Rivalry Weekend Recap: Clemson vs. Gamecocks

Well, it's been two days now, so I think I am finally able to talk about the game...

Showdown Saturday has already come and gone. This was the weekend that all of the teams wait for. Stadiums were filled to maximum capacity. Bitter rivals left it all on the gridiron to battle for bragging rights for another year. The Clemson vs. Carolina game has once again been played in Death Valley, and for all us Clemson fans, there was very little to rejoice about.

Going into the game, the two teams were evenly ranked, and it was anyone's guessed as to who was going bring home the victory. The two teams had similar records, and both teams had some well known key players. Clemson's offensive stars, Watkins, Hopkins, and Boyd went up against Carolina's top notched defense. The Gamecocks went into the game missing a few of their starting players, Connor Shaw, and Marcus Lattimore, and even Clowney was unsure if he would play in the game or not. The Gamecock's second string quarterback, Dylan Thompson played all four quarters of the game, and preformed quite well considering this game was only his second start of his collegiate career.  Both teams had not been preforming to the best of their abilities in their last games, which added even more confusion to the fans and predictions of the game.

The stadium was roaring as the game kicked off. The game started off with a punt by both teams, and then on the next possession the Clemson Tiger's made the first strike with a short touchdown run by Tajh Boyd. Carolina then completed a 13 yard pass which tied the game at 7. Clemson responded with a long run McDowell and then an explosive 43 yard touchdown pass by Boyd to Hopkins. The drive took only 24 seconds for the Tigers to score and give them a 14- 7 lead which ended the first quarter of play. Unfortunately this was one of the last plays that gave Clemson fans anything to cheer about.

The beginning of the second quarter brought a flurry of punts from both teams. The offensives seem to be stalling and the game seem to be slowing down dramatically. About half way through the second quarter Adam Yates hit a 23 yard field goal for South Carolina which made it a 14 - 10 game, with Clemson barely in the lead. After a few plays on the next drive, Boyd threw an interception, the Clemson defense then held the Gamecocks to a three and out and forced them to punt the ball and that ended the first half of play in this rivalry game. The teams went into the locker room with numerous things to change and discuss.

After half time the Clemson team seemed to begin struggling on both sides of the ball. The offensive line were slowly beginning to give ground against Clowney and the rest of the defensive line of the Gamecocks. Boyd did not seem to be up to par against his normal level of play that we have seen all season long. The Tiger's defensive team seem to be able to barely hang on as Thompson began to gain confidence in his passing game, which lead to Carolina scoring a touchdown on their first possession of the half. After Clemson punted them the ball on their next possession, Yates hit another field goal from 43 yards which game them a 20 -14 lead of the Tigers. Clemson then responded with a  37 yard field goal from Catanzaro to bring it to 20 - 17. The next possession for the Gamecocks consisted of short runs and passes which slowly chipped away at the field and ended the third quarter.

In the final quarter of play there was very little to talk about. Both teams had an interception or two, they both traded punts, and the only points scored was a touchdown by the Carolina Gamecocks. The game ended with a score of 17 - 27 with the Gamecocks gaining the win.

There were several things that contributed to the lose of the game for Clemson. The first was Boyd's lack luster performance on Saturday. This was one of the best defensive line's the team has faced all season long. The Clemson offensive line allowed no sacks versus Maryland and NC State, but the Gamecocks had three sacks within the first 30 minuets of play. Clowney set a school record for the number of sacks in one game. This type of pressure is something the Boyd is not used to having to cope with during a game, which led to the Clemson star receivers getting few catches and few yards, aside from the huge Hopkins catch. Without the famous quick striking Tiger offense that is known for moving down the field quicker than any team, it left us at a huge disadvantage. The constant pressure caused him to be forced to throw on the run and scramble out of the pocket more than he was comfortable with. Another factor to consider is the Tiger defense. This is an aspect of Clemson that has not been consistent this season, and this game was no exception. The defense seemed to struggle with being able to stop the Gamecocks from completing play after play. Towards the end of the game the Tiger secondary finally was able to shut down the passes by Thompson, but then they left the field wide open for him to tuck the ball in and run.

With the loss from the game, that means that the Tigers will be playing in the Chic-Fil-A bowl against either LSU or Georgia on December 31st.

While the Tigers did not win, and this is the fourth year in a row. I'm still proud of all the young men that played on the field, and I'm still proud to say I'm a Tiger fan. Dabo and the rest of the coaching staff can promise that next year will have drastically different results.

Fight Tigers! C-L-E-M-S-O-....N!!!!

Clemson vs. SCAR

by :willsenior's photostream

The game that we all have been waiting for has finally come. Clemson fans wait all year long for the chance to root their Tigers to victory of the Gamecocks. In just a few short minuets the Tigers will attempt to stop the three year long streak South Carolina has had against the Tigers. From the way that both teams have been playing in the last two games, Clemson looks to have a solid chance of winning against the chickens....er, Gamecocks. Spurrier said that Shaw is still having some injury troubles and he will be watched closely. With all of the other injuries that USC is facing, it gives another advantage to our Clemson Tigers.

Clemson's explosive offense will be facing a great South Carolina defensive line. There will be a lot of pressure on our offensive line to hold back the famous Clowney and the rest of the defensive line. If the Clemson offensive line can hold of their defensive pushes, Boyd should have no trouble finding an amazing Clemson receiver down-field. The Tiger offensive team should be able blowing past their defensive secondary with ease. Dabo says he has huge confidence in his O-line to stop their blitz. If the Tigers can hold the USC offensive and force them to punt, the Tigers can wrap up a huge victory which will lead them to the Sugar Bowl.

No matter win or lose. Clemson fans are proud either way. Go tigers!

Bowl Games - where will the Tigers end up

Well the end of the season is almost here. Each football team has battled all season long to get the best bowl game that they can. The last two weeks of games have had results that nobody would have ever of guessed. We have seen underdogs pull through and several might teams fall from the top. With Clemson only having one loss so far,  they will have a great bid at achieving a high quality bowl game.  Unfortunately with FSU beating Maryland (who's surprised?), that means that Clemson will not have a chance to be the ACC champions for a second year in a row, but the Tigers will get the chance for the Sugar Bowl. If the Tigers beat the USC Gamecocks, and also having only one loss against a top team, it will give them their first bid in a long time to the Sugar Bowl. If the Tigers do play in the Bowl, there is a strong chance they will be competing against either Alabama or Georgia. Either team will be a great face-off between the teams. A Clemson vs. Georgia game would be inviting for the bowl game. The two teams have some bitter history between them, which would make for one exciting game.

 If Clemson happens to lose to the Gamecocks (but we won't), chances are they would end up playing in the Gator Bowl. While there is still several unknown factors that go into deciding bowl games, Clemson Tigers are looking promising.

If Clemson would have beaten FSU, there would have been a slight chance we would be in the National Championship talk. So close! With the end of an amazing season so close. Next year's season is starting to become an increasingly more important matter. With the spectacular recruiting class Clemson has lined-up, and still more time to recruit, Clemson might be a huge competitor for a National Championship team next year!

Austin Droogsma - Highlights

The Clemson Tigers have their eyes on Austin Droogsma, an offensive lineman. The 6'4, 300 lbs. from Gulf Breeze, Florida has shown some serious interest in playing at Death Valley. The offensive guard has also shown mild interest in Miss. State, Florida State, and Georgia Tech. Chad Morris has done an excellent job at showing the impact the football player can have on the Clemson program. He is the #40 offensive guard in the nation. Coaches say he says a lot of potential to be excellent at the collegiate level of play.

These are a few of his highlights from his junior year of high-school. The young man shows a lot of promise and potential. Who knows how great he could be after a few years working with the Clemson Tigers offensive program.

The video is on YouTube, courtesy of GameChangers

In Honor of Veteran's Day.

In honor of Veteran's Day. Here are two videos of a Clemson Player, who is also a war Veteran. Daniel Rodriguez, who was serving in Iraq when he decided he want to go back to college and be a football player.
 
This is the story of the brave soldier that decided he wanted to become a Tiger. Very inspirational story for anyone who hasn't heard it. All of the Tiger players and fans are very proud of this young man.


To all of you Veteran's, Thank you.




This is Daniel at the beginning of the Virgina Tech game, which was also Military appreciation day, as he is about to lead the Tigers down the hill. Which is a dream come true for him. These few seconds are some of the most exciting and emotional you will ever see on The Hill.











Neither of these videos belong or were made by me. Obviously.

Missing something?

Do you find yourself wanting more Clemson information? Feeling like your not getting your Tiger fix for the day? ESPN not quite enough for you? Well do I have a solution! Go on over to this blog for some extra stuff you might not be getting from anywhere else! You will not be disappointed!

Maryland recap.

taken by Ken Lund

After the Maryland "game" (I wouldn't call it a game), there are a few things that the Clemson recruiting staff can get out of it. There were a lot of the same problems that the Tigers face every game. With a win of 45-10, and only three turnovers, the coaching staff cannot be too disappointed in the way the offense performed. If you took a look at any game recap, you will notice a lot of offensive players highlighted, and almost no important defensive plays
Maryland was using there 5th string quarterback. That is not a typo. They have been plagued with injuries this season. Shawn Petty, a transformed linebacker, was behind the helm as the Maryland's quarterback on Saturday against the Tigers. This game was one of the few that the Clemson defense has seem to be worthy of mentioning. The defense even was able to secure a touchdown. They defense held the Terrapins to a lowly 180 total offensive yards.  While this number may seem to be surprising for all you Tiger fans, the staff must keep in mind..It was the 5th string quarterback! Shawn Petty has not played at the position since he was a senior in high-school. While I am as proud of Clemson as the next guy, I believe this was a misleading victory.With that being said, I do not think that is a turn around for the Clemson Tiger defense. I'm sure that next Saturday, we will all see the same old Clemson defense we have grown to know and love. Personally I am hoping that this game might be able to light a fire under the defensive secondary and give them all a boost of confidence that they need to stop the big plays.
Hopefully the staff was still paying attention to the coverage the linebackers and safeties were putting on the Maryland receivers. If Petty would have had the experience of most other FBS quarterbacks, it would have been no problem for him to hit the open receiver for some big plays.