Death Valley Nostalgia: A Look Back at 2009 Senior Day

Originally written Nov. 24, 2009.

The potential for a letdown was huge going into Saturday’s game against Virginia. Win or lose, the Tigers had already clinched the ACC Atlantic Division Championship and a trip to Tampa Bay in two weeks. 

In the past, this game might have been an afterthought, just as perhaps Georgia Tech might have been in 2000 when an undefeated and third ranked Clemson team could have been looking ahead to a showdown with Florida State. 

One could have even have forgiven Dabo Swinney for relaxing just a bit heading into the final regular season ACC contest. After all, North Carolina had just given him his first birthday present in the form of the minor upset they pulled at Boston College in the noon game. 

Prior to kickoff, the mood throughout the stadium could easily have been called apprehensive. Tiger fans have seen this kind of thing before.   

In the end, however, Swinney’s Tigers were able to take care of the business directly in front of them, disposing of the Virginia Cavaliers. True, the 13-point margin was a bit close for comfort. But even without a blowout win, Clemson isn’t headed into the ACC Championship in reverse. The winning streak and momentum remain intact.

The roots of said winning streak can be traced to the opening drive of the Wake Forest game, now a month-and-a-half old. 

Starting with a short field after a botched Wake kickoff, Kyle Parker executed a smart and concise drive, working Terence Ashe, Michael Palmer, Andre Ellington, and C.J. Spiller for gains.  Palmer capped the first Clemson possession with a short touchdown catch following a Spiller reception that put the Tigers on the goal line. 

That sequence set the tone for the rest of the season, a more diversified Clemson offense that effectively utilized tight ends Palmer and Dwayne Allen. Kyle Parker’s maturity as a field general went into overdrive while C.J. Spiller took full advantage of defensive schemes that had to respect four and five viable receivers at a time. 

Coupled with Kevin Steele’s management of a defense where much of the talent will one day see Sunday action, the Tigers are 60 minutes away from a BCS berth. 

But perhaps it’s even subtler than that. Perhaps it has something more to do with the realization that it’s not talent alone that wins games. While it’s true that a program does not produce a Heisman candidate without recruiting Heisman caliber talent, talent alone means little without execution. 

When the ball is snapped, you still have to beat the man in front of you. Dabo’s Tigers have done this week in and week out. The attitude this realization created has allowed the Tigers to deal with adversity and to erase deficits on the scoreboard. It has led the team to the brink of a success virtually impossible to imagine after the defeat in College Park.

There is a bit of melancholy that accompanies Senior Day. Maybe that was what we were feeling around the just prior to kickoff.  Seeing Spiller and Ford come down the hill for the last time was difficult for more than a few Clemson fans. They may be immortalized on YouTube, but we will never see them play at Death Valley again. 

Ricky Sapp, Crezdon Butler, Chris Chancellor, Michael Palmer, and Thomas Austin will all be sorely missed when the final whistle has blown on this incredible season. We will never forget Rendrick Taylor’s block on Sedric Griffin during that Thursday night game in Atlanta or Durrell Barry’s touchdown in the Florida State win. However, unlike recent seasons, we did not leave Memorial Stadium on this Senior Day wondering “What if?”  Instead, we ask, “What next?” 

The next two weekends will tell. South Carolina, regardless of record, is always the litmus test, the standard that all Clemson teams are judged against. 

Georgia Tech is the chance to establish this Clemson team as one of the great ones. It is also an opportunity to truly finish the job, to write a new chapter into one of the most thrilling stories of this regular season. 

One thing is certain: Motivation for either of these games and for the following bowl game won’t be in question. Dabo, all of Tiger Nation thanks you for this. Thank you Dabo. Thank you seniors. Thank you Clemson.