SB Nation - Michael Palmer

Reviewing Clemson at South Carolina: Final Notes

Gamecock Man — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:30:35 -0000

More photos » by Richard Shiro - AP

Need a Pepcid, C. J.?

A few more thoughts on Saturday's romp over the Tigers...

Take a quick scan of the Clemson blogs and message boards and you'll see lots of excuses and lame appeals to the Tigers superior overall record; in other words, a general inability to accept the facts here, which are that Saturday's win was a rout. However, our friend at Shakin the Southland took a more insightful tack in his informative wrap up. If I were a Tigers fan, I'd probably be most unhappy about what STS had to say here: "Apparently Billy doesn't have the address to this blog, because we have consistently professed how to beat South Carolina's defense--RUN THE BALL BETWEEN THE TACKLES." STS is right here. I was extremely surprised that Clemson gave up on downfield running so quickly in this game. I mean, seriously, when you're playing a team with great defensive speed but a soft middle, you don't run more reverses and end arounds than ISOs and dives. Clemson, though, gave up on what should have been their bread and butter against us. Tigers fans can thank their coaching staff for panicking and playing right into our hands.
I'll also have to say that Dabo's choice to engage in excuse making--especially when his excuse is that his Heisman contender had an upset tummy--was quite surprising. Dabo has been, so far, a leader for Clemson, not an excuse-maker. Weak move on his part, IMO.
In a related vein, you can't deny that Dabo has done a good job this year, loss to Carolina aside. Anytime a first year coach takes his team to the conference championship game would have to be considered a success. However, next year will be a tougher test for Dabo, as he loses nearly all of his offensive firepower, including C.J. Spiller, Michael Palmer, and Jacoby Ford. Kyle Parker may also opt for a pro baseball career. While you have to give Dabo some credit, you also have to admit that the stars were aligned for him this year; he had an experienced football team in a weak division. Next year might not be so easy.
On the opposite end of the coaching matchup, give Steve Spurrier credit for what he did in this game. After weeks of criticism and questions about coaching duties, Spurrier dialed up a winning game plan. I'm very impressed. That kind of performance is what we brought the guy here for.
We definitely benefitted from turnovers in this game. Not only were our first two forced turnovers game changers in every sense of the term, but we also managed to dodge a couple of bullets, one on a fumble that I was sure Clemson had recovered. Luck wasn't the only factor in a game in which we whipped the Tigers in the trenches, but it played a part. I'll take it, though.
Officiating was garbage. I'll buy the announcers' explanation of the supposed fair catch signal, but I'm not going to give the officials a pass for not calling a PF on the hit that took Kenny Miles out of the game. There were also some missed interference calls, which I guess is only fitting in this series. We also got away with a couple, including when Stephen Garcia tripped McDaniel. Funny, but should have been a flag, especially in a series known for violence.
The TV coverage was also pretty bush league. How many plays did we miss because of commercials?

Well, that's a wrap on this glorious win. Actually, I guess it's not a wrap, because we'll have this one to crow to our orange-clad brethren about for at least a year. Go 'Cocks!

I'll be back tomorrow with some thoughts on our bowl situation.

Quick Thoughts: Through UVa, Early Week Thoughts for USC

FIGUREFOUR — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:20:35 -0000

More photos » by Richard Shiro - AP

about 1 month ago: Clemson's C.J. Spiller (28) acknowledges fans during the first half of their NCAA college football game against Virginia, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, at Memorial Stadium in Clemson S.C. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

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I think we are all pleased that Dabo Swinney, in his first full season at the helm of the Clemson football program, finally meshed the talent that Clemson has recruited with more intensity, enthusiasm, and a winning attitude to completely transform the program from where Tom Bowden left it just over a year ago after getting crushed by Alabama, giving one away to a bad Maryland team, then looking completely inept against Wake Forest. There is nothing like promoting your receivers coach to clean up an underachieving mess. It was also refreshing to see Swinney remove the Mad Scientist from his role, add Pearman, Steele, etc... to the staff, and come out with lots of energy all season. Interestingly, Swinney's contract calls for the 40 year-old coach to receive a nice (approx $1 million) bonus due to Clemson earning a spot in next month's championship game. Not too shabby for the former Crimson Tide walk-on. This incentive-laden contract really was beneficial for both parties.

The Virginia game was, by itself, not entirely impressive other than the fact that Clemson came in and was able to to take care of business and lock up sole possession of 1st place in the Atlantic regardless of how BC plays next week. The defense was obviously confused by the Wildcat formation and the misdirection/trickery from the Wahoos. The defense, led by senior Ricky Sapp, did get it together in the second half to pitch a shutout over the final 30 minutes. I was happy to see this group get after the Virginia QB late in the game and record a half dozen sacks in the final period of the game. Clemson also forced two fumbles on the afternoon, giving this defense 29 turnovers this season. Winning the turnover battle has been extremely important for the Tiger this year because it limits the opponent's touches while keeping them on their heels all game long. I was happy to see Da'Quan Bowers in the game for a handful of plays Saturday. Hopefully he will be ready to go this weekend against Carolina then next again against Tech. Bowers gives us a lot of athleticism and creates depth along the defensive line. Clemson was aided in the second half by an injury to Mikell Simpsonon Virginia's final TD to end the half. Al Groh elaborated after the game on this loss and the how it limited the ability of the Cavaliers and their wildcat strategy.

C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford combined for two great senior efforts to conclude their Death Valley careers, with both tallying touchdowns and Ford breaking the 100 yard receiving threshold on the day. Kyle Parker again had a steady day, compleing 19 of 26 passes for 234 yards and 2 tds. His maturation over the course of this season combined with an exceptionally strong arm and decent mobility set Parker up to be a great collegiate QB should he chose to avoid professional baseball. I was a little disappointed not to see Willy Korn in a mop-up role. His future at Clemson appears to be all but sealed with Parker's success this season and Tajh Boyd becoming available next season. Both Andre Ellington and Jamie Harperboth ran well here, with Ellington punching the rock in for a 3rd quarter TD. Once again, Clemson got good consistent play from the TE's, with Michael Palmer having three grabs and Dwayne Allen bringing down an early TD catch. Rendrick Taylor got a couple looks Saturday. I really expected more out of Taylor over his CU career, but was pleased to see him get some work on senior day.

All in all, this team has played hard all season long. Clemson never gave up, even after the embarrasment at Maryland. In fact, I firmly believe that the meltdown at College Park may have spurned the offensive coaches to return to a more basic and focussed offensive strategy, featuring only the proven playmakers (Spiller, Ford, and the TE's). Since laying an egg against the Terps, Clemson has not been defeated. The defense has continued its solid play and the offense has scored 34 or more points in each of those six contests. The improved play calling and execution coupled with a more focussed attack has silenced both critics of Swinney and Steele. As we pointed out earlier in the season,inexperience from the offensive staff as well as the QB position was a huge question mark, and both areas should immprove as each member gets more real game repetitions week in and week out.

On to our feathered friends in Columbia. South Carolina's season began well and has really tapered off over the balance of the games. After opening the year with a 5-1 record, the Gamecocks (6-5 overall, 3-5 in the SEC) have lost 4 of the past 5 games, with the lone win coming in a low-scoring affair against Vanderbilt. At some points this season, USC has looked like a really good team. Other times, South Carolina has struggled against teams they probably should have beaten handily (Vandy, Arkansas, NCST, and Kentucky come to mind). SOS has openly stated that he has and will continue to have more influence on playcalling and game flow.

This year's team features a talented defense and improved offense. Eric Norwood, school leader in sacks, is the best player on the team. He is a great athlete who runs well and has a nose for the football. Clifton Geathers is a pretty good defensive end, and the secondary (lead by Chris Culliver) rotates in a lot of young but talented DB's. Offensively, this team is much improved from a year ago. Steven Garcia getting more reps and actually participating in spring practice this year has paid off, as Garcia looks night and day better than he did last year. South Carolina has also found a couple of good, tall freshman receivers in Tori Gurley and Alshon Jeffery to compliment senior Moe Brown. Spurrier has repeatedly thrown jump balls the Jeffery, who has 29 receptions and 6 TD's on the season (including 3 TDs in a dominant performance against Kentucky). I really like TE Weslye Saunders. He is freaking huge (6'5", 280 lbs) is a good blocker and catches the ball well. This is one guy who can do some damage if he gets a full head of steam. Up front, bringing in Eric Wolford as offensive line coach has helped tremendously, as South Carolina's OL has improved dramatically since a year ago. Ellis Johnson (former Clemson, Alabama, and Mississippi State DC and Citadel HC) has been successful everywhere he has coached, and was also a quality hire for the Old Ball Coach.

Most of South Carolina's woes arise from depth and experience issues. While South Carolina has improved up front, their rushing attack is still sub-par. Kenny Miles, Jarvis Giles, and Brian Maddox share the carries for this team. I continually question why Maddox gets as many touches as he does because the two freshmen (Miles and Giles) are unquestionably better ball carriers than Maddux. South Carolina's size at receiver and tight end scares me a bit. Clemson likes to play man/man-press coverage, so this size advantage could be a big deal this weekend. Defensively, South Carolina is quick, but thin. The way to attack this defense is head on, as the Gamecocks lack quality depth at linebacker and up front. If you can get the starters tired, there is a nice opportunity to pound this team to death. USC's secondary is good and can hold its own against most any squad. The Alabama game was an excellent illustration of this point, as the Tide and Greg McElroy could do nothing through the air while Mark Ingram averaged 10 ypc and picked up almost 250 yards on the ground.

We will have much more insight on this contest as the week progresses. We are also looking to work with the Gamecock SBNation blog, Garnet And Black Attack, to provide some extra coverage and segments for this week's contest.

Below are highlights from last season's contest.

The Conversation: Talking the Clemson Tigers with Shakin' The Southland.com

FSUncensored — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:56:17 -0000

More photos » by Lynne Sladky - AP

C.J. Spiller has a chance to win major Heisman votes against FSU on national television Saturday night. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

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This week our guest is Dr. B of Shakin The Southland.com We really like what these guys do and since it is one of the ACC blogs we recruited over to SBNation (parent network), I read them every day. Dr.B has some coaching or playing experience and if you enjoy our writeups on scheme and strategy, you'll really enjoy his work over there. I always feel like I learn something when I read their articles. Our answers to his questions there. Our questions first and their answers follow in the shaded text boxes.

We'll start with the program. What's going on with Clemson. Do you think Swinney has his ship on the right course? I've heard talks that the administration is concerned with improving Clemson academics, no matter the consequence to the athletic department. Is that true, and if so, does it change the way you evaluate Swinney?

There has been considerable press amongst the fans about certain bloggers and their opinion of the program and AD Terry Don Phillips' leadership of it. There have been some off-the-field issues among the staff and the higher-ups in the AD as well. Also, a fight on the field amongst the coaches that seems to have been overblown. But, I think these bloggers could've put their opinions and the facts they used out there in a better way. I dont necessarily disagree with them either however.

Academics has always been a battle with athletics here. The Admin wants us to be Top 20 (public) nationally and they have kinda skewed the relevant stats to get us up there in the Top 25 now. It means my degree is worth more, but I dont really care about the Top 20 goal. I would rather us be good at football, get our program established, and then tighten up academics. Theres no reason you can't do well at both, and I want Clemson to be great at both, but I think its easier to do with lower standards for football to start.

Leaving that aside, I think the AD has given Swinney considerable support in some areas. We've added many administrative/support positions to the staff with good people that were not here previously. That will help pay off long-term.

My opinion of Swinney and Napier is still wait-and-see. Tammy looked like chicken salad one week, and chicken shit the next against teams we should beat. See Miami and Maryland for examples of how it has continued. I just want to see a trend of us playing well against good AND bad teams to say he's not Tommy-lite.

I've said all along, he gets 3 full years from me to improve the program. Not 4 because he was from the old staff and he recruited these guys, but it takes time to overcome terrible coaching. I'll critique, but I won't call for his head til then.

I've been big on trying to get FSU fans to have realistic expectations for Florida State. For instance, I proffered that when operating at reasonably peak efficiency, FSU should expect to win the Atlantic 3 of 5 years (as for the championship game, that's a bit of a tossup unless I know which program FSU would face). All fan bases will have their nut jobs who think their team should be favored to win the MNC every year, but what do you think a reasonable goal for Clemson should be for a 5 year period?

I expect Clemson to compete for the division every year, to win it at least every other year, depending on graduation, losses, etc. In a 5 year period, I'd say we should win it 2-3 times and it should come down to the two of us. The other teams will sneak in every few years. I don't think 3 ACC titles in a decade for Clemson is asking too much.

We know we can recruit, especially with this all-star recruiting staff, and with the facilities improvements done and another endzone construction possible in a few years, that should get even better. FSU and Miami will always have an advantage in recruiting, but we can be consistently a Top 15 team in those recruiting rankings, and that means that we should be right there fighting for the division/ACC.

Continue reading for more, and some Hank!

I have to say I am quite impressed with your defense. Steele is an excellent coach and you've held everyone well under their season average. (Including Georgia Tech in Atlanta, considering the Yellow jackets scored on a punt return and a fake field goal pass play). FEI currently ranks you guys 6th, but pretty much on par with Bama, Florida, BC, Iowa, and UNC. In fact, they've held that lofty ranking for most of the year. Do you think they've improved as the season has progressed? Why/ Why not. And do you think they will continue to improve, stay the same, or take a step back? Also, since we'll be getting a new DC, probably from Alabama (Smart/ Sunseri), how has the implementation of the pattern reading gone?

We're still playing more man-free and 2-Man than matchup, but I expect this defense to be even better next year at pattern reading. Its really difficult to tell, with our DL eating up pretty much everyone we've faced, how good our secondary really is playing, but we still get alot of coverage sacks. WF's guys never got open. Maryland basically got 2 or 3 big plays on them and that was it. BC, well....that was the most horrible offensive performance i've ever seen. Andy Dalton (TCU) was probably the most efficient QB we faced, and his receivers were great at catching the ball. Jacory Harris is very good, but I think our defense did well to limit him. Still 280 of UM's 400+yards came on 10 plays. Even had we lost that game, I don't think I'd have blamed the secondary coverage, they really ate us up running the ball more than anything.

DL has gotten better inside, more than at End. The inside guys use their hands really well and Jenkins can be unstoppable if properly motivated. They got a bit sloppy against Coastal Carolina at times, but I have been nothing less than ecstatic about our line play this season.

Our LBs have been the weakness. They are fast but dont play with great instincts, and overpursue, and take angles that get them blocked out on plays. Maye is a mean and extremely fast player at MIKE, but sometimes he does the stupidest things and runs right into a blocker square, instead of driving the shoulder into his chest.

Our safeties are both going to be All-Americans next year if DeAndre McDaniel doesnt leave for the NFL. I really Rashard Hall could be that good, the other two play a lot but arent as good as he is, he never misses assignments. They could take better angles at times on run plays, but otherwise they are outstanding.

Overall, opposing drives here and there this year have gotten scores almost entirely because the D took a drive off when it came to tackling.

Perhaps overlooked because of their poor start and the excellent play of the defense and a top ten special teams unit, the offense has really improved, from something like 65th best a few weeks ago to 34th as of the last measurement. With a Freshman quarterback, how have they done it? I know the line played poorly early in the year, as did Parker, but what has been the major catalyst behind this improvement, or has it been a combination? Has there been a new approach?

The changes post Maryland: Attack the underneath with backs and TEs, use less motion, not change personnel as often, and throw fewer screens and passes to the WRs.

At Maryland and prior, it was Jacoby Ford and our young WRs as the focus. For Wake and afterward, we've hit TE Michael Palmer over the middle and CJ Spiller in the backfield/flats much more. Last week we tried shifting back to the WRs and it showed in poor execution (Spiller was kept out to heal his turf toe, and Palmer had a concussion).

The OL has improved a little, but I'm not thrilled with their run blocking at all. I would not say they are the reason we've done better offensively. Pass blocking, aside from one half against GT's Derrick Morgan, has been very good. Parker is progressing, but still does stupid things that you'd expect from a freshman, at times. We've done our best against man/man coverage teams, not so well against zone.

I've only been to Clemson once (the game Bobby threw to save Tommy's job in 2003). Top row, sandals and shorts, 35 degree weather, pneumonia, etc. That place is louder than the Swamp. I've never been to LSU, however, and I know you have. Which Death Valley is louder?

I wrote this http://clempsonfootball.blogspot.com/2009/07/what-gameday-at-lsu-is-like-from-eyes.html over the summer on the old site to describe what LSU is like. I love our Valley, but given the football success at LSU and the much-more-raucous student section, on average I would say LSU is louder. They'll go nuts playing Tulane; Clemson doesnt go nuts playing Furman. Now, Clemson is capable of being louder by a good bit, when our fans are into it. Its kind of hard to get so totally into Noon games, and thats all we seem to get. Since we haven't had a meaningful night game in Death Valley lately, this saturday should really be rocking.

Thanks again to Dr.B and Shakin The Southland.com Make sure to head over there later for our answers to their questions.

Post-Miami Coaches Interviews and Press Conference

DrB — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:13:12 -0000

More photos » by Lynne Sladky - AP

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Dabo Swinney Press Conference

Not terribly much to say about this press conference, it was mostly about kudos to C.J. Spiller and his Heisman campaign and other fluff.

On Miami and our mistakes:

You mentioned the "issues." What are they?
Swinney: Turnovers. We got to eliminate turnovers. You don't beat many good teams when you have four scoring opportunities and don't score. We get down there and we don't score a field goal. We had another one where we had good field position and then we had penalty, penalty, penalty and then we had third-and-40. We had the fumble other way for six. To get zero points on those four opportunties- we have to eliminate those critical errors. Defensively - we had a lot of missed alignments - they were trying to hide their right tackle a little bit and did some unbalanced stuff which created some gap control issues. And then big plays. 282 yards on 10 plays. In the other 51 they had the other 100-something yards. You don't win many games that way. It was a 15-16 round slugfest. That's what we have to focus on.

As to what Miami was doing and the adjustments the defense had to make and improvements, Steele said this:

"That's always the case. I've never seen a perfect game played. What happens is a lot of times mistakes, corrections, things to improve on get swept away (publicly) by a victory and accentuated after a loss. That's why we keep the same routine everyday, all year long. Every Monday is just like the Monday before, regardless of the outcome of a game. That's the emphasis. That's how you improve. You dissect every game, play by play, technique by technique.....

....Then there were plays in that game where there was a technique breakdown or a communication breakdown. You have to give them credit. They did some things new that gave us some communication problems, not that we didn't know what we were doing. They executed against it and we never got it totally worked out, but we got it down the best we could on the sidelines with the chalkboard."

....there was a new wrinkle that created some communication problems and then changed some things that we had worked on, because once you get some communication issues on something new they're doing, then it spills over to some things we had already prepared for.

"For example, if you take 22 personnel, two tight ends and two backs and you adjust that out all week long and then all of a sudden they put 22 personnel out there, two tight ends, two backs, then take one TE out of the game, and put another tackle in the game, so you've got three tackles… so now you've got a defender lining up and he thinks he's lining up on a tackle, but he's not. That's a tight end. So when they put the tight end back in the game, the guy is looking for that third tackle and he's not there."

Which confuses an End or LB or S, because they all are aligning based upon how the offensive personnel line up.

On the offenses performance at Land Shark:

What does it mean to have your tight ends stepping up as much as they have the last three weeks?
Swinney: It's what we expected coming into the season. That's why you play to our strength because we felt like that position was a real strength for us. Michael has caught more balls than any other tight end since the 1980's. They are a big part of what we do. No doubt about it. We've got some really talented wide outs, but they are inexperienced and we are still trying to groom those guys. So it's been good to see the development of Michael. He's not the most talented- but has great experience and understands how to play. He's Tyler Grisham. And then a young guy like Dwayne Allen and Chad Diehl - we love having them on the field.

.... It's all about coaching those attention to details. We had the fewest missed assignments that we have had in a long time. Especially on offense. Pleased with that.

Billy Napier:

Is the offensive improvement simply explained by getting the tight ends more involved?

"Personally, when you're sitting here trying to put together a plan, you're looking at who you really feel like can be productive for you. What's the best way to produce first downs and score points? We kind of narrowed down our focus in terms of who was playing and who we felt could be those guys and structured the plan around those guys.

"The other thing is just a message of execution, details, preparation and getting the most out of every day during the week. Understanding that the reason you screwed up on a Saturday is you weren't focused on a Monday. Or you went out there on a Wednesday and had a very average day and the same mistakes showed up Saturday.

What have Palmer and Allen done to become a more integral part of the offense?

"They practice hard. They show up and put in the time. I really think that they've shown up with a little bit different demeanor and attitude than maybe they have in the past.

"Now Michael Palmer, he's a guy who's been pretty consistent in his approach. He's an example guy. He's a guy you can point out and say he plays well because he studies the game and he's a student of the game. He understands the big picture.

"That's one of the things we told Dwayne when we recruited him is, hey, you're going to have a year where you're going to get to observe a guy who's extremely smart and who's going to help you learn the offense, who's going to help you grow up as a person, who's going to be a really good example for what it takes to be a good player. This is his chance. He's really observed Mike and he's figuring out what it takes to be a good player. It's not all about ability. It's the guy that plays the best on Saturday. That's all coming together for him. He's growing up."

Do you feel you've made strides in short yardage?

"Yeah, we did. We executed those plays fairly well. We were fortunate that we didn't get caught in a false start on the fourth-and-1, but we executed those plays really well. We ran behind our best people, our best lead blocker. Jamie Harper really ran the ball with the mentality that he knew the down and distance and he was going to get the first down.

"We've changed some things from a practice structure that I think have reflected on the game. We're doing short yardage and goal-line on Tuesday now in full gear, and I think that's helped us not only practice it in a more realistic environment, but I also feel like it's helped our kids when we've got to the game. So it's about preparation. It's about learning your lesson, to some degree. Looking at it from the outside in: 'Hey, how can we get better at this? What do we need to do?'"

How do you feel the blocking by the receivers has come along on the perimeter?

"We felt that maybe that was a way we could create big plays. We felt it was an area where we could get over the hump and create more explosive plays... our effort on the second level. We took a good look at that and put a huge emphasis on that in the open date. There's no question that it showed up on a couple of C.J.'s big runs. Xavier Dye, Terrance Ashe, Jacoby Ford, those guys in particular have made some critical blocks to pop some of those long runs that you've seen the last couple of weeks."

On the situation at the end of regulation

Can you recall what it was like on the headsets when Dabo was trying to get Kyle Parker to spike the ball to set up a final play in regulation?

"We lost about eight or nine seconds there. We ran the ball, trying to catch them in split-safety defense. It worked and it hit for about nine yards. There was come uncertainty about whether we got a first down or not. We were going to (spike) the ball, and we just didn't have any sense of urgency from our players.

"Kyle, in particular, never even looked to the sideline after he handed the ball off. We're up there about to rip our headsets off. So we had to waste our timeout. And then we had to go ahead and kick it, because it wasn't worth taking a chance of getting caught in bounds or maybe not getting a first down.

"If you (spike) the ball, you probably have about 18 seconds left. You can run one more play and then you kick the ball. Or maybe it's even move the ball to the middle of the field and call your timeout with four seconds left, and kick it so you don't have to kick off.

"We had a plan. It's just the players - our quarterback in particular, he was just watching the play. Coach Swinney is like right there, and he's just standing there looking. (Swinney) is over there yelling, going crazy.

Actually I think it was 12 seconds.

Would you have taken a shot to the end zone?

"I don't know. We had a play in mind that we were going to try. But personally, after throwing an interception down there, I would've probably just moved it to the middle and kicked a field goal and gone and played overtime.

On the road, usually you'll play for the tie and let it go to OT, but given that Miami had been able to run the ball all over us (and nearly ran one in during OT), I bet Swinney would've gone for the 6 at least once.

On simplification of the playbook:

Have you simplified your playbook in the last couple of weeks?

NAPIER: "Matter of fact, I think we've carried more offense. That's one of the things I feel may have helped us, because we've been capable of keeping teams off balance by having enough ideas and new things. And we've thrown the ball a little bit more. Our quarterback is kind of living and learning and he's finally getting to where we trust him enough to make some decisions that factor into the game. We've thrown the ball more, and that's where you've seen the tight end and running back touches increase.

"We still have lots of room for improvement. We made enough mistakes that we could've very well lost that game and been analyzing the same mistakes that we made in the previous games when we lost.

"We're lucky we won the game, and it's a huge morale boost. Our kids are looking at us a little bit differently than maybe they were two weeks ago."

Danny Pearman on the RT situation

"Landon started a little shaky as far as the second series where we got behind with penalties. We got behind with the grounding, a chop block… it was a sloppy series. Landon got a hold on that. But other than that, I thought he came back and played pretty consistent for us."
Is there a position battle brewing there, or do you like the chemistry the way things are now?

Pearman. "Both of them are playing pretty good. I wish I could get that on the left side. A guy that stays out there the entire game doesn't have as much in the fourth quarter or in an overtime. I may look at playing someone on the left side to rest Hairston. I may look at David some this week doing that. Hairston played 74 snaps Saturday. That's a lot of snaps for a guy. That's one of the things I'm trying to do this week… get some (left tackle) work on David. I may look at some of that this week. Obviously he's our second or third best tackle."

What is it that Landon does better than David right now, or I should say what separates the two right now?

Pearman. "I'm not sure there's anything. I'm not sure he does that much better at anything or the other one, vice versa. It's a good one-two punch. They practice hard. They have been practicing better. David deserves to play. So long as he keeps playing like this, he'll play more. Last week he was lineman of the week."

At LT:

....The thing we have to do is develop someone over there on the left side. You know, Cory has played some for us over there, but you get in some of these games where as coaches you go with your gut feeling."

Which basically tells you that Pearman realizes that Lambert sucks. If David Smith is the 3rd best tackle after being moved there a couple weeks ago.....damn. David Smith totaled 14 snaps in our first 4 games. In his last three, the guy has been in on 79 plays.

Scott. "David has been.... I don't want to say a surprise - but the maturing process is starting to happen. He's seeing the game better. He's getting more of a push out there on the edge and has gotten more comfortable with his pass sets. That has really helped us because I don't think Landon is at his best when he's playing 75 plays. Now they're splitting and playing 35-40 each.

"And we're free-wheeling in there with David and Cloy. I think we also have a plan to get David some work in practice on the left side. He's become our most dependable third left tackle. Cloy can play three positions, so that's a bonus for me."

David has come a long way, from reserve guard to splitting time with your starting right tackle. Talk about his progression over the last couple of months.

"I think it was easier for us to probably fit him in out there at tackle after we had the injury to Hairston. We recruited him as a tackle and he had played some tackle for us. We had gotten short-handed at guard and he had some quickness about him. Right now, he'd do just as good a job if we played him at guard. That's a developmental position. He's more comfortable playing the game of football. He gives us the athletic ability on the edge.

"The other night he got beat up and under one time but had the athletic ability to come back on the other guy to get a push. The QB stepped around him and made one of those throws up the middle. I like the way he gets a little push on his drive blocks, too.

"David lacks some experience, but he definitely gives you an athletic tackle. We've still got a little ways to go and some things to work on.

Freewheeling=brad's code word for his usual musical chairs. If anything Cloy should start ahead of McClain.

Did you use Cloy at center Saturday?

"I didn't.... Last week Cloy played probably half the time at center. I plan to use him at center this week and against Florida State and N.C. State and so on, because he does give us production there. But we were doing a pretty good job. I thought it was critical for him to play some at right guard. Freeman, again, was doing a good job. Mason's pass protection and understanding of everything we did, he was very dependable. Mason played the second quarter. Big Mac (McClain) played and we alternated throughout the game. Both split time. I felt McClain's game was stronger towards the end than it has ever been. The plan now is to get Mason more work on the left side as well. I know he can handle center."

The biggest improvement I saw was that Freeman was much more comfortable making all the points. He looked like he understood and knew what was happening in there. That was a big help to us. They're gaining some confidence.

On Coastal Carolina

Swinney: Coach Bennett is a friend and has done a great job. He was a graduate assistant under Coach Ford here. I've watched him build that program - they won their conference three years in a row - '04, '05 and '06.

Offensively when you look at them, it's kind of a combination of West Virginia and Florida. They have a veteran offensive line. They do have big play capability. I would call them a little unpredictable. They have a shifty running back.

Defensively, they are multiple and have a lot of pressures. We'll have to be well-prepared and hopefully we will play our best game of the week on Saturday.

Steele: "They're very multiple. They're very personnel oriented. They're going to play four wide receivers, three wide receivers, two wide receivers from different looks. They're very formation-oriented… a lot of different formations. They're talented at receiver. They have two quarterbacks that play and both make plays. The running backs and the fullback, No. 39, he's all over the place. You can tell he knows what he's doing. They're well-coached."

Is there any part of you that thinks this game Saturday is a dangerous game for this team?

Steele: "Like I said… I've said it before and I know people get tired of hearing it, but it's just jersey numbers and bodies in positions. Are they eligible? Are they not eligible? Where do they line up? What are they running? I've been doing it long enough that I do not factor in at all where we play and who we play, what their logo is… it just doesn't matter. As a coach, you can't tell the players that every game is the same, then your routine is different or you're not as detailed or not as excited. So we do everything the same, the same time, the same way. It doesn't change. Because that's what we expect them to do. We expect them to play every play that way and it not change."

I havent seen much about CCU's defensive philosophy other than using a few fronts and pressures. I think it is a 40 front most of the time.

Clemson-Miami Film Review

DrB — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:58:29 -0000

More photos » by Lynne Sladky - AP

about 1 month ago: Clemson wide receiver Jacoby Ford, right, scores the game-winning touchdown as Miami defensive back DeMarcus Van Dyke (8) defends in overtime during a NCAA football game in Miami Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009. Clemson won 40-37. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

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Read below for video clips and review of each drive of our win against Miami. We wont cover the Press conference again this week but will be looking at the coordinator and coaches interviews.

1st Drive

Clemson moves the ball well here. A little no-huddle up-tempo. I think the first call on the end-around is ok, they are expecting a run inside. A

n arrow route to Spiller nets about 30 yards, he was matched on a LB. Then Spiller comes out already for Harper? It was the same play as the first one but a handoff. Parker leads Ford out-of-bounds, again.
The OL is already giving Parker tremendous time in the pocket. An inside zone play fails because McClain/Walker cant move people out of the way. Spiller catches a short pass and comes out again. Miami blitzes and it looks like either Dye or Parker dont have the right play in mind, looked like Dye should've cut inside on a post and instead ran a fly route. Jackson missed FG.

R, P, R, P-i, P, R, PA P, P-i

Miami starts at their 24.

Conner misses a tackle by being out of position. They are simply running the ball between the tackles and pounding us inside, our guys are not getting off blocks. Hankerson makes a tremendous one-handed catch on a PA. Another PA pass was caught out-of-bounds in our red zone. Another slant route by Hankerson gets a 1st, looks like Chancellor was out of position on his pattern read. Conner comes inside on a blitz and forces an early throw that ricochets off Hankerson's hand over the middle and right into McDaniels arms.

2nd CU drive starts on the 32.

Spiller takes a sweep for a first down. Parker throws a ball away when he had Spiller open underneath, and all day to throw. Intentional grounding is called because McClain decided to just not move his feet and get leverage on the DL, Hairston was also beat on the speed rush. Landon Walker holds on a pass to Ellington that gets us back into reasonable distance range, then a clip between McClain and Harper pushes us further back to 2nd & 49. Ellington takes a handoff for about 4. Spiller on sideline. Zimmerman killed a punt to the UM 34.

R, P-i, R, R that werent nullified by penalty.

Defensive drive

Collier gets 20yds when Alexander gets pushed out of the way. Bowers and Cumbie run downfield to make the tackle. McDaniel was up on the other side of Alexander's blocker and Maye couldnt read the play it seemed. A sprint option play to Cooper for the first was very-well covered, but he still caught it. End of 1st QTR. They have enough success on a few short plays to get into FG range. 3-0 Miami

3rd CU drive starts at our 38.

Jacoby slips after a catch of 12yds, and probably couldve had another 5-7. Clemson ran a good bit of I-formation and had one of Spiller's best gains of the day on the rush on an Iso, great block by Diehl. They seemed to go away from it later.

Harper is stopped on the next lead play, and Miami run blitzes on a Power O play and the DE hits the mesh between Parker and Spiller for the fumble.

R, P, R, PA P-i, R, R-fumble.

Defensive drive

Kevin Alexander really blows up a FB screen play, good job staying out there or he'd have gotten 10-20 yards. Great coverage by Chancellor on Hankerson to stop the drive. Defense forces punt of 47.

4th Clemson drive starts at our 28.

Ford runs a skinny post, taking up the deep safety, and Spiller comes out on a wheel route right down the sideline but Parker leads him too much. Would've been 6. David Smith is playing RT, and getting beat a little by speed rush, he needs to move his feet better. Mason Cloy is in at RG. Clemson still unable to generate running game from Gun sets. We are not fooling anybody. Palmer nets 18 over the middle on 3rd & long. Marquan Jones drops an easy screen because he turned his head upfield, would've been a 1st. Clemson calls a 2nd TO because they cant get the play in on time. Great catch by Allen on another 3rd & long. Slip screen to Palmer for another 1st. Palmer makes a great one-handed catch and TD on a play where he was lined up at RB. 7-3 Clemson

P-i, P, R, R, P, PA P, P-i, P, P, R, PA P. 11 plays 72 yards.

Defensive drive, Miami starts on their 20.

Miami gets a first down in 3 plays. Clemson blows up a screen with a backside blitz, then Miami hits Collier in a shallow cross for another 1st down. They hit the TE on a drag route for 8. Gilchrist comes in unblocked on the backside with Maye to sack Harris. Hankerson runs a post and beats Maxwell for a chunk while Sapp was held. Poor tackling in the secondary and bad angles by the LBs becoming more and more apparent here as they break one for the TD. On the TD play our guys were all in the box against a lead play, and once he gets to the next level he's gone. 10-7 Miami, 10 plays 80 yards 4:24.

CJ does what he does on the kickoff, watch Jacoby stay with it, great effort. 14-10 Clemson.

Defensive drive, Miami starts in good field position after some missed tackles on the kickoff.

Miami calls a run play to start, then a timeout which baffled me. The next play is a handoff to Cooper that gets inside our 40. Terrible tackling in the secondary and Cumbie has to run him down 20 yards downfield. Another timeout is called. I don't see what they are doing here with the clock management. They then put 12 men on the field after the TO to push them out of FG range. A deep ball to the TE down the seam in the endzone was thrown outside and the receiver expected it inside, but he was wide open. Harris throws one up, is rushed a little, and Rashard Hall picks it off.

Halftime

Miami 102 rushing, 112 passing, 5/7 on 3rd down

Clemson 22 rushing, 129 passing, 3/5 on 3rd down

Kick is a touchback. Hankerson is hit on the first play for 22 against zone coverage on a deep crossing route. Butler is all over him 2 plays later to break up a 1st down catch. Epps catches an out route on a TEXAS play for a 1st when Sapp and Bowers fail to execute a ME stunt properly. Chancellor gets flagged for PI on a bullshit call. A missed tackle inside by McDaniel gets them 7 yards. They hit the TE after a TO in the flat inside the 5. Clemson has mixed in a 3-4 front and I'm seeing a little bit of the 46 "Bear" front. A stupid formation call puts them back at the 5 from the 1 yard line, nullifying a TD. Harris hits Hankerson on a shallow cross on the next play and he walks in for the TD. 17-14 Miami. 9 plays 80 yards. Another long drive against the defense. Tackling and bad positions and angles, and the use of crossing routes attacks Man and matchup zone well.

1st Clemson drive starts on our 32

Spiller doesnt hit the hole on the outside zone play for short gain. Spiller catches a ball in the flat, then a toss sweep is strung out to force a 3&Out.

R, P, R

Miami starts on their 17 after a great punt and coverage.

Maye has a big pass breakup. Clemson calls a blitz and Maye sacks Harris right up the A-gap. The RB tried to block him and he ran right through it. 3&out. Punt was short and nearly hits Jacoby Ford on the bounce. It appeared to me like it hit the Miami player #50 Sharpton. GET OUT OF THE WAY GUYS.

2nd Clemson drive starts on the 27

Reverse end-around to Ford gets a 1st down. Good block by Palmer on the safety to spring it. On PA, Spiller finds the endzone on another wheel route. The LB covering him appeared to be gimpy in coverage and shouldnt have been out there. 56 yards. 21-17 Clemson

R, R, P

Miami gets the ball and fumbles, forced by Sapp and Maye.

3rd Clemson drive starts at the 30 or so and Parker has Ford open in the endzone, and doesnt see him. He hits spiller on a comeback in the flat for a short gain. On the next play he is pressured and grabbed by #57, who beat Hairston, then holds the ball out away from his body trying to throw it away, and its stripped and returned for a TD. 24-21 Miami

Clemson had the shot for the kill, and handed the game right back to them.

P, P/fumble

Miami has to kick from their 15, and Spiller is still huffing on the sideline. 4th drive starts on the 27. Ellington takes a screen for a 1st. Hairston and Austin did well to get out and block downfield. Palmer stops over the middle and gets a 1st. An audible by Parker to a rush play gets stopped by a blitz. D. Allen catches another in the seam for a big 1st down inside the 30. Spiller finally comes back in for Ellington and only nets 3 on his first carry. Then the wide open play to Ellington....jesus. How could he be any more open? Throw was high, catch shouldve been made anyway. JUST LOB IT OUT THERE PARKER. Next throw is a little behind Dye, but their DB makes a good play fo force incompletion. Jackson FG 24-24.

P, R, P, R, P, P, R, P-i, P-i

Benton kills another kickoff for a touchback.

Branch destroys a reverse for a loss of 14. Good discipline by him and not lose containment. End of 3rd Qtr. Miami gives Harris plenty of time against a blitz and he hits his WR on a dig for the 1st down to get out of the hole. On the next play J. James runs to the Clemson 25. Maye charged up into a no-hole, Conner charged into his responsibility and Gilchrist was out of position to make that tackle after reading his key.

Two plays strung out and stopped. Harris sacked by Sapp to force the 51 yd FG. 27-24 Miami

5th Clemson drive starts at the 16.

Palmer catches the first play in the flat and gets his clock cleaned by #50 leading with his helmet the ENTIRE WAY. That should be a penalty. About a 20 yard gain. Austin can't pull over to get a block on the DE and the pass to Ford is incomplete. Basically a counter-trap PA fake pass. Same blocking assignment on the next play, and again Austin cant get over to the DE on a QB Draw. Parker scrambles for 4. McClain and the Center cant block the DT on the next play and Parker has to throw it away. Punt

P, P-i, R, R, P-i

Miami starts on the 15, first play is picked off by McDaniel and returned for TD. 31-27 Clemson. Watch McDaniel read his eyes, Harris never saw him. Maye should have blocked #4.

Bad kickoff tackling gets Miami the ball at their 31. Rashard Hall comes up to stop the run into the alley, and leaves Chancellor on an island for the 69yd TD. 34-31 Miami.

6th Clemson drive starts on the 31.

Allen catches a pass in the flat for 6, then Spiller busts a 48 yarder on an inside 34 zone.

Harper is nailed in the backfield on a screen that couldve gone BAD, then a delayed screen to Harper on the next play gets close to a first down. Harper takes a lead play for the first & goal. Diehl fails to catch the first pass in the flat, great call but throw was a bit high because Parker didnt set his feet. Miami strings out the next 36 Iso to Spiller. Clemson calls a Timeout to tell Parker NOT to turn the ball over and throw it away if no one is open. Parker forces the pass into double coverage to Allen for the Phillips pick-touchback. Should've been a tie ballgame here, they give us an opportunity and we choke.

P, R, P, P, R, P-i, R, P-INT.

Defense comes up with a big stop. 3&out. I'm surprised they didnt run a PA pass but they had considerable success running the football inside.

7th Clemson drive starts at the CU 40.

Spiller still off the field to start the next drive. Screen nets 9. Really surprised at how well we're executing screens against Miami. A toss to Spiller gets close to another 1st, Miami strung it out well. Spiller is tackled just shy of the 1st on 3rd down, then we line up in the I and Harper gets the 1st down. I'm so glad we are showing the I-formation so much today. Ashe gets a 1st on the next play. Harper takes a 34 Zone for 8 yards or so, then we screw up the clock management. Play ends with :20 seconds on the clock, and we walk up and try to clock it with :08. 12 seconds wasted before we had to take the TO. We would've had time to run at least one more play and then take a TO. Jackson FG on 2nd down, 34-34.

P, R, R, R, P, R, P, R

Kickoff ends regulation. OVERTIME

Clemson wins toss, plays defense. A stretch play goes for 19. Our LBs got blocked out. Another play goes inside the 5. Bowers got a hand on the RB off-tackle on the next play and McDaniel made the stop on 2nd & Gl. Gilchrist nearly picks off a Harris pass on 3rd down, and it appeared that he was trying to throw it away. FG 37-34 Miami

Parker throws the first PA pass away, looked like Spiller didnt get out in his flat route. A handoff to Spiller gets nothing on 2nd &10. Then Jacoby seals the deal. PA P-I, R, P.

40-37

Defense: Dabo's teleconference showed that nearly 300 of Miami's yards came on 10 plays. There were just too many of them today. Why? Poor tackling on a fast back or receiver will kill you. Bad angles and being out of position will do the same.

Pass coverage was not that bad. Miami used crossing routes to attack the man/matchup zones and with speedy receivers they can be lethal. Matchup zones pass off one receiver to the next defender and there are instances where he is uncovered as he slips to the next defender's zone. Add a missed tackle or bad angle and you have a 15-20 yard gain. Hankerson excels at getting open.

DeAndre McDaniel and Brandon Maye both attributed it to confusion with Miami’s unbalanced line.

“With a lot of stuff me and Marcus (Gilchrist) lined up wrong,” McDaniel said. “Linebackers lined up wrong.

“There were a lot of crazy sets with the eight end as a tackle and two tackles and a guard on the other side. … It took the linebackers out of position a lot. On some plays, the safety and linebacker would be in the same gap and leave a gap wide open.”
“We weren’t getting lined up correctly, which forced some players to play in the wrong gap. It was things we did that caused those big runs they had.

“They did a lot with their formation, creating an unbalanced and putting in a tight end and an extra tackle on the back side, which forces us to have to settle down a little bit and pay more attention to their formation and get in the right gaps. They did a good job with that.”

What he refers to as an unbalanced formation was especially true when Miami lined up in the red zone.

Run defense was abysmal. Often we would have someone able to make a stop, and they'd miss a tackle. Also, our LBs are just average. Maye charges up without reading his keys and gets himself blocked out by attacking the wrong gap. Conner is a better LB with better instincts but was weak in coverage today. Andrews subbed for Alexander in passing downs and was par at best. Secondary support and tackling was worse than the LB corps, even worse angles and I'm not happy with the effort to tackle.

Offense: Zero holes opening up. Spiller got 18 on one play and 48 on another, and that was basically our inside running game aside from a few clutch carries by Harper. Its not that they are just missing assignments, its that they dont move anybody. Only the left side can do it.

Parker-a few bonehead mistakes typical of a freshman, then good reads and plays. I don't think Miami's pass coverage in the middle, particularly their LBs, was good at all. Their corners did manage to contain Ford, but big plays to Spiller and the TEs were against LBs. Our guys are now catching the football too.

Pass blocking gets an A, considering the speed of the line they faced. David Smith got beat on a speed rush, Hairston as well, Austin failed to get over on some counter-trap blocking, but it was still good. McClain needs a foot up his ass at times though.

Playcalling was good, I saw 2 or 3 I would not have run, and I still think we run so poorly out of the shotgun that it needs to be re-evaluated in gameplanning. Good use of PA and the TEs however.

MIAMI highlights, or defensive lowlights if you want to call it that. Clemson highlights from ShoelessCU below.

Post-Spring Previews: Clemson Tigers

Gamecock Man — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:18:52 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

4 months ago: Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney speaks during the Atlantic Coast Conference Kickoff college football media day in Greensboro, N.C., Monday, July 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

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After hosting the Florida Gators in week eleven, USC takes a week off before wrapping up the season with the annual rivalry match with the Clemson Tigers. The Tigers enter 2009 flying distinctly under the radar in Dabo Swinney's first full season as head coach. After underachieving in each of the last few years of Tommy Bowden's tenure, expectations are decidedly lower for the transitioning Tigers this year. However, in many ways this year's Clemson may be better than the Clemsons of years past. James Davis and Cullen Harper are gone, but C.J. Spiller is still around, the offensive line should be a bit better, and there's talent on the defense. Plus, I have a feeling Swinney will excel his predecessor in the coaching department, not that that's saying so much. This team's ceiling will likely be determined by how far either Kyle Parker or Willy Korn go towards becoming top-tier quarterbacks. Parker appears to be the starter right now, but don't be surprised to see Swinney continue to give Korn a look.

Of course, we've floundered horribly in this rivalry series in recent years. Despite not having been an elite team in recent years, the Tigers have generally had their way with us, winning 11 of the past 13, including a few blowouts, such as the 31-14 beatdown last year at Clemson. By contrast, we've won more games against Georgia in the past decade, despite the fact that the Dawgs have clearly been much better than Clemson in that time span. I've heard lots of theories as to why Clemson has owned us, perhaps the most pervasive being that we're simply spent by the time this game comes around. Personally, I don't buy this theory; the ACC may not be as good as the SEC, but it's not a cake walk, as suggested by the fact that Clemson usually comes into this game with almost as many losses as we have. The Tigers could just as easily say that their schedule wears them out, but they seem to always play their best in this game. The opposite could be said for us.

Whatever the case may be, we have to figure out a way to start winning more of these games, and not just for pride's sake, although that's certainly important. Losing a match with the Tigers may not keep us out of the SEC Title Game in the official standings, but it does hurt us on the recruiting trail, which is one of the things that keeps us from being able to challenge Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee in the East. All things considered, we recruit surprisingly well against Clemson considering how badly they usually seem to manhandle us. That has me thinking that if we could turn the tables on them that we could corner the market on the in-state talent. That's what will get us over the hump in the SEC, and that's why Clemson-Carolina is about more than bragging rights.

Let's take a look at how we stack up against the Tigers this year.

Offense

Expect to see Clemson run more spread formations this year than in years past. The Tigers want to get their two best offensive players, C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford, the ball in space so they can make big plays with their speed.

Quarterback

While the Tigers have some talent on offense, they have a big question mark at the position that matters the most. Kyle Parker has won the starting job after solid spring and August practices, but Willy Korn will continue to get looks if Parker struggles. Both are talented, but either way, Clemson will have to rely on a freshman without significant experience this year.

I call this one a push. Stephen Garcia is slightly further along in his development than Parker or Korn and probably has the most upside of the three. However, Clemson has an advantage over us in the depth department.

Verdict: Push

Running Backs

Clemson returns a legitimate Heisman contender in Spiller. Spiller needs no introduction here, as Carolina fans won't be soon to forget what he's done to us over the course of his career. The Tigers will look to Jamie Harper to fill the void left by James Davis. The highly recruited Harper rushed for only around 100 yards last year but will be expected to play a much larger role this year.

I give the Tigers a slight to strong advantage here. We have the talent and depth to have a very good running game this year, but, unfortunately, we don't have a Spiller, who is one of the nation's very best.

Verdict: Slight to strong advantage Clemson

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

Clemson loses some significant players here from a year ago. Gone are receivers Aaron Kelly and Tyler Grisham and end Michael Palmer. The Tigers do return Jacoby Ford, who is a definite big-play threat. However, outside of Ford they have almost no one with any significant experience. Possession receiver and end are question marks for Clemson.

I give Carolina a slight advantage here. Clemson does have the guy with the most career catches, but we have a large number of guys that have proven they're capable, whereas Clemson has no one after Ford. That gives us a key advantage in the depth department.

Verdict: Slight advantage South Carolina

Offensive Line

Last year, offensive line was Clemson's weakness throughout most of the season. This year, though, the more experienced Tigers offensive line should be better. The Tigers only lose one player, center Bobby Hutchinson, and return a solid group of guys with starting experience. Depth may be the only cause for concern.

The Tigers look quite a bit like us here. Both of us should field much better lines in 2009. I'm calling this a push.

Verdict: Push

Let's take a look at defenses after the jump.

Defense

Clemson runs a 4-3 defense. Swinney and coordinator Kevin Steele have said that they plan to be more aggressive than the previous regime.

Defensive Line

The Tigers are strong at end, which they hope will help them generate a better pass rush than a year ago. Da'Quan Bowers is another Gaines Adams in the making, while Ricky Sapp should be good if he recovers from last year's knee injury. The Tigers did lose some key tackles from a year ago, and may struggle to find depth if Jarvis Jenkins or Brandon Thomas go down.

I give Carolina a very slight advantage here, mainly due to greater experience in the starting lineup and questions about how good Sapp will be after his injury. Both teams are in a similar boat in terms of depth, so the team with the most guys still standing by the end of the year may be the one with the advantage when the time comes.

Verdict: Slight advantage South Carolina

Linebackers

The Tigers are pretty solid here. Interior linebacker Brandon Maye is great in rushing defense and will probably lead the team in tackles. Kavell Conner gives them a solid outside guy. The other spot is a little shakier, with Scotty Cooper likely starting now that DeAndre McDaniel has moved to safety. Depth is also an issue.

I give us a slight advantage here. The Tigers don't quite have the star power we have at linebacker, but they should be good nonetheless.

Verdict: Slight advantage South Carolina

Secondary

The secondary is Clemson's defense's strength, as the Tigers return quality experience at every position. Corner Chris Chancellor, who has been very successful against us over the course of his career, is the unit's star. Crezdon Butler is also good at the opposite corner, and the Tigers have quality backups for Chancellor and Butler. The Tigers lose strong safety Michael Hamlin, but they will replace him with the aforementioned McDaniel, who should ably fill Hamlin's shoes. Free safety is a little more of a question mark, but Clemson should be able to figure it out with the talent they have in the secondary reserves.

I give Clemson a slight to strong advantage here. News out of camp has been promising for our young secondary, but the Tigers are unquestionably more of a proven quantity.

Verdict: Slight to strong advantage Clemson

Special Teams

The Tigers will suffer a complete overhaul of their kicking game after losing kicker Mark Buchholz (I'm sure you remember him) and Jimmy Maners. Spencer Benton and Richard Jackson are competing for kicking duties, while Dawson Zimmerman is expected to handle punts. Zimmerman did play some last year and was OK. Clemson does have a potentially explosive return game when Spiller and Ford are returning. Those of you that watched Alabama paste the Tigers last year may remember that one of their few highlights was a long kickoff return for a touchdown by Spiller.

I'll call this a push. We have slightly more stability in the kicking game, the same thing going for Clemson in the return game.

Verdict: Push

Coaches

Dabo Swinney was able to energize the Clemson faithful by finishing the regular season strongly. That finish, of course, included the blowout win over us, which certainly helped Swinney's reputation with Clemson faithful. The true test, though, begins now, after the lustre of that surprise finish has worn off. Swinney is still a coach with very, very little experience, certainly much less than you would expect for a guy in charge of a relatively high-profile program like Clemson. He has to prove that he wasn't a knee-jerk reaction hire--a la West Virginia's Bill Stewart--by having a better than average season this year. He doesn't have to win the ACC, mind you, but he does have the tools to finish in its upper half. If he can't do that--and he fails to beat us--expect the Tigers faithful to immediately begin to question the hire. And rightfully so, I would say; I'm still a bit surprised the Tigers didn't go after someone like Bobby Johnson. If Swinney does well, though, expect the hype machine to begin for the resurgence of Clemson football.

I'll give Steve Spurrier a slight advantage here based on experience. However, as with Lane Kiffin, it's really too early to make many judgment calls about Swinney, so take this comparison with a grain of salt.

Verdict: Slight advantage South Carolina

Overall

My sense is that these are fairly evenly matched teams. Both should have pretty good defenses and both might have OK offenses if a few things fall into place. A few decisive questions jump out at me when trying to decide which will win. First of all, the two teams share inexperience at quarterback. Whether it's Parker / Korn or Garcia that's playing well by November will be a deciding factor in how good these two teams are relative to each other when they take the field. Second of all, Dabo Swinney and his staff are largely an unknown quantity, so their progress will be important. Finally, both teams have some depth issues on defense that may be exposed by the end of the season. The team that suffers fewest injuries at low-depth positions may have an advantage there. I don't have the answers to these questions right now, so I'm just going to go with my heart (and against historical precedent) and call it a close Carolina victory. I'll go ahead and admit that this pick derives at least in part from homerism and unwillingness to pick Clemson. We obviously have a lot to prove against these guys. I do, though, think the talent gap has closed to a certain degree. We're in a place to even up this series. The only thing remaining is to actually do it.

Prediction: 28-24 Carolina victory

Poll

The Clemson game will result in a (elaborate in the comments section)...

Blowout Carolina Victory

10 votes

Close Carolina Victory

26 votes

Close Clemson Victory

18 votes

Blowout Clemson Victory

33 votes

87 votes | Poll has closed