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Posted by Chili
James of NC State blog Riddick & Reynolds was kind enough to swap Q&As with me about our upcoming matchup against the Wolfpack. Here’s his answers to my questions, my responses to his queries are right here.
1. I watched the FSU game and was very impressed by Mustafa Greene. I’m already plenty familiar with Russell Wilson’s exploits, but I would assume State will continue to rely heavily on Greene after seeing BC’s runningback tattoo the Tigers last week. Would you agree with a run-happy scheme against Clemson?
“Moose” has been a real treat this season. A lot of State fans were scratching their heads in the fall when we learned neither of the anticipated running backs would be 1-2 on the depth chart but rather those positions would be filled by a true freshman and a converted d-back. Both have played well and earned the respect of the fans, especially Mustafa.
I watched him very carefully during that FSU game and what really stood out to me was his downfield vision. He kept his head up, reading the flow of the play the entire time, searching for any place to make a cut or gain extra yards. A lot of backs, particularly freshmen, tend to focus on one read and completely miss a developing hole. He also seems to have that knack to gain yardage after contact, even at the line of scrimmage, such that a sure no-gainer nets at least a yard or two. That can make the difference between a 3rd-and-4 versus a 3rd-and-8.
Looking at the halftime stats at the FSU game, I was surprised we hadn’t run it more. Both Mustafa and our other back, Dean Haynes, were averaging over 4 yards a carry, yet our coaches seemed hell-bent on passing. I’ve always believed you should run it until they can stop it, and we did that in the second half. It made all the difference in the comeback.
I expect State will try to establish the run from the get-go Saturday. It seems to be working, Clemson’s run defense is below average, and the Tiger’s pass efficiency defense is conversely well above average. I’ll be disappointed if we don’t rely heavily on the run game.
2. Another standout NC State guy is Nate Irving. How do you expect him to affect the game?
Nate just has that football “it.” A nose for the football, instincts, football IQ…call it what you want, but he’s got it. Switching to middle linebacker has somewhat taken away his playmaking ability when teams are passing against us (he has zero interceptions this year versus four in 2008, including that big one in Death Valley I’m sure Tiger fans recall he returned for a touchdown early), but the switch to the middle has only made him a stronger presence in stopping the running game. As the MLB, he gets his fellow linebackers in position and calls out the plays, maximizing the impact of his knowledge of the opponent. He makes so many plays you wonder if he knows the play before it’s snapped; if he’s guessing and gambling, he isn’t guessing wrong very often.
With that said, it has to be somewhat intimidating for a quarterback to watch film of Nate. You can try to scheme away from him, but all that does it take you out of your comfort zone. And his two fellow linebackers–Terrell Manning and Audi Cole–are playing extremely well, so trying to avoid him means you just direct the play into one or both of them.
With Jon Tenuta coaching them, this may be the most talented trio of linebackers we’ve seen in quite some time.
3. What is NCSU’s biggest strong point against the Tigers? What’s their weakest?
Our strong suit heading into this game, just looking at it on paper, would probably be rushing the ball I’d guess. However, I think overall team health, improved depth and smarter play/fewer penalties (we lead the league in fewest penalty yards surrendered) are this team’s strengths regardless of the opponent.
Our weaknesses seem to be the same year in, year out: a soft zone scheme in the defensive backfield that yields a lot of yards on the edges and allows teams to march up and down the field, and our special teams play. We think we’ve found a punter in transfer Andy Leffler, and he punted well against FSU (47.5 yard/punt average), but we still struggle mightily on kickoff coverage. I’m shocked there are three teams in the league worse than us in touchback percentage–it feels like we never get a touchback, ever, and when teams bring it out they seem to get huge returns because we’re outkicking the coverage.
4. Coach Tom O’Brien is having his best season at NC State. I know that before the FSU game there were some moans and groans from the Wolfpack fanbase, but now he’s gotta be golden, right? What’s the feeling around TOB?
I think folks are starting to believe what coach O’Brien insisted last season, that we’re a much better team when healthy. His first three seasons were riddled with injuries…crippling injuries to key players like Nate Irving and Russell Wilson, among others. Now that the worm seems to have turned and we’re enjoying a year where players aren’t falling like flies, good things seem to be happening. He’s earned some goodwill back in that sense, and locking up a bowl berth with four games to go helps immensely in that regard.
Does that mean most of us are 100% back in his camp? Not really. He still makes the occasional puzzling move here or there, and losing the ECU game like we did brought back a lot of naysayers out of the woodwork.
He nearly made another bonehead call against Florida State when he initially sent out the kicking team on 4th-and-6 inches at the end of the game. Dana Bible and Russell Wilson implored him to go for it rather than make the safe play; he listened and the rest is history. I don’t know if 2005 or even 2009 Tom O’Brien “let’s go” enough to trust his team that much in such a critical situation, but he did last week. Honestly, that move won him a lot of points with me and other State fans who tend to view him as a bit too stiff and conservative at times. Which leads nicely into your next question, which is…
5. Is there anything more exciting than the dynamic Tom O’Brien? If there is, name it.
Little known fact: Part of Tom’s re-worked contract includes a provision where local pharmatech giants in the Triangle can synthesize his essence for future sleep aid medications. It’s worth MILLIONS. Yeah, Tom’s sense of humor is slightly dry, which is kind of like saying Ricky Martin is slightly gay (WHAT!?!?! NO ONE SAW THAT ONE COMING!!!!omgmenudo), but his awkward mannerisms, sideline pacing and dry wit are like any other coach’s eccentricities: When you’re winning, it’s somewhat charming. When you’re losing, everybody’s tired of it (See also: The Ol’ Ball Coach).
Posted by Chili
We’ll get to the abomination that was Saturday’s game soon, but for now we wanted to share with you guys a new Clemson blog, Rally Death Valley, created by our friends Thedabokoolaid and A770Tiger. Check it out here.
Posted by Block-C Staff
This week, the babyface to our heel persona’s, From the Rumble Seat, is hosting the ACC Blogger Roundtable discussion. Again, as they come through the shoot we’ll link you to the rest of the bloggers around the league.
From Old Virginia | Testudo Times | College Game Balls | Gobbler Country
Jim Young, ACC Sports Journal | From the Rumble Seat | BCInterruption
Yet Another NCSU Blog | Joe Ovies | On the B.Rink
1. Alright fellas, this is your turn to apologize to the Boston College Eagles who went to Hell and back and have now arrived as the 3rd team for the ACC (and only team in the Atlantic) to be bowl eligible. You know you were snickering in the preseason. Also, give a high five to Mark Herzlich for finishing his last treatment of chemo.
Did you start out our post by jacking it? You just thread jacked our post. We’re not apologizing for shit. It’s not our fault that we fieldgoaled the Eagles to death. They haven’t gone to hell and back. They stink and it’s going to be horrifically evident as the season comes to a close. Even if they do go to a bowl game, they’re going to be sent to some terrible location with a ton of empty seats. That is, if the ACC doesn’t run out of bowls and they somehow secure an at-large bid. They don’t travel, they can’t play football, nobody likes them. There. We said it. Also, good jarb on beating cancer Mark, but the media has shoved it down our throats so much at this point that we kind of can’t stand to talk about it anymore. WE GET IT, you made a miraculous, one-in-a-million turnaround and have been an inspiration to teams and fans. MORE PEOPLE GETTING TACKLED, LESS MAKING US TEARY EYED.
2. An Orange Bowl victory over a Boise/ TCU or an Orange Bowl victory over a Penn State/ Cincy team – which means more for the conference? Is there even a difference?
A bowl victory over any of those teams would be a feather in the hat for Clemson at this point. Regardless, getting into a bowl game with anyone of those teams would please us. Right now though, it’d be awesome to have a second crack at TCU but we already know we could have beaten them. One would have to think that a win over Boise would have the most impact, though. They’ve been the BCS busters, the Cinderellas, and the under dogs for the entirety of recent history. Oh yeah, there’s that whole part where they have a bad ass team this year.
On the other hand, we’ll more than likely wind up with a Cincy/Penn State match up if we get to the Orange Bowl. Both are very good teams. Cincy is a very tough and good team but that wouldn’t get us much respect on the national level. They also seem a bit more beatable as they’ve only faced the 46th toughest schedule in the nation (a generous ranking). Then again, we seem to perform better when we don’t have enough respect from the rest of the nation. A win over Penn State any day for the Clemson program would be huge step for us. Yes, there’s that whole conference strength but in the end it’s a traditional and historic team and it would be a great to see the rematch from the 1987 Citrus Bowl rematch against the Nittany Lions.
A better match up would be if Notre Dame weaseled their undeserving asses into an at-large bid. We’d eat their lunch, puke it up, and make them eat it.
3. Enough with the CJ Spillers, the Christian Ponders, and the Jacory Harrises[sic?]. We wanna talk defense. Who is the defensive POTY thus far in the ACC?
That distinction isn’t leaving the upstate of South Carolina. Anyone that actually pays attention to the conference as an entirety will point to the man who’s tied the lead nationally for interceptions: Clemson’s very own DeAndre McDaniel. He’s got seven interceptions in eight games and even though he’s tied for first, the other guy doesn’t have the massive return yards and a touchdown to make him self stand taller on the stat sheet. You’re a damned fool if you think otherwise. A DAMNED FOOL.
4. Recently, Bird compared the Atlantic to the Big 12 North. Is this a fair comparison? The Coastal is currently 8-2 against the Atlantic. There are still 8 interdivision games left. Can the Atlantic redeem itself this season?
Let’s put it this way, the Coastal division will more than likely submit Georgia Tech as their challenger for the ACC Title. It doesn’t matter who the Atlantic submits (and no I’m not going to say us), your scheme has been around for too long this year and (but I will say this) chances are the team they face will have already played them once. A second chance at Georgia Tech is a blessing because it only takes once to get burnt by that offense. Mark it down: if Georgia Tech does go to the ACCCG and face a team they’ve already played, they will lose.
5. Tailgating is essential to all things football. In Atlanta, the tailgating game of choice is cornhole. What is your game of choice to pass the time?
You guys would play a game called “corn hole” on that male dominated campus of yours, wouldn’t you? (ZING!) Yeah, we’ve got drinking “games” too. Let’s run down a brief list of Clemson-depression themed “games”…
- Drink until you can’t feel feelings.
- Drink until it feels like your face is melting off.
- Hold onto the car door so I don’t fall into the sky because I’m so drunk.
- Do your insides hurt from drinking, too?
- Drink until your veins and heart hurt.
- How many mini bottles will fit into that toilet?
- Drink, fight, forgive (last one is optional)
6. Let’s cut to the chase. There are two kinds of people: sheep and sharks. Sharks are winners and they don’t look back ’cause they don’t have necks. Necks are for sheep. Is your team full of sharks or is your team full of sheep?
Sharks? Sheep? What kind of metaphors are you using? Nice alliteration, but I’ve never heard of that. We’d say sharks, but that’s just because I grew up watching Street Sharks. And they had huge muscles. And they beat mother fuckers up. Plus we’re sure they were engineered some how in a lab so, yeah. Short answer is Defense = Sharks. Special Teams = Sharks. Offense = mixture of both, jury is still out. Woof, a Street Sharks reference in 2009 and a homerish statement. We’re drinking that new super secret batch of Clemson kool-aid that was made in someone’s basement.
7. Create a cocktail in the spirit of your school and explain it to us. Non-edible ingredients are allowed and encouraged.
This is a tail of two cocktails blogger friends. The first would be the Clemson cocktail of old; visualize if you will a tall, cool, frosty highball glass of delicious bourbon with a bit of water settled in over big lumpy rocks of ice. The amber grainy beverage reflects the sunlight of a perfect tailgating day. Looks amazing. You drink it down and as it slides down your gullet something isn’t quite right. The drink looked perfect, but man something just…. isn’t…………… riiiight..
*darkness*
- cut to night -
You awake confused, beaten, sort of uncomfortably damp. You reach up to your face and a tooth is missing. Also your pants are nowhere to be found. You just got Bowdened. Everything looked fucking fantastic until it wasn’t and then you maybe got raped.
Now there is a new kind of Clemson cocktail. Sticking with brown party liquor, it’s a humble plastic tumbler of Jack Daniels on ice with a little good ol Coca-Cola. Humble, and tries to be steady but with the capability of pain. A rusty nail is placed in the drank in lieu of a little umbrella, “COURTESY OF BROOKS & STEELE” is etched in tiny letters along the nail. I wanted to work in something corny here about CJ Spiller and Jacoby Ford-like speed but I couldn’t think of anything so maybe just chug the bastard.
THE END.
Posted by Block-C Staff
This week the ACC blogger round table was hosted by BCInterruption. You can find everyone’s answers posted below. The main points of discussion for consumption is fueled partially by the questions we presented last week. The Atlantic Coast Conference versus the world and how we are faring in that battle. Chili with most of the opinion, Willy Mac with the dressings and editing.
From Old Virginia | Gobbler Country | Testudo Times | College Game Balls
Jim Young, ACC Sports Journal | From the Rumble Seat | Joe Ovies | BCInterruption
Yet Another NCSU Blog | On the B.Rink | Tomahawk Nation
Now that most ACC teams’ non-conference schedules are winding down and we are starting league play, it’s time to take the vitals of the ACC’s play in non-conference action. Here is how the ACC fared against the rest of college football through 4 weeks (based on my back-of-the-envelope math):
| BCS Conference | Record | Win Pct. |
| vs. Big East | 2-2 | .500 |
| vs. Pac 10 | 1-1 | .500 |
| vs. Big XII | 1-2 | .333 |
| vs. SEC | 0-2 | .000 |
| The Rest | Record | Win Pct. |
| vs. MAC | 1-0 | 1.000 |
| vs. I-A Indep. aka Army | 1-0 | 1.000 |
| vs. Conference USA | 2-1 | .666 |
| vs. Sun Belt | 1-1 | .500 |
| vs. Mountain West | 1-2 | .333 |
| vs. FCS I-AA | 9-2 | .818 |
| Overall | 19-13 | .593 |
Comment on your team’s (if applicable, sorry Miami) and the conference’s non-conference performance through 4 weeks. As a conference, what head-to-head record against another conference stands out to you most?
(Because we like to fan the ACC vs. Big East flames …) The only BCS conferences the ACC has a .500 record against so far this year is the Big East (4 games) and the Pac-10 (2 games). Yikes. In a weekend where 2 of 3 Big East teams knocked off ACC teams, we have to ask: The ACC is still > Big East, right? Right?? The ACC record versus FCS teams should be perfect every year, two losses is still inexcusable. 1-2 versus the Mountain West (TCU beating our Tigers and UVA, FSU thumping BYU) is also fairly poor, IMO.
On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is losing to a CAA team and 10 is getting the ACC some much needed street cred by winning the BCS MNC, how satisfied are you with your AD’s non-conference scheduling this year? With the non-conference opponents your program has lined up over the next few years, will you be more or less satisfied?
We’d give it a five. It’s only that high because we got TCU as a last minute addition. Middle Tennessee State and Coastal Carolina round out our non-Sakerlina OOC schedule. Another reason for the mid-range grade is because we’ve got two decent OOC teams and two squash teams.
Last one, ESPN’s College GameDay is heading to Chestnut Hill this week for Florida State (2-2) at Boston College (3-1). Both teams are unranked. Parts of the blogosphere are going completely ape shit over the WWL’s selection. Justify the selection (if you can). If not, tell us why you dislike the selection.
The justification is that ESPN is further milking the teat of the Boston sports market, tying into the ESPNBoston imprint (though they’ve denied this and you can always trust the WWL, right?) to further whore themselves. There aren’t a ton of marquee matchups this weekend outside of the SEC, and you know GameDay will probably be at an SEC venue every other week from here till the end of the season anyway. Additionally, and much more admirably, they will shine a spotlight on BC linebacker Mark Herzlich’s battle against cancer.
Another reason is the proximity of Boston to Bristol. All in all, it’s a relative bargain. The big wigs and office folk over at the Big Red Network won’t have to play weekend warrior. We get a decent/mediocre performance and two decent/mediocre teams.
I don’t care one way or the other, but I will expect further shitting on the conference due to the sad turnout we’re likely too see from BC “fans” in comparison to other conference matchups Game Day could visit. Hey, they might sell more tickets than the ACCCG does… so… that’s a plus, right?
Posted by Block-C Staff
*Ding Dong* The pizza man is here, did your team deliver what you expected in their opener, why or why not?
Willy Mac: I’d say they definitely delivered what we thought they would, but it’s really not what we wanted. It’d be like we ordered something when we were really drunk and by the time pizza got to the front door we’d already sobered up and we just sit there, dumbfounded in our bad decisions. Oh, and the guy that brought it had dropped it a few times on the street and just blew on it. Fuck you Clemson, you’re late and the pizza is only halfway edible. I’m not tipping.
Chili: I pretty much expected a half-assed performance by Clemson and that’s exactly what I got. After the game I waited, hoping to hear Dabo chew the shit out of the team, but instead it seemed that he gave them fairly positive marks. Which means he is aware what they’re capable of and they’re delivering it, or he’s a “praise in public, damn in private” sort of guy which is a good leadership quality according to those who know such things. DC Kevin Steele, who consumes for breakfast each day a large granite boulder drizzled in a nice ’04 light sweet crude, did get after his defense for inexplicably giving up big plays a la the “bend but don’t win” defense of Vic Koenning. From his comments on the issue it seemed like he was still trying to get the players to shake off the old mentality, which is a good sign.
The ACC was downright pathetic in week one. Which display of ineptitude shocked you the most? Going forward is there hope for the conference?
Chili: William and Mary making Virginia their bitch so damned bad that the Cavaliers now sit down to piss on instinct alone. I mean shit, UVA, nobody expected you to be worldbeaters, but damn. Anyway, this is what you get for waitlisting me again, so fuck y’all. Except Blair, she’s good people. Is there hope for the conference? Eh, VT and Miami will be tops, UNC and FSU will be respectable, and everyone else will just sort of meander around the school halls staring at their shoes trying not to get a swirlie.
WM: I really did think that Duke was at least going to be respectable this year. I thought with Cutcliffe in charge down there and a good quarterback in place, they’d be doing better than they have in a while. What a fool I was. Richmond? I mean yeah, they were FCS champions last year, but I thought for sure that Duke would at least pull it out. I’m also a little upset at Wake Forest not being able to pull it out against Baylor. Wake is always a respectable team year in and year out and I thought for sure they were going to beat Baylor. If there is hope, we need to go balls to the wall for the rest of the season in terms of out of conference.
After the show they put on Monday night, Atlantic bloggers is FSU the team to beat and what about Miami, Coastalites?
WM: We’ve got both. So, shit. I think that beating FSU and Miami will not only be the biggest stroke of luck ever, but could potentially pave our way to the ACCCG. i’m not saying it will happen, but if we accomplish both of those feats we’ll be the front runners for the Atlantic. Whatever it is, they are some tough sum bitches.
Chili: I figured Miami would bust out this season, and while beating FSU doesn’t necessarily a contender make, I think they’ll be the toughest ob-stacle to hurdle.
You’ve been granted one curse, other than your opponent pick one team you would like to see lose in week wo.
Chili: I’ll use any of my newly granted curse giving mojo to earnestly hope for a structural collapse and a rare inland tsunami to wipe the face of the earth of everyone attending the UGA-Sakerlina game this weekend.
WM: Notre Dame because I actually like to watch Michigan and I hate their fans liek any good southern football fan would. Also I’d love for Floridato some how fall via Troy’s inexplicably complicated offense. Troy has been known to be a loose stepping stone for big teams in the past. Fingers crossed.
Posted by Willy Mac
Do you sound like a 13 year old hee haw redneck on the phone? If you said yes, GREAT! Me too. If you said no, well, whatever. Go sit on a nail.
Yesterday, Jim Young and Joe Ovies from the ACC Sports Journal featured a few bloggers on their podcast and I happened to be the lead off hitter. I sound like a nervous, silly, redneck goose. I’m terrible on radio. I have to keep practicing. God I stink. Joe usually includes some of our articles in his weekly link articles. For that, we are grateful. And no, I’m not the brains, genius, anything like that behind Block-C. I think we all know by now that Chili is way funnier than I am and I just provide filler and sometimes insightful, angry rants. Oh, I do pictures too.
Oh, and just for Jim and Joe: FUCK.
- Also, check out this podcast from Ty and Dan featuring Jed Williams from the ACC Sports Journal as well. Sorry to flood you with this, but I felt that this is true for a lot of reasons.
- The State, ever the omniscient Gamecock eye, let’s us know what we’ve already told you: Our receivers suck, and so does our kicking game. But hey, Jacoby Ford is almost healthy again. Bone break in 5… 4… 3…
- Clemson has the heaviest line in the ACC on average at 315 pounds. Is this good or bad?
- Check out this great article on Buster Hunter. Yesterday we put on our twitter page that other players were going to wear his number. It’s a really sad, sad story.
