BC+CU=(2OT)^2
Once again the Tigers went into OT with the Eagles of BC and once again the result was an L in the column.
Deep Breaths……Ok I got yelled at, as usual by the wife last night for my, ahem, exuberance towards the Tigers inability to score in OT from the 2! As I only got to watch the 4th quarter on TV and had to listen to the other 3 on the radio I didn’t get the full flavor of the game. From what I heard and gathered it seemed that Clemson basically beat themselves.
I have not seen the box score yet but preliminary stats have Clemson demolishing the Eagles on possession. Proctor put in one hell of a showing for his ACC opener with over 300 yards passing (190 or so to Stuckey) and from what I heard they were varied in speed and distance so that is comforting. He did overthrow some receivers and bobbled a few snaps, but I think that his nerves are suring up. The running game did not factor in as much as I had hoped and from what I heard all week from the media and Spence in terms of controlling the clock but they did rack up around 200 yards. Spillers miracle run was actually ruled as a pass so add those 82 yards to rushing as it was a 5 yard pass and that’s a pretty good day. The O-Line got some retribution from last year with their performance but I think that having a mobile QB like Proctor helped out. The only question I have on the O is what killed us last year: Red Zone. I know James scampered in on one, but when you can’t close the deal from the 2 with 3 running backs in the backfield, I believe that there are still some issues.
The defense, oh the defense….. To say that the absence of Waters and Billie is not evident is an understatement. The defense lacked focus and leadership as the core was continuously picked apart. The youth and inexperience was taken advantage of as the secondary seemed lost at times and even had a true freshman directing a veteran as to his blown coverage. The D did just enough to not keep Clemson in the game but to keep BC from running away with it. I think that the LB corp will gradually find their nitch as Clay and the boys are settling in for the long haul. The problem I have is the pass protection and the short routes across the middle that Clemson has let up on in the past two weeks. FAU worked a 7 yard sideline hitch down the field enough times and BC had multiple third down conversions of under 10 yards. I am not sure what the solution is here but I have faith that Koenning will get his players settled into their positions after the shake up and solidify the D.
Finally, the culprit, Special Teams…..or lack thereof. First let me say that I am beyond glad that we had punt protection. If we had the same protection as last year you could probably have tacked on a few blocked punts on top of the horrendous coverage. When Chason replaces Dean for kickoffs you know that the secondary is struggling. I am not sure what was wrong with Dean but he did not play up to his normal “clutch” self. Not one of his kickoffs went into the endzone….not even an inch. Jad is usually trying for three points from the tee so it was very discomforting when he kept kicking inside the ten. Then the ball keeps landing in what seemed to be BC’s Jacoby Ford, Smith’s hands. That boy tore the coverage team UP!! Something like 190 yards in return yards alone with an average starting position of their 47 yard line?!?! The return was bad enough but everyone saw it coming with a performance like that. If it wasn’t for Jacoby Ford’s speed in the last quarter, Smith would have broken off another TD return. This aspect of the game was the obvious culprit. If not for the poor coverage the Eagles would have started, at least, on their own 20 or around that area with ¾ of the field instead of ½ to cover. Jad will recover, he is a rock on the team and his performance dictates field position for the D. The coverage is another story. Maybe that whole, no punting the previous game came and bit us in the ass but something needs to be done. Was it formation, missed assignments or were the Eagles just that good on the return?
In the end the Tigers put together one heck of a gameplan. By the numbers, the Tigers more than held their own and defeated the Eagles…….on paper. After getting ahead early the Tigers could not keep the momentum and let BC pick away at the lead. Clemson played a respectable game against a valid opponent, the only problem was that they didn’t follow through. The good news is that the Tigers had tons of learning opportunities in the game and have a bunch of film to review before their trip to Tally. Now let’s hope that this game was the kick in the pants they usually get around game 6 and go 5 and out to end the season strong. If the Tigers can go into Tally and pull off a win, the ‘Noles know who is the only one in between them and the division: BC and play them later in the season after both teams can only get better. So come on Tigers, learn everything you can and get it together for the turn around in Doak!
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