Bleacher Report - Clemson Football

A Clemson Football Thanksgiving List: Things To Be Thankful For in 2009

Joseph Durst — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:19:12 -0500

At 7-3, with two games left to play, Clemson Tiger fans have plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. With a win on Saturday, Clemson will be headed to the ACC Championship Game for the first time ever. Star running back C.J. Spiller has entered the Heisman conversation, and the Tigers are on a five game winning streak. Now it's time to take stock of this football season and give thanks.

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Trent's Touchdown - Six Games to Watch in Week 12

Trent Lane — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:28:00 -0500

With births to conference championship games and outright claims to the top spots in other conferences on the line, Week 12 looks like a winner. So, let’s skip the preamble and get right to the games.

1) No. 10 Ohio State at Michigan —12:00 on ABC

While this one looks like a cakewalk for Ohio State, this one gives me pause. As much as I hate it when people say that records don’t matter in rivalry games, this one transcends the records. Both have something to play for, just one is more important than the other.

Ohio State is playing for the outright championship of the Big Ten and, more importantly, respect. Yes, they are going to the Rose Bowl, but no one thinks they can beat any Pac-10 team. They are a team being carried by their defense. Every Buckeye fan out there, while not admitting it, just hopes that Terrelle Pryor doesn’t do anything stupid when he has his hands on the ball. I mean, look at the series they played in the OT win against Iowa, three straight dives into the heart of the line. Yes, Tressel really trusts Pryor.

Michigan is playing to get out of the cellar of the Big Ten and, most probably, for Rich Rodriguez’s job. After starting 4-0, they have gotten smacked around by all comers, wining only one of their last seven games. I like Tate Forcier and I like the enthusiasm of the team, but Michigan still makes dumb mistakes. I think Rodriguez really needs to take the training wheel’s off here and just let Forcier air it out. They have nothing to lose.

Michigan has played well at home all year, so they can keep it close. I just think the Ohio State defense is too good for Michigan. Ohio State wins this one, while I get deluged with “Ohio State is for real” stories before they douse their drawers against Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

2) No. 11 Oregon at Arizona —8:00 on ABC

Speaking of Oregon, they get to take one more step to securing the Pac-10. Personally, I like Stanford, but the Duchess like Oregon. As any married man knows, the secret to a successful marriage is to always listen to your wife.

Anyhow, the Oregon offense is pretty simple to figure out. It’s run, run, run, and then beat you with the play action pass. It’s just a question of stopping it. I don’t know why they bothered to reinstate LeGarrette Blount, since LaMichael James is one of the better running backs in the nation. Look for the Ducks to keep doing what they do.

Arizona is in a very good spot. They win out and they go to the Rose Bowl. However, they need to stay consistent on offense, something they couldn’t do against Cal last week. The problem is there is a big question mark at running back, as Nic Grigsby has a bit of a shoulder problem.

While Arizona is undefeated at home, they really haven’t had any quality wins (minus Stanford). Oregon knows how to get up for the big games and they know just how important this one is. I think they go into Arizona and win it, but Arizona sticks around for most of the game.

3) No. 25 California at No. 17 Stanford —7:30 on Versus

Talk about two teams on two different sides of the spectrum. Cal has absolutely no quality wins, while Stanford slapped around USC and Oregon in back to back weeks. God I love Stanford right now.

The blue-collar Stanford Cardinals are showing they are not a team to be taken lightly. They also know how to go for the kill when they have the shot, going for a two-point conversion up 27 in the fourth quarter against USC. Andrew Luck keeps plugging along, knowing the offense doesn’t rest on his shoulders. All he needs to do is get the ball to Toby Gerhart and he is all set. They have a competent defense that doesn’t get lit up, so they are all good.

Cal is one team I don’t understand. They can’t beat a good team, yet they keep getting into the top 25. Their best player is on the sideline after nearly killing himself trying to get into the end zone. We’ll be lucky if we Jahvid Best before the opening game next year. Shane Vereen is an admirable back up, but he isn’t Best. Pardon the pun, but Best is Cal’s best shot at winning.

Stanford wins this one, by doing what they always do. I don’t even think Cal keeps it close, but it’s worth watching just to see Stanford dismantle another team and keep their hopes of a Pac-10 Championship alive.

4) Virginia at No. 23 Clemson —3:30 on ABC

I’ll admit it; this is pure and utter homerism (even if I’ve never been to South Carolina or know anyone who has been there). This is the game every Clemson fan has been waiting for since 1991. Well, technically, that would be in 2 weeks against Georgia Tech, but they need to beat Virginia first.

Let’s forget about the Virginia offense completely. They can’t move the ball against a high school team, and Clemson is one of the better defenses in the country, leading the nation in interceptions. This game hinges on the ability of C.J. Spiller making plays and giving Kyle Parker piece of mind that the game isn’t on his shoulders. Throw in a big play by Jacoby Ford and you pretty much have yourself a victory.

It’ll be fun to watch for about two and a half quarters, which is usually where Clemson decides they’ve had enough and decide to just win it and be done with it.

5) No. 8 LSU at Mississippi —3:30 on CBS

Remember when everyone (including me) was saying how Jevan Sneed was for real? That was 14 interceptions ago. However, out of the limelight, Ole Miss has been able to put together a fairly good record.

If I was a LSU fan, I wouldn’t be sure if I was more scared of Jefferson or Lee starting at quarterback. Listen, I could go into some spiel about how LSU needs to work the run, but it’s all a lie. This game will come down to the LSU defense stopping Dexter McCluster. If they do that, they put the game in Sneed’s hands and as scary as that sounded at the beginning of the season, it would make me downright giddy now.

LSU wins this, but the game is ugly in the fact that it turns into a defensive struggle. LSU just needs to pray that if Lee does start, that he doesn’t make too many mistakes.

6) Harvard at Yale —12:00 on Versus

Come on people, this is The Game. The Game! Basically, it’s an excuse for the alumni of two Ivy League schools to drink all weekend, but that’s a whole different story.

Extra Point

7) Let me throw in my two cents about the Mark Mangino debacle at Kansas. I want to preface this by saying that we don’t know all the evidence and I don’t want to come off like an idiot like Obama and the whole Gates incident. Also, I’ve always liked Kansas because of their underdog status.

That being said, if this is true, this is the weirdest thing I’ve heard in a while—but not completely shocking. With the amount of control coaches have over players in college football, something like this was bound to happen. If this was one or two players, you can write it off as sour grapes, but this is a whole host of players with similar stories.

This doesn’t just affect Mangino though. This will affect his assistant coaches and coordinators, not to mention the legacy of Bill Snyder at Kansas State. There is a fine line between hard-nosed disciplinarian and out of control behavior. No matter the outcome, Mangino is toxic after this. No team is going to touch him. If he did cross the line, let’s hope he learned his lesson.

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Clemson Seniors Get Final Curtain Call Against Virginia

Joseph Durst — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:13:31 -0500

Emotions in Clemson will be running high this Saturday when the Virginia Cavaliers come to town. The intensely loyal Clemson fan base has been waiting 18 years for a shot at the ACC title. On Saturday, the Tigers can punch their ticket to their first ever ACC championship game.

In fact, it may have been decades since the Clemson football community was this energized. C.J. Spiller, the pride of the Tigers, has entered the Heisman conversation at the same time as the excitement over new head coach Dabo Swinney and the chance to win an ACC title builds to a boiling point.

Clemson will enter Saturday’s Virginia came with five straight wins, all coming with at least 38 points scored.

Surprisingly, for 15 members of the Tiger football team, all of these story lines will take a back seat to the raw emotion of playing their last home game at Death Valley. These 15 seniors will rub Howard’s rock, run down the hill, and feel the energy of the Tiger fans for the very last time.

Some will go to the NFL, others will not. Many will likely go on to accomplish great things in their lives. One or two may even get a Super Bowl ring one day. Yet each and every one of those 15 men will remember their last game in Memorial Stadium as Tigers for the rest of their lives.

Will Merrit, Clemson color announcer and former offensive lineman, claimed on the broadcast last week that his final game as a senior remains one of the most powerful experiences of his life.

This is not a Clemson class that will go unnoticed by any means. This class includes the likes of Kavell Connor, Chris Chancellor, Crezdon Butler, Thomas Austin, Michael Palmer, Ricky Sapp, Jacoby Ford, and of course, C.J. Spiller.

The senior class of 2010 will be severely missed at Clemson University, on and off the field. These seniors have been the foundation of the Clemson football program and successfully guided the team through a tumultuous coaching change.

This Saturday, 15 Clemson seniors will run down the hill one last time, put the hopes and dreams of the Clemson faithful on their backs, and send the Tigers to their first ever ACC championship game.

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Death Valley Gear Up For Military Appreciation Day

Jacqueline Kirby — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:53:35 -0500

Saturday is Clemson's last home game of the season, against the University of Virginia. The game will celebrate Military Appreciation Day.

Shirts displaying both teams have been sold for the past week. The day will honor veterans and active soldiers. Each year, the Military Appreciation Day is presented by a different division of the military, and this year it is the United States Marine Corps Officers Program.

There will be a pregame concert by the Tiger Band an hour-and-a-half before the game starts and a parade featuring veterans an hour before the game begins.

At the end of the national anthem, there will be a fly-over by military jets and the pregame coin toss will feature a coin designed by the Marine Corps, with 78 stars on it to represent the 78 soldiers from South Carolina who have been killed in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

Veterans and soldiers from Clemson and Virginia are welcome to gather outside of the stadium during halftime to participate in various activities, including a walk down "the hill," the placement of a wreath, helmet, and boots to represent fallen soldiers, and a 21-gun salute by Clemson's Company C-4 Pershing Rifles.

Clemson's Memorial Stadium is one of fifteen Memorial Stadiums in the country. They all represent our military in some way. Clemson's stadium was ranked No. 9 in must-see stadiums.

This game is not only important because it is our last ACC matchup, but it will be great to go out strong and support our military.

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Dabo Swinney and Clemson Will Win the ACC's Atlantic Division Saturday

Jeffrey Fann — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:59:47 -0500

Clemson had just lost two games in a row. There was a respectable, but still disappointing loss to a very good TCU Horned Frogs teams. After that there was the inexplicable defeat at the hands of the ACC's worst team the Maryland Terrapins 24-21. It looked maybe like Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was in over his head. The Tigers were 2-3 overall and 1-2 in ACC, and it seemed like the same ole inconsistent team from Clemson.

The defense was pretty good, but the offense was struggling to the say the least. QB Kyle Parker's progress had stalled. Outside of Jacoby Ford the receivers were non-existent, and there was even talk of in-fighting between head coach Dabo Swinney and offensive coordinator Billy Napier. Then something happened that I don't think many people expected, Clemson got on a roll, a really big roll.

An offense that had scored more 30 points only once in their first five games, now hasn't scored less than 38 in their last five games. C.J. Spiller a fringe Heisman candidate when the season started has moved himself into nearly everybody's Top Five Heisman list. Spiller has been spectacular during Clemson's run, and the Tigers are finding creative ways to get him the ball.He threw, ran, and caught a TD in Clemson's last game. T

he receivers are starting to make plays too. First TE Michael Palmer became more involved with the passing game, now WR Xavier Dye is also playing a big part of the offense. Dye's case is interesting as early in the year he was the verge of quitting the team, and Swinney convinced him to stay. Now Clemson is one victory away, winning the ACC Atlantic Division and the right to play the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for the ACC Championship. When things go wrong, the coach takes most of the blame, but when things go right the head coach gets most of the credit. In this case, head coach Dabo Swinney deserves a lot of credit.

Many felt Dabo Swinney was to inexperienced to lead a program like the Clemson Tigers, but he has handled the early adversity of the 2-3 start perfectly. The Tigers haven't lost since. I wasn't that surprised when Clemson went to Miami and won, or when they defeated Florida State. What did really prove to me that this was a different Clemson team from years past was the game at NC State. There was no let down after the big FSU win. The Tigers went to Raleigh and won by 20, 43-23. There's a focus on this team that was never seen during Tommy Bowden's tenure. With the ACC Atlantic Division in their sites, the Tigers didn't flinch, and they won't this weekend when they play the Virginia Cavaliers. They will win their first ACC football Title of any sort since 1991.

This article is also featured All About Sports.

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Tigers-Wolfpack: N.C. State Blown Away by C.J. Spiller and Co.

Chad Hensley — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:41:10 -0500

The Clemson Tigers pounded the N.C. State Wolfpack 43-23 Saturday, moving them one game closer to an appearance in the ACC Championship game.

Looking at the score, one would expect Heisman hopeful C.J. Spiller to have put up huge yardage numbers on State like he did against Miami (310 Total Yards) and Florida St. (312 Total Yards), but that wasn't the case.

The Wolfpack were scared of Mr. Spiller, and they paid for it.

Spiller had zero yards returning kicks, as N.C. State paid the greatest honor a returner on special teams can get—they completely avoided kicking to him.

The downside for the Wolfpack was the unbelievable field position the Tigers got to begin almost every drive.

In a stretch in which they got the ball on their own 37, 41, the N.C. State 17 (after a six yard punt) and again on their own 43, the Tigers scored a field goal and three touchdowns. That established a lead they would never relinquish.

Though N.C. State didn't give Spiller a chance to return kicks, it doesn't mean he wasn't highly effective.

Adding to his already Heisman-worthy resume, Spiller rushed the ball 18 times for 97 yards and 1 touchdown, and also caught a 34 yard touchdown.

Oh and he also threw for a 17 yard TD.

Spiller is simply unbelievable, especially when you consider he is playing with a injured big toe that has kept him playing below 90% since the first play of the season.

While Spiller has Heisman aspirations , his main goal is to carry his team to the ACC Championship game in Jacksonville, Fl.

To move onto the ACC Championship game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, the Tigers need a loss by Boston College to UVA, or they can do it themselves with a victory next weekend against UVA.

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College Football: Return to Midnight at the Oasis

BabyTate — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:33:52 -0500

The ACC, Coaches, and Trickery

1. This former N.C. State coach handed John Cooper his final defeat as coach of Ohio State.

2. This former Appalachian State coach won the BCS Championship in Pasadena.

3. This former Duke coach won the last non split National Championship before the coming of the BCS.

4. This former Wake Forest coach led his team to the first ever Big 12 title.

5. This former Clemson head coach led the nation in punt return average in 1963 and 1964 and was second in 1962.

6. This former Ga Tech player was the college coach of the the answer to No. 5. Who is he?

7. What former Maryland coach retired as the all-time winningest coach in major college football?

8. What former Florida State player was the offensive coordinator of Oklahoma under Barry Switzer, and helped lead the Sooners to the Orange Bowl?

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