I know what you're thinking... it's a little late to do a prediction, football season started Saturday... well, I'm throwing a change-up. It wouldn't make sense to do any sort of predicting before seeing the first game of the year seeing as we have a new coaching staff and a lot of new faces on the field. Now that I've gotten a chance to see how the team is going to react in an actual game situation I think I have a good idea of how this year may pan out.
First let me just say a few things about the
win against Middle Tennessee. Watching this game was a refreshing experience (aside from the rain and humidity of the second half.) Having been to the Gator Bowl last year and suffered through that debacle, I really didn't know what to expect this year at all. Saturday some of my fears were put to rest and I saw some really positive things. Most importantly, we have a quarterback. We have a bona fide team leader, an athlete that commands the game, Kyle Parker. This guy was extremely impressive in his first ever college football game. He had great poise in the pocket, he showed the ability to move around to get extra time without panicking, and he even took off for a few nice gains using his feet. When he threw the ball, he used the right speed and touch to deliver the passes appropriately for the situation. Unlike our last 4 quarterbacks, he didn't drift backwards out of the pocket. (This has been a big problem for a while, and one of the reasons less astute observers have blamed the offensive line for our woes.) We've still got to see how Parker reacts against adversity and against a better defense, but he showed he has what it takes to really get the job done. I think the best thing about seeing Parker perform was knowing that if Tommy Bowden was our coach Parker would be on the bench. Now that we're free of coaching through ego and hype we can make adjustments to get the best team on the field and hopefully win games.
Offensively we showed that we are a team with a new coach and a new quarterback. I was relieved that the playcalling wasn't as atrocious as last year, but I was unnerved at the lack of execution shown by our more veteran players. Unlike the Gator Bowl, I think we only ran two "junk" plays (bubble screens, reverses, etc) and in fact we used a lot of traditional formations (a fullback even) and fundamental play calls. We saw a lot of pass plays that were designed to move the ball upfield instead of east and west. It was great to see an offensive strategy that revolved around running the ball and keeping the defense honest by attacking them through the air. If our receivers had caught the ball more often (Parker suffered a Willie Simmons-like fate in the first quarter) we may have developed more rhythm. When we get our feet under us we should have a pretty solid offense. Some other quick thoughts:
- Willy Korn is a bust. Kind of like Barack Obama, he was billed as the Messiah, but he sucks. I hope to see him holding a clipboard and wearing a hat for the rest of his Clemson career.
- Rendrick Taylor needs to be a possession receiver or try something on defense. He runs like a 250 pound castle of cards. He looks like he's going to hit the hole and tear up the defense, but as soon as a slight gust of wind hits him he goes straight to the ground.
- CJ Spiller is a tremendous athlete but I hope we see more of Jamie Harper in the backfield. He's an actual runningback.
Defensively I was very impressed. We allowed one scoring drive at the start of the second half but in all fairness we did have some of the second stringers in at that point (the defensive front especially.) What I liked the most was how we went after the ball aggressively instead of sitting back and keeping the receivers in front of us. We got pressure through the front four and some blitzing and our defensive backs capitalized on that by going after the ball and getting interceptions. Again it was a refreshing change of pace. We need to improve against the run, we were still a little soft up front, but we looked pretty good overall.
Special teams play was excellent. Again we have to remember that the opponent was not very talented, but still it was great to see Spiller and Ford score on kick returns. If we can get good return yardage all year it will really help out our offense which is presently the weakest part of the team. A kick return for a touchdown in a big game will probably mean the difference for us this year as we aren't just going to over power any respectable team on offense.
OK, so how is this going to translate into the rest of the year? Well, here is what I think:
Thu, Sep 10 at Georgia Tech - Loss
Paul Johnson showed last year that he's a great coach and he is turning Georgia Tech into a powerhouse. We are not ready for this challenge yet. Our offense can generate points and big plays but we are not consistent enough yet to face Georgia Tech. They are going to run that triple option until we're blue in the face and our defense is going to be worn out. If our offense could chew up the clock and put together long drives then we might have a chance. Unfortunately, we do not. Georgia Tech Wins.
Sat, Sep 19 Boston College - Win
BC had an impressive score in their opener, but I still don't think they are a good team without Matt Ryan. With the extra couple of days from the GT game our offense will hopefully start to find its rhythm and will come out swinging against BC.
Sat, Sep 26 TCU - Loss
This is going to be our most important regular season game. TCU is going to come into this game with a chip on their shoulder. Their coach is already saying that they are out to prove that the BCS was wrong for snubbing them last year, so supposedly they think they're going to have a BCS caliber record at the end of the year. This is a game that will be a turning point for our guys. If we go out and put TCU in their place and come up with a big win, it could turn this season into something special. If not, we can still salvage a good year and an appearance in the ACC title game. I think our offense is going to come together by this point but I just don't think we're ready for a challenge this big. TCU, despite getting no respect, is a good football team. If we get a couple of big plays on special teams we could pull the upset, but I just don't think we're there yet.
Sat, Oct 3 at Maryland - Win
Maryland showed us against Cal that they are just a weak team. We should win this game easily. We might start slow because of the big game the previous weekend, but hopefully that won't bite us.
Sat, Oct 17 Wake Forest - Win
Another weak ACC opponent. No reason this game shouldn't be a snooze fest. This game should be over by half time.
Sat, Oct 24 at Miami - Win
Miami has some running backs this year, and that scares me. They will have a good defense simply because they always do. Their problems at quarterback will bite them though and I think our defense will come up big with some turnovers. Should be a close game, but I think we will win.
Sat, Oct 31 Coastal Carolina - Win
As a fan it may be disappointing that this game is so late in the season. Fans want every home game to be a big thriller against a big team that will get us on the headlines of Sports Center. I can see why, I mean our campus is amazing on the day of a big game. I really can't think of anywhere I'd rather be. That being said, this is a great opponent to have at this juncture in our schedule. We will use this as an opportunity to heal up some injuries, get some younger guys some snaps, and try and get our legs back under us for the following weekend.
Sat, Nov 7 Florida State - Win
If this game was at Florida State it might be a different story. It's not though. FSU is better than they were last year but they're still no powerhouse. Bobby used to win on speed alone and that just doesn't work any more.
Sat, Nov 14 at North Carolina State - Win
NC State is really going to have to turn things around if they are going to challenge us this year. Their offense was totally inept against SC and their defense wasn't much better. At this point we will be rolling along. The only problem I can see going into this game is that me might have a let-down game after FSU.
Sat, Nov 21 Virginia - Win
Oh how the mighty have fallen. Just a few short years ago Virginia was an NFL talent producing mega-power (or so we were told) and now they are losing to FCS teams. Ouch.
Sat, Nov 28 at South Carolina - Win
If my predictions have been right up to this point (which is a big if) then there is no way in hell we're letting those craptastic cocks ruin our great season. In fact if our offense is hitting on all cylinders then this is going to be a blowout the likes of 63-17 and SC will send yet another college legend to the coaching graveyard. Actually I don't even think it will take a blowout: Steve Spurrier is done after this year, mark it down.
That brings our tally to 10-2 with losses against Georgia Tech and TCU. Injuries or suspensions could change this outlook completely, but at this point I think we have an easy enough schedule and the right amount of talent and coaching to get a ten win season. This could propel us into the ACC championship game where we'll face either GT or VT and I think we will lose. That will still be a great year though and especially good for a first year head coach and first year quarterback. Florida State and Miami are both dangerous opponents that could easily take away one of those wins, but on the flip side, we could scare the daylights out of TCU in Death Valley and come up with some big plays and pull of a major upset, which could possibly propel us to even greater heights.
Even though I'm not sold on Dabo just yet, if our first game is any indication of the type of playcalling we're going to see all year, I really do see us having a 10 win season. If he slips back into trick play Bowden mode then it might be really ugly and hard to watch (like the Gator Bowl) but here's to hoping that doesn't happen. Maybe we'll get another shot at the Gator Bowl this year and make up for last year's performance!
Labels: Clemson, football
+newsvine
+digg
+del.icio.us
+reddit
