mogrits on 
AParker on 
Willy Mac on I was disappointed in the inability of Clemson coaches and players to adjust; the defense’s inability to adjust to the fake handoff play TCU QB Dalton ran over and over and over and freaking over, and Billy Napier’s inability to put any real fold in the Clemson offense other than “just get it to CJ” not to mention the glaring ineptitude of the offense anywhere near sniffing distance of the end zone. Maybe blame it on a combination of a wet ball, TCU pressure, and the continued mediocrity of our receiving corps (minus Jacoby Ford), but Kyle Parker didn’t look too stellar throwing the ball. That’s not a call to insert WILLY KORN, because with the way our coaches seem to work, any talk of him getting a fair chunk of playing time is just dust in the wind. He’s done, and the rumors will continue to swirl about him transferring to App State or wherever until he actually does so.
When Parker was able to zone in on a target, they either slipped (hey guess what, wet grass is slippery!) or completely bungled the catch. Dabo stated on Sunday that there were at least 5 plays where wide open receivers couldn’t catch the ball. Unacceptable. Get those guys out catching tennis balls like the Texas Tech receivers do (or maybe we do that already and they need it explained to them that the tennis ball is just for practice and not a real gametime situation). CJ Spiller had a good day on an injured limb and our offensive line provided more protection for the backfield than some thought would be possible. Spiller joined Reggie Bush as the only players “in college football history to record career totals of 1,000 receiving yards (1,067), 2,500 yards rushing (2,623), 1,500 kickoff return yards (1,534) and 500 yards in punt returns (541)” - source. Though Spiller did it without having a house bought for him and his family by some schyster agent. The o-line seems to be improving incrementally with each game, despite the fact that our playcalling seems at times to be stalled.
The defense that is one of our strong points seemed baffled by the fakes TCU threw at them and demonstrated a hardheaded inability to adjust. There were also shades of the Vic Koening days with the defense holding strong for a couple plays only to give up huge chunks of yardage.
SCORE A DAMNED TOUCHDOWN IN THE RED ZONE, CLEMSON OFFENSE. THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111!!1!!1!ONE!1!EXCLAMATION!!!
Anyway, Clemson lost a close game to a good team. There are worse outcomes, but at the same time I think that moral victories are for high schoolers. Napier needs to do some homework and/or our receivers need to step the hell up, and our team needs to grow some balls in the red zone.
Actual writers have this to say:
Swinney believes Tigers are progressing
Clemson-TCU – thumbs up, thumbs down
Clemson football falls to Texas Christian
Spence wasn’t the problem
TCU’s Dalton runs wild
1Willy Mac
on Sep 28, 2009 at 7:55 am:
What really sucks about this is we’ll probably crush Maryland, feel good about ourselves, then drop one to Wake at home, or even worse, get crushed ourselves.
2JasonL
on Sep 28, 2009 at 8:15 am:
Where did the Steele Curtain defense go?
3Daniel
on Sep 28, 2009 at 8:41 am:
Damn I hope we beat Wake (assuming we beat Maryland) – Wake has looked rough and have never beaten us at Death Valley under Grobe. This certainly isn’t the best team he’s brought to Clemson and I would like to think this isn’t the worst Clemson team he’s faced.
4Aaron Neville's Pet Tick
on Sep 28, 2009 at 8:45 am:
I hate when players forget fundamentals. Just catch the damn football.
5Riggs
on Sep 28, 2009 at 9:10 am:
No, we’re going to beat Maryland, Wake, CC, NC State, and Virginia. If we beat FSU, we go to ACCCG, so . . . dream in one hand and crap in the other.
My calculations show that as a 7-5 season, with a bowl win making it 8-5. I really think we can go 8-4 with a win over SC or FSU. If our WRs/QB start syncing, we could go 9-3 with a bowl loss to make it 9-4. (or possibly 9-5 with an ACCCG loss!)
I still consider this a rebuilding year for our QB and wide receivers, but if they don’t get their shit together, next year will suck.
6JasonL
on Sep 28, 2009 at 9:33 am:
Yeah, we’ll hit a 5 game win streak. Heck, “the U” doesn’t look unbeatable right now. But then again, after the BC win, I thought stuff too
7Jon
on Sep 28, 2009 at 10:26 am:
I love the people hating on the defense.
They gave up a fluke 60yd pass that led to a score and that second touchdown was just an unbelievable catch. The CB played it perfectly, but the WR just made a play.
They gave up 14 pts to a top 15 team. 14 pts.
If the offense could get into the end zone, or Richard Jackson sank that first FG, we win. If the score is 14-10, the defense isn’t the problem.
8Joe
on Sep 28, 2009 at 11:01 am:
Yeah I have to agree here, how many three and outs did our D produce last Saturday? They got hosed in every way possible on the first touchdown drive. Our offense had plenty of time to win it and didn’t.
9Chili
on Sep 28, 2009 at 11:13 am:
@7 Obviously our defense is our strong point and any criticism leveled at them is taken with that in mind, the negatives discussed are only so negative. There were fluke plays that aided TCU, but there were also drives where they rolled up 33 yards in the first two plays. The defense did a good job only giving up 14 points to TCU, but again it’s a team known primarily for its defense, not its offensive attack, regardless of whether they’re a top 15 team or not. Also thanks for typing that twice, sometimes I’m slow and things have to be repeated.
And yes, if this happened and if that happened, we would’ve won, but that’s been the story for years, hasn’t it?
The offense is the problem, we all know that, but there are some things on the defensive side of the ball worth noting. Primarily, the lack of ability to adjust to the TCU QB plays.
10AParker
on Sep 28, 2009 at 12:18 pm:
Anyone want to help start a petetion on getting Rob Spence to come back?
11Riggs
on Sep 28, 2009 at 12:37 pm:
@10 Ahhh! Ahhhh! No, no Nooooooo!!!!
12dwight_clark87
on Sep 28, 2009 at 1:12 pm:
@10, only if you want a bubble screen shoved up your tuchus.
I read a few articles about the loss (thanks for the links, Chili) and thought the Post and Courier piece on (I’m paraphrasing) “Don’t Blame Rob Spence” was ridiculous. The author of the piece quotes stats from three full seasons under Spence and it is clearly too early to compare Napier’s tenure to Spence’s. Inflamatory foolishness.
It was a depressing loss, it was a poorly executed game, but it’s not like TCU was Virginia Tech and Clemson has lost to them five straight years. Let’s see what happens this week against The Blob and his turtles.
13ichaseferalcats
on Sep 28, 2009 at 2:42 pm:
@ 7,
I’ll certainly agree that when our defense only allows 14 points nine times out of ten (or maybe even better odds) we should win the game.
But at the same time, it isn’t against the rules for the defense to win the game for us. We could have won the game 10-7 if they stop TCU’s fourth quarter touchdown drive.
Completely utterly frustrating game (not unlike a lot of Clemson games over the last few years). I had a feeling of dread when Jarvis Jenkins had the face mask penalty called against him. I said right there it was going to cost us and it did (it’s a terrible thing when you start to believe you’re team is doomed in the first 3 minutes of the game by a penalty but that was also based on the belief the cliche that every play counts would actually be the case in this game). Then they get the fluke 58 yard tipped pass play and I’m like fuck. Maxwell had great coverage on TCU’s TD grab in the fourth and the ball came about two inches from touching the ground only to end up in the lap of TCU’s WR. It’s raining like a monsoon when we are having to throw the ball to move on offense and then add to that our WR’s can’t catch (or our SR TE Michael Palmer) then add in a redshirt freshman at QB. Not to mention the Jaron Brown catch called back on an illegal procedure penalty, a missed FG by a guy that’s been money in every pressure situation he has been in this season, and on the last play of game on offense for Clemson that Marquan Jones probably should have caught and you start the believe GOD hates Clemson football – if there is a God that is.
At some point our team needs to learn how to be clutch. We should be able to win a tight game by making plays down the stretch.
We do have some positives from the game. The effort was there again. We ran the ball on a team that nobody runs on. Jerry Hughes only had two tackles the entire game and none for a loss. Our line allowed no sacks. I thought Napier improved on his play calling (though he still has a ways to go) but we still have problems executing the plays. Parker improved in looking off the primary targets for the most part. He made some great throws, missed some throws he shoud have/could have made, but we also still had a shit ton of critical drops. Defense was solid even if the gave up a few big plays.
The biggest positive is as of right now we look to be the best team in the Atlantic with FSU looking to be just enough Jekyll and Hyde like to lose another ACC game or two – hopefully one of them being to us.
In reality most reasonable Clemson fans predicted us at 8-4 with our hardest games to be GT, TCU, NC State, Miami, and FSU. We have lost two of them which gets us behind but it’s still very much in the realm of possibilities for beat 2 of the final three of NC State, Miami and FSU. I might still have concerns about us winning close games against our better competition but I don’t have as nearly as many concerns about us winning against Maryland, Wake, and Viriginia – aka shitting the bed Tommy style. The Tommy Bowden Bitch Mentality seems to have lost a good bit of its power.
I know it’s hard to be optimistic considering this team resembles Tommy’s teams of the near past in not quite being able to come through in the end. But I also see a team that plays with great effort, coaches who seem willing to adjust and make changes and maybe most importantly…a head coach who walks the sidelines with an air of supreme confidence.
We may very well need to make some changes at the end of the year (almost every coach on the offensive side of the ball) but as of right now oddly I don’t feel like this is the same ole’ Clemson team. We have an incredibly shitty Maryland team and a bye week. A lot of time to get things sorted out for a run at the end of the year. If fan is short for fanatic shouldn’t I be optimistic?
14Willy Mac
on Sep 28, 2009 at 4:18 pm:
TL; DNR
15A770Tiger
on Sep 28, 2009 at 9:13 pm:
@13. What the hell, I’ll take a shot of what you’re drinking. At this point, I need a fuckin’ shot of anything. So, Feralcats for President and GO TIGERS!!!
16thedabokoolaid
on Sep 28, 2009 at 10:34 pm:
@10 just….what the heck? thats all i can say to that.
17Daniel
on Sep 28, 2009 at 11:46 pm:
I’d let Parker call all of the plays at the line of scrimmage before bringing back Spence.
18thedabokoolaid
on Sep 29, 2009 at 9:36 am:
better play callers than rob spence? hmm….jad dean….austin powers….madea…..harold and kumar….
19AParker
on Sep 29, 2009 at 10:11 am:
So I’ve got a confirmed list of 4 people who want him back. I’ll put down your names:
thedabokoolaid
Daniel
Riggs
dwight_clark87
Thanks for your support, we’ll get Coach Spence back here as soon as the Greg Paulus experiment is over
20CUvinny
on Sep 29, 2009 at 11:30 am:
I was pissed after the game and all but I’m ready to start sunshine pumping again. The O-line looked good. No sacks and only a few plays went for negative yardage. The play calling got us in a position to win several times. At some point it lands on the players to make a play.
The main problem at this point is the shitty shitty receiver efforts we are getting at this point. Jeff Scott isn’t getting the job done obviously and it makes me angry that he got the job because of nepotism.
21CUVince
on Sep 29, 2009 at 12:38 pm:
@19 put me down too. I still owe him a fist to the britches for the rude manner in which he treated my wife and I.
22sharp
on Sep 29, 2009 at 2:10 pm:
@ 20 – good point on the play calling. I heard something on MNF last night…”great play call and great execution by the offense.” This is something that so many forget. They’re quick to blame the play calling, which has its flaws, but the guys have to execute the play called. It’s not all Napier’s fault, it’s not all the players’ fault.
I’m watching the replay on CSS right now, since I was somewhat hammered on Saturday. I’ll have more later.
—Hold up, I just saw the 4th and 1 from the 2nd quarter. Spot looked legit, OL just didn’t get the push.
23dwight_clark87
on Sep 29, 2009 at 2:23 pm:
@19 Don’t let your crayon break. I’d bet that Piggly Wiggly bag is difficult to write on.
@22 Excellent point. Also, I think the weather was much more of a factor than we want to admit. Still, that’s just an excuse and this Tiger team doesn’t need any more coddling.
24Joe
on Sep 29, 2009 at 2:28 pm:
Guys that whole “the play calling was good, the players just didn’t execute was the same line of bs we had to tell ourselves to make us feel better with Bowden. I am not saying lets all get our torches and run Napier out of town. However we need to make it known that the fan base is not behind the playcalling. We should not be behind any offense wich gets into the habbit of; run, run, run, run, screen, run.
There is no flow in our play calling right now. We need more play actions after we run several times. The run does not set up the screen pass at any time. The screen works consistantly when the opposite team is rushing alot of players ONLY.
However how can we rely on down field passing when our recievers don’t even seem to be trying to catch the ball. I mean they can’t be.
25Chili
on Sep 29, 2009 at 5:30 pm:
I did read an article this week stating that we are only two plays away from being undefeated and I wasn’t sure if it was 2009 or 2008. Ugh, or 2007 etc etc. Only x amount of plays away from (insert respectable umattained goal here).
26Riggs
on Sep 30, 2009 at 7:37 am:
In college I was only two girls away from a threesome.
27Tom
on Sep 30, 2009 at 11:43 am:
I thought the playcalling was actually pretty good. I also thought the defense was excellent and that “fake handoff” by the QB of TCU is called an Option Read play. It works well because it happens so close to the line that by the time you know who’s got the ball, he’s gone. Our defensive ends kept flying to the RB so the QB kept making the right read. No rocket science, but hard to defend. Completely different from our running plays in which the handoff happens 7 yards in the backfield and the QB has no read option to make.
Here’s what I think we did poorly and why:
1) Receiving – we can’t catch and we can’t run routes. This is a coaching problem. Ford, our best receiver, dropped a sure first down on the first drive of the game that foreshadowed things to come. He would have had an easier time catching it if he had just run a crisp route, but still, he should have caught it.
2) Rushing – our running plays develop too slowly and our runningbacks hesitate to hit the hole. This may work out from time to time for a big play but whenever the D stiffens up (red zone, 3rd and short, etc) it results in no gain. This is a coaching problem, should be handled on day one of training camp.
3) Game Management – Our defense was one fluke catch away from a shutout when we decided to go for it on 4th down. Makes no sense, especially when we can’t run worth shit. Punt the damn ball and play D. Also, let’s not even mention the last minute of the game. Poor coaching.
4) Quarterback – While Parker did a great job and made some great throws in bad conditions, he also showed a tendency to drift to the right side of the field. I’m glad that he steps up in the pocket and looks downfield instead of drifting out the back, but after that he should either throw the ball or tuck and run. Drifting to the right takes away half of the receivers and turns 2nd and 5 or less into 2nd and 10. The one exception would be a desperation situation like our second to last possession. Quarterback play has been pretty good but even something as picky as this is a coaching problem.
Execution and play design are both culprits and both are coaching problems. Playcalling was actually decent, in my opinion.
28Willy Mac
on Sep 30, 2009 at 11:52 am:
@2-13, & 15-27 – Nerds? On my blog?… Yeah, I said it.
29Tom
on Sep 30, 2009 at 11:53 am:
PS I offer solutions to these problems on my blog.
30Chili
on Sep 30, 2009 at 11:57 am:
@29, something other than GO BACK IN TIME HIRE PAUL JOHNSON?
31AParker
on Sep 30, 2009 at 11:57 am:
I offered a solution too, we should bring back Rob Spence, cause I want the glory days back. Bubble screen…
32Tom
on Sep 30, 2009 at 12:04 pm:
PPS – nevermind, looks like blogger dropped that post… damnit
33Tom
on Sep 30, 2009 at 12:05 pm:
@30 – or just hire him now… but no, it was something Dabo could do. Unfortunately blogger seems to have barfed all over me just now… shiiiiiite
34Willy Mac
on Sep 30, 2009 at 12:19 pm:
@29-33 – NNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRDDDDDDDDDSSSSSSS!! NERDS! NERDS! NERDS! NERDS! NERDS! NERDS!
35Tom
on Sep 30, 2009 at 12:35 pm:
sorry for so many posts… I redid my blogger post, here’s the pertinent part:
That being said, here are a few things I think we should do in order to improve the offense:
1) Route Running drills – After practice conditioning for receivers should be route running drills. They should have to run them perfectly or get back in line and run them again. This should progress through at least 10 different routes, 3 times each.
2) Ball Catching drills – Texas Tech uses tennis balls. Jerry Rice used bricks. Either way, let’s come up with some catching drills that will get our guys to focus on the damn ball. Running better routes will make catching easier, but catching drills will attack the problem directly. Also we should institute practice rules like they do in the pro’s, where if you drop a pass you pay a penalty. In college, that penalty can be several things: gassers, more study time, extra weights time, stadium steps, etc.
3) Running Play Construction – Our coaches need to go back to the drawing board when it comes to most of our running plays, and some passing plays need to be re-considered for inclusion. For running plays, I love the fact that we’re using the fullback more often, but we need to get the RB to the hole much faster and this involves where the RBs line up, where they take the handoff, and their run progression. In case this isn’t it already, our RBs should be coached on the following run progression: 1) take the handoff, 2) hit the hole, 3) make one cut (if needed), 4) run your landmarks (hash, numbers, sideline). This should be reinforced in the film room by showing how plays have opened up in actual games only to be shut down before the ball is advanced, and it should be reinforced in practice by using the non-contact periods to practice timing.
4) Pass Play Construction – We completely neglect the quick-hitting upfield passing game. We have the fastest receiver in the nation (Ford) and yet he’s only caught one quick slant in his career (last year vs Nebraska.) The success of that one play should have shown the coaches something they should incorporate in the gameplan each week. We need to include the plays that get the ball upfield and get it upfield fast. Screens have been used sparingly this year and that trend should continue. The tight end has been used sparingly this year and that trend should be reversed. We have a young quarterback with receivers that are letting him down: make the tight end the second receiver in the progression, he presents an easy target for the QB and he attacks the middle of the coverage, usually a weak spot.
5) Quarterback Progression – We need to get Kyle Parker to make a decision after he’s stepped up into the pocket: run or pass. He is doing a great job of making his drops, scanning the field, then stepping up into the pocket (instead of drifting out of the back.) Now we need him to either deliver the ball or to pick up a quick 5 yards if nobody is in front of him. I love his ability to keep the play alive, but we need to keep drives alive and our current habit of having the QB slide out to the right side is just not getting it done.
I’m sure there’s more but that’s all I can think of right now.
36Judge Jeff Davis
on Sep 30, 2009 at 1:51 pm:
WHO SAID FEAR THE TURTLE??? FUCK THE TURTLE!!! Dabo needs to stuff it up Friedgen’s big ol’ hairy stinkhole this weekend. We gotta quit being BITCHES in the red zone and punch it into PAYDIRT. FUCK NERDS. Maryland is just crab cakes bc they can’t play FOOTBALL up there. ORANGE IN THE ENDZONE, MOTHERFUCKERS!
37dwight_clark87
on Sep 30, 2009 at 4:12 pm:
@36 All that AND their state flag is weird looking. Looks like it was designed by a Frenchman on acid.
38Willy Mac
on Sep 30, 2009 at 4:15 pm:
@ 35-37 – More nerds? GET EM! NNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEERRRRRDDDSSSSS!!!!
39AParker
on Sep 30, 2009 at 4:37 pm:
@35, I have a solution to each of your ideas:
1) Tell them that Dwayne Coleman is going to come back, where he will “done smoked it all” to all of their precious stuff, and then they would work harder I promise you they would
2)Texas tech catches tennis balls? Jerry Rice catches bricks? Hell, here at Clempson we are going to take it one step further, we’re going to catch cooked sphagetti noodles. Yeah thats right, the qb is just going to release a plate full of Tony’s finest sphagetti and our guys are going to catch each individual string. Hows our sphagetti? Go ask your fucking neighbor.
3-5)This is where Rob Spence comes in, bring him in and bam, we go back to awesome.
40dwight_clark87
on Sep 30, 2009 at 4:54 pm:
@28, 34, 38 -Wil Wheaton just sent me a tweet about that. It is confirmed.
41Willy Mac
on Sep 30, 2009 at 4:58 pm:
And the award for ending my slightly funny yet run-into-the-ground very early bit is….
DC87! Confratulations!
42dwight_clark87
on Sep 30, 2009 at 5:03 pm:
I owe it all to those youngsters. Just so gosh-darn proud of ‘em.