football prestige and gaining negotiating power and subsequently more money due to the many visits Notre Dame football will make to ACC schools. Further, the ACC wins by guaranteeing seven schools a nationally televised NBC game at Notre Dame every three years and the other seven schools a huge, high-demand, home game, against the most storied program in the history of college football.

This agreement is a win-win for the current ACC schools and Notre Dame. As a Clemson fan, I am thrilled. Now I just want the old eight-game conference schedule back.

Go Tigers!

As always, please subscribe to this blog by clicking the “Follow” button at the top of the right sidebar. If you don’t have a WordPress account, you’ll have to enter your email address. You can share your opinions in the comment section below or by tweeting to @Ryan_Kantor. Thanks for reading!

 

Clemson 2012 Season Preview: Guest Blog Post

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

If the three Clemson related blog posts this week didn’t give it away, I, like the rest of Tiger Nation, am very excited about the impending football season (that can happen when you’re a reigning champion). I asked former Clemson football recruiting assistant, Jon Tomevi, to share his expectations for Clemson’s upcoming football season, as I did earlier in the week. Jon did that and more with an insightful game-by-game breakdown for our Tigers.

Jon Tomevi is a 2012 Clemson graduate with experience in marketing and pharmaceuticals, and an obvious knack for writing. You can engage Jon on Twitter, LinkedIn, or in the comments section below.

2012 Clemson Football Preview

Clemson comes into the 2012 season ranked 14th in the country, its highest pre-season ranking since 2008 (9th). After a 10-4 record, ACC Championship, and the program’s first BCS bowl appearance, the expectations in Tiger Town are very high. Clemson returns virtually all of its playmakers from the 2011 team which had the nation’s 24th best scoring offense under first year Offensive Coordinator Chad Morris. Below are my brief game-by-game predictions for the 2012 season.
vs. Auburn  (September 1, 7:00pm, ESPN)
Unlike the past three years, Clemson will open the season away from Death Valley. A matchup with a familiar Auburn team in a city where Clemson has struggled of late makes for a very intriguing game to start the 2012 campaign. There are quite a few storylines in play, but three stick out to me in particular.

First, Clemson will be without preseason ACC Player of the Year Sammy Watkins. Watkins torched Auburn in their 2011 matchup and was a huge reason Clemson broke Auburn’s 17 game winning streak. Believe it or not, I am not too worried about Clemson missing Watkins. Wide Receiver is Clemson’s deepest position and Nuk Hopkins has proven he can be a big-time receiver when needed. The offseason progress of sophomores Martavis Bryant and Charone Peake, along with the reliability of senior Jaron Brown, should give Tajh Boyd plenty of options to attack a depleted Auburn secondary.

Second, both teams are dealing with new coordinators and this will be their first true test. Brent Venables was brought to Clemson because of his proven ability to stop the spread offense. Meanwhile, Auburn brought in new coordinators on both sides of the football. I have only heard good things about Venables thus far and the players seem to love his system. Although I expect Kiehl Frazier to be starting for Auburn’s offense and eventually be an All-SEC QB at Auburn, I am not sure how he is going to handle learning a new offense and making his first career start against a Clemson secondary that returns three starters from 2011. On the other side of the football, Auburn’s defense is young but returns nine starters from last season.

Lastly, the game is in Atlanta where Clemson historically has struggled. Clemson hasn’t won in the Gate City since January 2004 and is 1-5 in openers away from Death Valley since 1975. Despite Clemson’s inexperience on the offensive line, I think their talent at the skill positions will prove too much for Auburn’s defense which was prone to big plays in 2011.

Favorable Stat: Auburn’s defense held opponents just to 48.39% on third down conversions in 2011 which ranked last in the SEC and 107th nationally.
Jon’s Prediction: Clemson 27, Auburn 21

vs. Ball State (September 8, 12:30pm, ESPN3)
Next on Clemson’s schedule is Ball State. The Cardinals finished 2011 with a 6-6 record and a 4th place finish in the MAC’s West Division. While their offense finished in the middle of the pack nationally in 2011, their defense was atrocious and surrendered nearly 35 points a game. Ball State was blown out against the two ranked opponents they faced last year and I don’t see this trend changing when the visit Death Valley. Even without Sammy Watkins suiting up, Clemson shouldn’t have a problem scoring enough points to put this game away in the third quarter.
Favorable Stat: Ball State’s defense gave up at least 500 yards in 8 of their 12 games in 2011.
Jon’s Prediction: Clemson 45, Ball State 13

vs. Furman (September 15, 3:00pm)
The Paladins come marching down I-85 with nothing to lose in a week three matchup versus the Tigers. While compiling a 6-5 record in 2011, Furman ended the season by giving Florida a run for their money in Gainesville. Furman outscored their 2011 opponents 103-46 in the first quarter last year, so a quick start from the FCS challengers would not be shocking. In the end though, the return of Watkins along with superior talent across the board propel the Tigers to their third win of 2012 and set up a huge ACC opener in Tallahassee.
Favorable Stat: Furman ranked near the bottom of the FCS with only 5.09 tackles for a loss per game in 2011.
Jon’s Prediction: Clemson 49, Furman 17

at Florida State (September 22)
Clemson’s toughest road test of the season comes early in the season and could very well determine the ACC’s Atlantic Division. Florida State, ranked 7th in the Coaches’ Poll, has only lost to Clemson in Tallahassee once since 1990. Although they underachieved in 2011, the Seminoles are a very talented squad and won’t make things easy on the Tigers. Although Clemson has the playmakers to win this game, Florida State’s talented defensive line may give Clemson too much trouble in front of a raucous crowd. I do think this will be a close game, but I have to give the edge and inside track to a division championship to the home team.
Favorable Stat: Florida State was 110th nationally in 2011 allowing 3.15 sacks per game.
Jon’s Prediction: Florida State 30, Clemson 24

at Boston College  (September 29)
Coming off a tough loss to Florida State the week before, Clemson will be the more talented team and hungry for their first ACC win of 2012. Without Luke Kuechly and Montel Harris, I can’t see the Eagles being much better this season. Despite the hire of Offensive Coordinator Doug Martin, Clemson’s defense should be able to contain a Boston College offense that ranked in the bottom half of the FBS last season. The Eagles’ run defense was very poor last year, and I expect All-ACC RB Andre Ellington to have a big afternoon.
Favorable Stat: Boston College ranked last in the nation with only 8 sacks in 2011.
Jon’s Prediction: Clemson 38, Boston College 14

vs. Georgia Tech (October 6)
It’s Brent Venables’ turn to figure out Paul Johnson’s triple option offense. Truthfully, not too many teams figured out how to stop Georgia Tech last season as the Jackets averaged nearly 35 points per game with the nation’s second best rushing attack. Luckily for Clemson, they don’t need to stop the triple option to win the game, they just need to slow it down enough for the offense to take the game over. Clemson could have easily won last year’s matchup if they took better care of the football and I expect them to do that in front of the home crowd this year. Brent Venables 1 – Paul Johnson 0.
Favorable Stat: Georgia Tech allowed opponents to score TDs on 66.67% of trips to red zone last season (95th nationally).
Jon’s Prediction: Clemson 35, Georgia Tech 24

vs. Virginia Tech (October 22)
Simply put, Clemson’s offense was too quick for Bud Foster’s defense in 2011. The Tigers handedly beat Virginia Tech twice last year and the Hokies will be looking to replace eight starters on the offensive side of the football. Logan Thomas is a very skilled QB who should be even better in 2012, but the lack of weapons at his disposal should allow Clemson’s defense to force turnovers and set up Chad Morris’ troops to really wear down the Hokies.
Favorable Stat: Virginia Tech’s net punting in 2011 was only 33.62 yards per punt which ranked 108th nationally.
Jon’s Prediction: Clemson 24, Virginia Tech 13

at Wake Forest (October 25, 7:30pm, ESPN)
To me, this is a trap game for Clemson. Wake Forest proved they were a team on the rise last season by beating Florida State and taking Clemson right down to the wire in Death Valley. After Clemson’s last Thursday night game in Winston-Salem, Tommy Bowden stepped down as head coach. Historically, Clemson hasn’t played well on Thursdays but I think Dabo will have everyone focused and ready to take care of business. This will be a much closer game than it should be, but a big play in the fourth quarter will give the Tigers the lead for good as they escape with a 4-1 ACC record.
Favorable Stat: Wake Forest only converted 35.45% of 3rd downs which ranked last in the ACC and 103rd nationally.
Jon’s Prediction: Clemson 28, Wake Forest 24

at Duke (November 3)
After squeaking out a tight win versus Wake Forest, the Tigers will use the extra days of rest to be ready to take it to the Blue Devils in Durham. Despite the impressive All-ACC WR Conner Veron, Duke will be outmatched at every position on the field. Duke fans will already be looking forward to basketball season at this point and Clemson shouldn’t have a problem earning another ACC win.
Favorable Stat: In 2011, Duke had the worst turnover margin in the ACC (-0.75 per game).
Jon’s Prediction: Clemson 45, Duke 10

vs. Maryland (November 10)
After cruising to a win in Durham the week before, Clemson hosts ACC Atlantic cellar-dweller Maryland. Maryland is coming off of a dismal 2-10 season in 2011 and by this point in the season I don’t think their confidence is going to be too high. Head Coach Randy Edsall had five starters transfer from the program and lost others to graduation, so it may not be Maryland’s year to improve an offense that ranked 90th in the FBS and a defense that ranked 111th. Even though Maryland gave Clemson all they could handle last season, I don’t see the Tigers being challenged in this one, especially at home.
Favorable Stat: Maryland converted on just 69.57% of red zone trips which ranked last in the ACC and 113th nationally
Jon’s Prediction: Clemson 41, Maryland 14

vs. North Carolina State (November 17)
Arguably Clemson’s ugliest loss of 2011 came on the road against North Carolina State at about this same time in the season. It’s hard to predict how the Wolfpack will fare in 2012. They didn’t do very many things well the first half of last season, but picked up steam coming down the stretch.  2011 AP All-American CB David Amerson has the ability to slow Watkins down, but the Tigers simply have too much talent to fall to this NC State team two years in a row. The Textile Bowl Trophy is going to stay in the West End Zone this offseason.
Favorable Stat: NC State only had 36 plays of 20 or more yards in 2011 which ranked 11th in the ACC and 108th nationally
Jon’s Prediction: Clemson 31, NC State 17

vs. South Carolina (November 24)
Clemson’s regular season comes to an end at home versus the much hated South Carolina Gamecocks. Clemson will be looking to avoid losing this game for the fourth year in a row, something that has not happened since the 1950s. As much as I dislike South Carolina, they have a very talented team. RB Marcus Lattimore should be a Heisman Trophy contender if healthy and QB Connor Shaw proved he could lead this offense in 2011.

The Gamecocks had the nation’s third best scoring defense in 2011, and although they will need to replace four starters on that side of the ball, I expect to see a strong defense once again. Much like Dabo, Spurrier’s biggest concern this offseason was filling holes on the offensive line. I don’t except to see a blowout again this season, but I’m not sure how much confidence I have in picking the Tigers to break the three game losing streak.
Favorable Stat: Since 2005, Steve Spurrier has had 44 players arrested.
Jon’s Prediction: South Carolina 24, Clemson 20

If everything plays out as I predict, Clemson will finish the 2012 regular season with a very respectable 10-2 record. The Week Four loss in Tallahassee would likely come back to bite the Tigers and keep them out of the ACC Championship game. I could see Clemson dropping the Thursday night matchup against Wake Forest or the season opener versus Auburn, so 10-2 is optimistic.

There are three main keys to Clemson’s success in 2012:

1)     A lot of freshmen and sophomores saw significant minutes in 2011 for the Fightin’ Dabos. Although it wasn’t always pretty last year, Tiger fans should hopefully see these younger players make significant strides forward in 2012 after learning and growing from 2011 this offseason. How these players handle themselves will be a big factor in how Clemson performs this season.

2)     Excluding games against Virginia Tech, Clemson’s 2011 defense was not pretty to watch. After the Orange Bowl blowout, Dabo sent Kevin Steele packing and brought in Brent Venables from Oklahoma. Although I still think Steele wasn’t 100% of the problem, a change in defensive culture may prove to be a good thing for the Tigers. The players seem to prefer the simplicity of Venables’ defense so far and I hope this a sign of things to come in 2012. Clemson should have one of the nation’s top offenses again, but the key to a successful 2012 season will be the defense. Will the defense stop opponents enough to give Clemson a chance to return to another ACC Championship game?

3)     Clemson started eight different players on the offensive line in 2011. Only two of those players return in 2012. The big key to repeating as one of the nation’s top offenses will be how well this unit plays. All-ACC Center Dalton Freeman should anchor the offensive line and provide the veteran leadership the younger guys need to succeed. With the installation of some packages from the Pistol Offense, Chad Morris and Robbie Caldwell have worked on some new blocking schemes with this group already. If this unit can gel together and give Boyd enough time to get the ball in the hands of Clemson’s playmakers, the Tigers will be able to showcase another exciting offense in 2012.

There are definitely plenty of unanswered questions coming into this season, but that is what makes it so exciting for Clemson fans. Although we will never stop hearing “will Clemson pull another Clemson?” there has been a definite culture change these past three seasons. I have had a chance to witness the culture change at Clemson closer than most people, and trust me, everyone in and near the football program believes in Dabo. This is not the same Clemson team we saw under Tommy Bowden from 1999-2008, and I am very optimistic the 2012 Tigers will be the team we all hope they will be.

Go Tigers!

Thank you for reading. If you’re interested in writing a guest blog post, please contact me via twitter or in the comments below.

As always, please subscribe to this blog by clicking the “Follow” button at the top of the right sidebar. If you don’t have a WordPress account, you’ll have to enter your email address. You can share your opinions in the comment section below or by tweeting to @Ryan_Kantor. Thanks for reading!

Related Posts:

Clemson 2012 Season Preview: Clemson Will Be Wildly Unpredictable, Improving As The Season Progresses

Clemson 2012 Keys To Victory: Guest Blog Post

UGA Football 2012 Season Preview: Guest Blog Post

Clemson 2012 Keys To Victory: Guest Blog Post

Posted on by fcgordon25

Folks are starting to receive their Clemson tickets in the mail this week, and the excitement of college football is nearly upon us. If you didn’t see my last blog post, I previewed the Clemson football season and gave my predictions. There’s more to come with another Clemson football preview, a UGA football preview, and here guest blogger, Mark Gordon (Clemson ’10), shares his thoughts on some of the keys to success for this season in Clemson football.

Thanks for contributing Gordon!

It happens every year, a Freshman bursts onto the scene and sparks an offense. A never before heard of offensive lineman becomes an All-American candidate in a flash. A head coach or coordinator comes in with high in the sky ideas that can soar or crash an offense or defense. As Tiger fans, we saw two of those three come together in a magical 2012 season that finally allows us to finish add the ACC Champion moniker to our name. However, last year is over. This year, new roles need to be forged and new heroes crowned. With this in mind, here are the Clemson 2012 Tigers Keys to Victory.

I’m not going to insult you here. You all know that for Clemson to win, Tajh Boyd has to take care of the ball. You all know Sammy Watkins has to repeat or even improve on his freshman year, and you all know that Andre Ellington has to establish himself on the ground, and stay healthy. I’m not going to give you a classic Chris Berman analysis of “The Tigers won this football game because they scored more points than the other team!”

After picking apart every single game and going over every single position, there are two keys components and four unsung impact players that need to perform for Clemson to repeat as 2012 ACC Champions.

Road to the Repeat

#1 – Dabo Swinney needs to be more than just a motivator.

Nobody with a brain in their head can question Dabo Swinney’s motivational skills or his recruiting prowess over the last three years. However, in my opinion, those two components have overshadowed the fact that he has made some very questionable in-game decisions during those years. If Clemson wants to succeed, Clemson cannot afford to give any team a glimpse of hope with mistakes made by coach Swinney’s in game management.

#2 – Avoid the TRAP game!

After looking at the schedule over and over again and compiling eight different season outcomes, I came to the shocking realization that in three of those eight scenarios I had the Tigers losing at Boston College. Yes, Clemson has always been a victim of the traps and let downs and this year has a huge one in a trip to Chestnut Hill (a Clemson house of horrors) followed by a game at home vs. Georgia Tech. Clemson should easily win both games, but with anything less than 100% focus and preparation, a young Tiger team could easily falter.

2012 Unsung Hero Watch List

#1 – Dalton Freeman, Center

We all know how good Dalton Freeman is. I personally soiled myself when I heard that he might test the waters in the 2012 NFL Draft. Despite his obvious talent, I have him on this list for his leadership and teaching role. Freeman has the unenviable task of mentoring a line full of first time starters, including Tyler Shatley who just switched over to the offensive side of the ball. The Graduate Student center will have to be the anchor of the O-line and a mentor to the starters if the Tigers want to have any chance on the ground this year.

#2 – Bradley Pinion, Punter

What? A punter? Absolutely a punter! While he may have to prove himself ahead of firecracker Spencer Benton, Tiger fans have been spoiled in the fact that they have had one of the best punters in the NCAA in Dawson Zimmerman for the past few seasons. Pinion’s big leg and his ability to switch field position will help a young Tiger defense who will need every advantage they can get.

#3 – Corico Wright (Formerly Hawkins), Middle Linebacker

With a new defensive line, I struggle to see Clemson’s first line of defense stopping the run. That leaves the linebackers, lead by Wright, to be a key part in the run defense this year.

#4 – Brandon Ford, Tight End

There is only one thing you can say to someone replacing Dwayne Allen, good luck! However, I am expecting good things out of Ford. He has good route running ability and will be called upon to open up the field and give Boyd a solid check down option.

I would like to conclude this brief analysis by saying that last year is last year. The shock factor is gone. People know what they are going to see with Tajh Boyd airing it out to a streaking Sammy Watkins in Chad Morris’ freakishly fast offense. This isn’t news to any fan, and not news to any opponent. For Clemson to repeat as champions, it’s going to take a joint team character effort, and a new group of surprises to take center stage in 2012.

Go Tigers!

Thank you for reading. If you’re interested in writing a guest blog post, please contact me via twitter or in the comments below.

As always, please subscribe to this blog by clicking the “Follow” button at the top of the right sidebar. If you don’t have a WordPress account, you’ll have to enter your email address. You can share your opinions in the comment section below or by tweeting to @Ryan_Kantor. Thanks for reading!

Related Posts:

Clemson 2012 Season Preview: Clemson Will Be Wildly Unpredictable, Improving As The Season Progresses

Clemson 2012 Season Preview: Guest Blog Post

UGA Football 2012 Season Preview: Guest Blog Post

Believing in Clemson Football

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

This may end up being a nonsensical celebratory Clemson football post, but that’s ok because my alma mater, Clemson University, just beat three straight ranked opponents including an almost unrealistic 20-point beat down of ACC-power Virginia Tech in Lane Stadium! When the new polls come out in a few hours I expect Clemson to move to #8 in the nation, jumping South Carolina, after they lost at home to Auburn, who we beat by two touchdowns in “Death Valley, South Carolina, baby!”

My original objective predictions for Clemson’s season would have us 3-2 right now with losses to both FSU and VT, and two more losses coming at Georgia Tech and at South Carolina. Coming off a 6-7 season, and with as many freshman as we have to rely on, 8-4 was about as optimistic as you could get without being a Lou Holtz kinda crazy biased.

The home win against Auburn was great, but everyone has been saying they’re not that good (although better than USC evidently). The win against FSU was very impressive, another offensive showdown following the Auburn game that made you think this offense was for real. The win on the road, at night, against the reigning conference champion Hokies though, well that was the best win I’ve ever experienced as a Clemson fan.

What made the win at VT even so impressive was that Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins had mediocre performances and we still won by three scores. Boyd went just 13/32 with 1 TD and 1 INT, not horrible, but also not what we’ve gotten used to. Sammy Watkins only posted 38 receiving yards and 4 rushing yards. That is what makes me feel so great about this team. The defense and special teams where great when the offense ran into a strong defense. In years past the defense, no matter how good their numbers, would never “the big stop.” A bad holding call would be called against us when the offensive needed “the big play.” Something just had to go wrong. I kept waiting for the flag, for the defensive breakdown, for something, and it just never came. This Clemson team is something we haven’t seen in a very long time. This team has guts. This team has heart. This team will have an ACC title to their credit. This team has even those cynical alumni who sat through four years of blah football believing.

We’ve successfully navigated through the toughest stretch of our schedule. We face the weakest team in the ACC next week with BC coming to town. It should be a good test of our self-discipline to see if we’re able to play hard and not play down to their level. At this point, I expect to win, and that’s something new.

Here are my updated predictions for the rest of the season. Georgia Tech on the road still concerns me, but USC on the road looks a lot more manageable now.

11-1 Regular Season
1-0 ACC Conference Championship

Tommy’s Back!!!

Posted on by Tommy D

Hey everyone, I’m just writing to let you know that Tommy is still a contributor to this blog, despite my conspicuous absence. Like Ryan said, I’ve been busy beasting the GMAT, jamming on the guitar, and just chilling. But it’s time for me to come back.

First off, to reference Ryan’s last post, I don’t think Clemson’s hiring of Chad Morris for OC is bad, but I’m not ready to draw any definitive conclusions. The offense might be better than it was this past year (it won’t take much to surpass the horror show we saw this year), but I honestly do not see the program becoming anything elite with Dabo at the helm. Time will tell though.

Moving on, with all the snow we’ve gotten here in SC (that’s not a misprint), I’ve been relaxing indoors a lot the last couple of days. I thus caught something on Fox News regarding traffic laws. Police officers would supposedly have to indicate whether or not they knew a driver’s race before pulling him/her over. This bothers me not so much because of its potential effects, but more because of the notion of the whole thing and the logic (or lack thereof) behind it. If so many people want to honor Martin Luther King and work towards a society without racism, then they need to stop distinguishing race as a separating factor among people. It contradicts ideals of color blindness and equality. Emphasizing these distinguishing characteristics, in my opinion, only fosters more racism. All these PC initiatives are turning society into a scared, easily offended group of people. We are really regressing in that sense.

That’s all from me for now. It’s good to be contributing once again.

BTW, I hope everyone likes the new layout! It’s described as “elegant grunge”, and as such, is a perfect microcosm of the seemingly paradoxical combination of Ryan’s attitudes and my own.

Just Let Me Stop Caring

Posted on by Ryan Kantor

Clemson hasn’t won a championship since I was two years old. I finished my last semester of class at Clemson and got an awesome internship at Definition 6, a unified marketing agency in Atlanta. So after Clemson’s 6-7 season and after watching them lose to South Carolina and South Florida to close the season, how could I possibly still be interested in Clemson football?

Well Dabo fired our crummy offensive coordinator and hired Chad Morris, the offensive coordinator at Tulsa. Morris’s offense was the 5th ranked offense in the nation. Clemson’s offense was 87th. He runs an exciting hurry up spread offense. Dabo chose this guy over Ralph Friedgen who contacted Dabo Swinney about the position.

Will the spread offense work in Clemson? I dunno. It’s a very risky hire considering he was coaching high school football a little over a year ago.
Do I still care at this point? Unfortunately I care as much as ever. Why can’t Clemson just let me stop caring?

Do you think the spread can work at Clemson? Do you think it will work while Dabo is there?