From #9 to “Not Receiving Any Votes”: The Continued Demise of Clemson Football

There’s a scene in the movie “Friday Night Lights” where Billy Bob Thornton (head coach) and his wife come home from a disappointing loss to find numerous “for sale” signs in the yard.  Certainly we all assume that they understand the magnitude of coaching high school football in a Texas town.  ANd what happens next?  Thornton leads the team all the way to the state title game.  The same situation is going on in Clemson, South Carolina.  The only difference is the coach of the Tigers can’t seem to get motivated by the for sale signs and get his team going.

I stated in a previous blog that this past weekend’s matchup with Maryland was more important than many Tiger fans were willing to realize.  The last time Maryland came to Death Valley, they walked out with a one-point win in a dismal game in which the Tigers didn’t even score a touchdown.  But last year, Clemson drilled Maryland in College Park, and certainly felt no reason why they couldn’t repeat that offensive domination again in this year’s meeting.  Boy were they (and many Tiger fans) wrong.

 

Failing to score at all in the second half, Clemson lost to Maryland 20-17 Saturday.  The game started with all the making of a Clemson blowout.  The running game was working to near perfection, with James Davis and C.J. Spiller both gaining near 100 yards in the first half.  They key though was a muffed punt return by Jacoby Ford and a batted backward pass from Cullen Harper that turned into a fumble recovery for Maryland.  Both of those turnovers only accounted for two Terps field goals, but really one was all they needed.

 

By far the play of the day was when Maryland ran a double-reverse pushing wideout Darrius Heyward-Bay to the left side for a 76 yard run to the Clemson 4, which set up a Maryland TD pass to get them within 4, 17-13.  It was the longest run a Clemson defense has given up in 8 years.

 

The bigger problem may be that the offense failed to show up in the second half for the Tigers.  For that, I blame the coaching.  Spiller and Davis ran lights out in the first half, yet hardly touched the ball in the second half.  Davis had 6 second half carries, while Spiller had 4.  Why in the world does this team not use their stud RBs more on a regular basis?  I understand the need to balance things out, and yes, you’ve got a great receiving corps and a decent quarterback.  Still, let the stars carry you during a tight game. 

 

So now, it’s back to the drawing board.  Clemson gets a week and a half off before a tough Thursday night game at Wake Forest.  It’s safe to say that will be a must-win game.  Clemson has yet to play a complete game against a Division I opponent this year.  They got drilled by Alabama, played sloppy in a win over NC State, and got shut down by Maryland.  Something has to give.  This team was a preseason top ten.  There’s a reason that in the latest top 25 poll Clemson didn’t get a single vote.  Maybe people are starting to see what Tiger fans have been seeing for years: great talent means nothing when there’s not good coaching.

NCAA Football Week 5 Picks

 

#1 USC at Oregon State

While the Trojans have struggled at times in the past in Corvalis, I expect them to handle this one easily and put it out of reach well before the 4th quarter.  USC 45, Oregon State 16

#14 Ohio State vs. Minnesota

Is Beanie Wells going to play?  Supposedly he will, but even if he does, will he make that much difference on what has been a rather inept offense?  The Bucks win here, but still look unimpressive.  Ohio State 27, Minnesota 10

#20 Clemson vs. Maryland

Clemson is a frustrating team to watch, and I think this game will be same old Bowden.  A close game when it shouldn’t be that.  Clemson 24, Maryland 19

#4 Florida vs. Ole Miss

The Gators are the real deal.  Ole Miss is still Ole Miss, regardless of who’s coaching them.  Florida 44, Ole Miss 17

#15 Auburn vs. Tennessee

The Vols looked downright anemic last week against Florida.  The good news?  Auburn doesn’t have nearly as many offensive weapons as the Gators.  The bad news?  Their D is just as stingy.  Auburn 23, Tennessee 13

#25 Fresno St. at UCLA

What has happened to UCLA since that week one win over UT?  Whatever it is, it needs to change soon.  I think this has the makings of an upset.  UCLA 24, Fresno St. 21

#9 Wisconsin at Michigan

After seeing Michigan get shellacked by Notre Dame, I’m starting to wonder if they’ll win another game this year.  Wisconsin 35, Michigan 14

#23 East Carolina vs. Houston

This should actually be one of the more interesting matchups on the schedule this weekend.  Houston has an explosive offense, ranking in the top ten nationwide in passing.  ECU has a tough defense, proved by their near shutout of West Virginia.  I’ll give the Pirates the slight edge for home field advantage.  ECU 27, Houston 24

#7 Texas vs. Arkansas

Watching the Atlanta Falcons play so far this year compared to the Razorbacks, you have to wonder if Petrino is playing the “woulda shoulda coulda” game.  Arkansas has looked downright pathetic, struggling to win games against vastly inferior opponents, at least in name.  Texas should roll up the Hogs with ease.  Texas 51, Arkansas 17

#16 Wake Forest vs. Navy

Grobe has Wake fans looking for another ACC title, and things are certainly looking good so far.  Wake Forest 31, Navy 14

#2 Oklahoma vs. #24 TCU

It was just a few years ago that TCU stunned Oklahoma in Norman.  This should be a close game in the first half, but the Sooners just have too much fire power.  Oklahoma 42, TCU 16

#5 LSU vs. Miss. St.

The Bulldogs seem to have the SEC defense, but no offense to speak of.  A Saturday night game in Death Valley certainly won’t help them find it.  LSU 28, Miss. St. 6

#13 South Florida at NC State

NC State may have reclaimed its dignity with its OT win over East Carolina last week.  USF will be more of a handful though with experience QB and D-line play.  USF 31, NC State 21

#3 Georgia vs. #8 Alabama

It will be an interesting game in Athens Saturday night, pitting two top ten SEC teams against each other for the second week in a row.  The blackout will be impressive, as will Knowshon Moreno.  Still, I can’t get past the strong showing by John Parker Wilson thus far.  Call this my upset pick of the week.  Alabama 26, Georgia 23

#12 Penn St. vs #22 Illinois

Why a Big Ten or Pac 10 team always gets the Saturday night ABC game is beyond me.  This won’t even be a close game.  Penn State 42, Illinois 14

#17 Utah vs. Weber State

The Utes are showing how tough the Mountain West really might be this year.  Utah 45, Weber St. 10

A few midweek thoughts…

-The Clemson game Saturday is a lot bigger than any media outlet will recognize.  As interesting as the Indiana/Michigan State game will be (yawn), it’s an absolute travesty that Clemson doesn’t get anymore respect to be placed on at least ESPN2 for their noon game with Maryland.  Heck, the Tigers are a top 20 team after all!

 

-Baseball season is winding down, and though I’m curious to see how the Rays handle the pressure-packed post season, I’ll otherwise be largely disinterested in it all.  I will however be wishing for both the Red Sox and Cubs to fall flat on their face.  Say what you will about the Lovable Losers tag on the Cubs, but I don’t like ‘em. 

 

-It only makes sense the person that hacked into Sarah Palin’s e-mail account was a University of Tennessee student.  Maybe instead of trying to get into the potential VP’s e-mail, they should’ve hacked into Urban Meyer’s playbook.

 

-Good for the Giants.  They suspended Plaxico Burress for not showing up to a team meeting the other night.  It wasn’t even so much that he didn’t show up, but that he didn’t give any reason for not showing.  His agent says Plax had a “family emergency”.  That’s all well and good, but you still let your employer know.  It’s just part of the job, whether you make $30,000 a year or $10,000,000 a year.

 

-Is it bad that playing fantasy sports is a requirement now to get me the slightest bit interested in the NBA?

 

-You gotta love the Steinbrenners.  First time in 13 years the Yanks don’t make the playoffs, and all of the sudden Hank hasn’t been liking the playoff system since the wild-card inception.  How funny!  THe same system that snuck the Yankees into the back door for some years is suddenly no good.  Here’s to hoping Joe Torre wins the World Series WITH Yankee nemesis Manny Ramirez, and carries the trophy into the House That Ruth Built for it’s final ceremony in November.