The Dabo Show gets renewed

Dabo Swinney has been named Clemson's head coach. Of the non-interim variety.

Not to toot my own horn, but I've been saying this was in the works from the beginning, and I'm not so sure if this is the right move. But it's certainly the safe and easy one, for now.


STEVE HOLT!

"What must be done eventually...

...should be done immediately."

I have no idea where that quote came from or if the wording is exact, I've just heard it bandied about for a few years in various circles. Regardless, the point of the statement is very clear. And that is why Tommy Bowden was canned today at Clemson.

Tigers wide receivers' coach Dabo Swinney takes over as interim boss for the rest of the season. Let me make the bold prediction that Swinney gets the gig full-time if the Tigers go 3-3 or better in the final six games and look competent and energized in the process. With Bowden's huge buyout, the money simply isn't there to go elephant hunting.

Oh, and Swinney's first big action as head coach? Sending OC Rob Spence (who technically was his direct supervisor as of yesterday, right?) packing. Ah, such drama over a silly game.


Peace out

Land mines in the end zone?

How else to explain the Demon Deacon aversion to scoring touchdowns in ACC games this season? Getting seven turnovers at FSU three weeks ago and zero touchdowns was, well, curious. Tonight, it's just stupid.

At present, it's Wake 3 - Clemson 0...7:10 in the third quarter.

The Deacons have done a masterful job of driving the ball up and down the field but OC Steve Lobotzke seems to think that his tricky formations and calls work on the two yard line the same as they do on the 50. My five-year old niece knows better. And because of that, a game Wake should be winning 24-0 is just 3-zip.

One busted play and Clemson can win this showdown despite being dominated for 99.998% of the game.

And the Tigers...if this effort holds, Rob Spence absolutely has to get the Tony Franklin treatment tomorrow. But that may be like putting out a kitchen fire after the neighborhood has been nuked.

Clemson Preview

2008 Schedule

Aug. 30	Alabama (in Atlanta, GA)
Sept. 6	THE CITADEL
Sept. 13	N.C. STATE
Sept. 20	SOUTH CAROLINA STATE
Sept. 27	MARYLAND
Oct. 9	@Wake Forest
Oct. 18	GEORGIA TECH
Nov. 1	@Boston College
Nov. 8	@Florida State
Nov. 15	DUKE
Nov. 22	@Virginia
Nov. 29	SOUTH CAROLINA

2007 Results: 9-4 overall, 5-3 ACC (T-2nd Atlantic Division); lost to Auburn 23-20 (OT) in the Chick-fil-A Bowl

Offense: Despite fielding many a talented offense over the last several years, this is the first time the Tigers return so much proven experience at the skill positions at the same time, as quarterback Cullen Harper, RBs James Davis and CJ Spiller, and wideouts Aaron Kelly and Jacoby Ford can each make a case at being the best player(s) at their respective position in the league. Think about that for a second; now consider that not even once during Florida State's domination of the ACC in the 1990s could they have said that. Now you see why folks are so high on the Tigers this year despite their complete failure to make any real dent on the national or conference scale in any of Tommy Bowden's nine seasons at the helm. The one possible crack in the offensive foundation in 2008 is the offensive line, as four starters must be replaced. The positive spin is that last year's OL was a major disappointment, as they allowed 35 sacks and didn't open enough holes and lanes for Davis and Spiller to work their magic, so new blood may be just what is needed. The troubling aspect to the prolific Clemson attacks these last few years has been the propensity to completely buckle against a good pass rush, as four opponents last season held the Tigers to less than 2 yards per carry, and one of them was Furman. That's poor OL technique and development, and shoddy gameplan adjustment. In fact, for all the gushing about the Tigers' talent on this side of the ball, they finished just 50th nationally in total, 46th nationally in passing, and 52nd nationally in rushing offense in 2007. Rob Spence, you got some 'splainin to do.

Defense: Lost in all the commotion surrounding Harper, Spiller, Davis and crew is the Clemson defense - the one that finished ninth nationally in total defense and was the far more reliable and consistent aspect of the Clemson Tigers in 2007. And the good news for the Clemson faithful is that eight starters are back this season, led by the best defensive line and easily the best secondary in the conference. The linebackers are solid if unspectacular. But that line - freakin' wow. On top of returning starters Ricky Sapp, Dorrell Scott and Rashaad Jackson, the Tigers add true freshman Da'Quan Bowers - their top recruit in the winter - at DE and JUCO All-American transfer Jarrett Crittenton as Sapp's backup. The secondary is anchored by safeties Michael Hamlin and Chris Clemons (191 tackles combined in '07) while the weak link (relatively speaking) is corner Crezdon Butler and he'll probably get an Honorable Mention on the all-ACC team in '08. Not too shabby.

Special Teams: A catastrophe is probably the way to describe this unit's performance in the 2007. Special teams weren't exactly stellar in the three-point losses to Boston College and Auburn, but they directly caused the Tigers' two other losses last year (Virginia Tech had two returns for TDs and had another called back, while four missed field goals, a punt blocked deep in their territory and a fumbled kickoff resulted in a 13-3 loss to Georgia Tech). So it's with dampened enthusiasm that I say that kicker Mark Buchholz and punter Jimmy Maners return. But it is with unbridled fervor that I say that returners CJ Spiller and Jacoby Ford are back, although they could buck up a bit on the punt return average (just 8.8yds per return last year).

Coaching: Tommy Bowden is quite the enigma. He can go 12-0 at Tulane, but can't get the Tigers to finish better than third in the ACC in any of his nine seasons at Clemson, nor can he seem to break the 10-win mark. You'd think just once - even by accident - a 10-win campaign would have been achieved sometime since 1999, but you'd be mistaken. Since Bowden took the reins, the following ACC progams have won 10 or more games in a season: Maryland (three times), FSU (three times), NC State (once), Wake (once), BC (twice in the last three years), and Virginia Tech (every year since joining the league). For all the grief Mack Brown used to get about never winning a league title (pre-2005), he at least delivered a number of 10-win seasons and Top 10 finishes, something Bowden hasn't come close to doing (his best finish in terms of record and ranking was the 9-3, #16 campaign in 2000). He's managed to finish out of the rankings more often than not (5 of his 9 years) and has finished either 5-3 or 4-4 in the ACC in 8 of his 9 seasons. My friends, there is a word for that type of performance and that word is mediocre. In it's purest form. And that's a back-handed compliment as well, because not once in Bowden's nine seasons has Clemson finished with a losing record, something every other pre-expansion ACC program not named Florida State or Georgia Tech has done at least twice since 1999. But that's lowering the bar in terms of expectations and achievement pretty significantly for a place like Clemson, which is all the more reason why I'm mystified at Bowden's fat raise and 5-year contract extension this past December. Maybe the fact that Bowden has cleaned up on the recruiting trail lately and stabilized his coaching staff (both OC Rob Spence and DC Vic Koenning are entering their fourth seasons in Tigertown) has convinced the Tiger admins and fatcats that the nine-year odyssey of mediocrity has come to an end and things have finally been figured out. Because if Bowden got that raise based on what they saw on the field and in the standings these past nine seasons, or based solely on the fear that he might be poached by another program, there's little hope that Clemson will ever get back to being the national power and ACC overlord they were so many years ago.

Odds & Ends: Clemson and Bowden are 0-3 against Atlantic Division rival Boston College since expansion, but two of the losses came in overtime and the other came in the final two minutes of regulation.....the Tigers are 32-1 under Bowden when they rush for 200+ yards.....for all the tradition and rabid expectations surrounding the program, Clemson hasn't finished in the Top 10 since 1990 and that was also the last time they broke the 10-win barrier

Schedule Analysis: I'm not a fan of the opener in Atlanta with Alabama (the Tigers are just 1-5 against non-Gamecock SEC teams under Bowden) as things will get incredibly sour incredibly early for Clemson and the ACC with a loss, whereas a win won't garner the equivalent amount of hype (unless we're talking 35-0 or so). The Tigers then get a relatively easy September, and then a bye week in early October before the Thursday night showdown at Wake. They get another off week before back-to-back trips to BC and FSU. A jaunt to Virginia (upset alert) comes just before the finale with arch-rival South Carolina. That BC-FSU stretch is the biggest pothole on the slate, but the rest of the schedule is very manageable and is set up for an division title and perhaps even a national championship run if Spiller/Davis/Harper morph together to become Tommy Bowden's Vince Young.
Projected Wins: The Citadel, N.C. State, South Carolina State, Maryland, Georgia Tech, @Boston College, Duke, South Carolina
Projected Losses: none
Toss-Ups: vs. Alabama, @Wake Forest, @Florida State, @Virginia
Primo Tiger Blogs: Sporting Gnomes, Danny Ford is God

Heartwarming You-Tubery:

Would you believe Clemson lost nine games in the last two years with these guys? I wouldn't either except, well...they did.

Preview Disclaimer

A Very Quick Chick-fil-A Bowl Preview

CLEMSON (9-3) vs. AUBURN (8-4) - Dec. 31, 2007, 7:30pm ET (ESPN)
Clemson's three losses this season were - probably not coincidentally - to the three best defenses they faced...Virginia Tech (#5 nationally), Georgia Tech (#12), and Boston College (#23). Auburn's defense is rated #8. What you probably didn't know is that Clemson's defense is rated 6th nationally, and going up against Auburn's 96th rated offensive unit...and one that is breaking in new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin, who just one month ago was Troy's OC.

Given all of that, on paper, this looks to be a solid Clemson win. But for whatever reason, I have an uneasy feeling about this one. Stats be damned...

Auburn 20, Clemson 19

Lest I Forget...

BOSTON COLLEGE 38 - WAKE FOREST 28
It certainly appears that Jeff Jagodzinski knows what he's doing, and that any apparent college-game rust has an effective cure-all called Matt Ryan. Let the Phillip Rivers comparisons begin (and the ABC guys calling the game wasted no opportunity in doing so), but for the Eagles' sake, let's hope Ryan can have a bit more overall success in the W-L department.

Wake, meanwhile, acquitted themselves nicely, churning out some decent offensive production if we ignore the fact that running the football is a part of most team's gameplans. In a league that is so incredibly quarterback deficient, it's amazing that the Demon Deacons can just plug in anyone on short notice and have him smoothly and cleanly throw the ball around (see: Skinner, Riley; and now Hodges, Justin).

GEORGIA TECH 33 - NOTRE DAME 3
The Pride of the ACC so far, the Yellow Jackets dropped the hammer on the Domers despite a somewhat clunky passing game (11 of 23, 121 yards) from UFC wannabe Taylor Bennett. All that is needed for the Jackets to win the league is for the running game - led by Tashard Choice and the powerful OL - to grind out 175+ yards per game, have Bennett dink-and-dunk and chuck it for 200 yards per contest, and make sure that Jon Tenuta's defense continues to screw with the minds of all those mediocre ACC QBs ("Matty Ice" Ryan aside). Just don't let The Chan get in the way.

MIAMI 31 - MARSHALL 3
You know big-time Hurricane football is back when the Orange Bowl is proudly half-full for a game against a non-Florida State, Virginia Tech, or Florida squad. 39,000+ saw Miami quietly control the game, scoring one touchdown per quarter and picking off Marshall QBs four times. Sure, Kirby Freeman was unimpressive (9 of 21, 86 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), and he'll probably get abused like a fresh inmate at Oz next Saturday at Oklahoma, but for one week Miami football looks to be back on track.

CLEMSON 24 - FLORIDA STATE 18
Meh. I've rarely seen such a bipolar game as this one, and since the manic/happy side was delivered by FSU in the 2nd half, you can't help but leave this game thinking that the Noles - while still appearing to be a year or two away from prominence - will have a more encouraging future. Like many seasons prior, Clemson started this game HOT HOT HOT and then just sorta deflated in the third and fourth quarters, much like they've done over the second half of many a season under Tommy Bowden.

And for God's sake Tiger fans...act like you've been there before. Charging the field after hanging on against a #19 Florida State squad is almost as pathetic as the Noles' "offensive line" in the first half. FSU hasn't been rushing-the-field-worthy since about 2003.

Clemson Preview

2007 Schedule

2006 Results: 8-5 overall, 5-3 ACC (T2nd Atlantic Division); lost to Kentucky 28-20 in the Music City Bowl

Offense: Just five starters are back from last year's bipolar unit (43.5 ppg in the first 8 games, 17.4 ppg in the last 5). With the departure of we-hardly-knew-ye Will Proctor, the Tigers break in a new starting QB for the second straight year, this time either Jr. Cullen Harper or true-Fr. Willy Korn. The best backfield in the ACC - if not the nation - is back with a vengeance, in TBs James Davis (1219 rushing yards, 17 TDs in '06) and CJ Spiller (960 rushing yards, 7.3 yards per carry, 10 TDs last year). Last year's top wideout, Chansi Stuckey, has departed leaving Aaron Kelly (30 catches, 355 yards in '06) as the top returning receiver. The rest of the receiving corps has sparse game experience. The OL returns just one full time starter in All-ACC LT Barry Richardson. At a quick glance, this certainly appears to be a shell of last year's manic-depressive attack.

Defense: At first, the loss of #4 NFL draft pick Gaines Adams looms large, but upon closer inspection, it appears as if this defense could be better than last year's unit (#3 ACC, #13 nationally). Depending on which depth chart you look at, two or three starters are back on the line, with the entire two-deep having solid game experience. The LB corps returns two starters from '06 (Nick Watkins, Antonio Clay) and one from '05 (Tramaine Billie, injured last year). The secondary has both safeties back, while the corner spots are manned by sometime-starter Chris Chancellor and candidate for the all-name-team Crezdon Butler (3 picks as a backup last year).

Special teams: Kicking and punting duties are in the hands of Richard Jackson and Jimmy Maners, who collectively have zero game experience. Jacoby Ford and CJ Spiller are back to split time on both kickoff and punt returns.

Coaching: Tommy Bowden returns for a 9th season as Clemson head coach, still waiting for that one breakthrough year, and firmly back on that proverbial hot-seat. Aside from his best season in 2000 (9-3 overall, 6-2 ACC), Bowden has four 4-4 finishes and three 5-3 marks in ACC play. The end result each season is maddeningly consistent (anywhere from 7-9 wins, and 4-6 losses), but the journey is not - sluggish starts and fast finishes in '03, '04 & '05, hot starts and late season fades in '01 & '06. Bowden's Clemson trek is similar to Tom O'Brien's at Boston College (7 to 9 wins per year, no conference titles), but a tad more dramatic what with the Tigers' penchant for impressive wins (Georgia Tech '06, Miami '04, Florida State and Tennessee '03) and monumental duds (Kentucky '06, Duke '04, Wake Forest '03). BC ran out of patience with O'Brien (and he with them) at 10 years....you'd think Clemson wouldn't be nearly as accommodating to Bowden, given their resources, tradition and rabid fanbase. Switching gears, OC Rob Spence and DC Vic Koenning are back, each in his third season here, which is the longest Bowden has kept both coordinator positions stable during his time at Clemson. The rest of the coaching staff returns as well, save for new RB coach Andre Powell.

For What It's Worth: The Tigers led the ACC in average home attendance in 2006 (81,506)....Six different programs (Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Virginia, Wake Forest) have won or shared an ACC crown since Clemson won their last in 1991....the Tigers have a winning record against seven of their eleven ACC brethren; only Florida State, Georgia Tech and Miami have the historical advantage over Clemson, while the Boston College series is deadlocked....something of peculiar interest that I was unaware of before researching and writing this preview: Dwight Clark, he of "The Catch" fame, played at Clemson

Schedule Analysis: Pretty run of the mill. The opener with Florida State in Bowden Bowl IX notwithstanding, the first four games as a whole are the easiest, while the middle four and final four each have their share of pitfalls and breathers. It's as good a slate as any to make a run for the division crown in the uncertain ACC-Atlantic.
Projected Wins- Louisiana-Monroe, Furman, @NC State, Central Michigan, @Duke, Wake Forest
Projected Losses- @Georgia Tech, @South Carolina
Toss-Ups- Florida State, Virginia Tech, @Maryland, Boston College

For More Opinionated, Yet Delightful, Tiger Insight: Sporting Gnomes, Danny Ford Is God

Blast-From-The-Past, Feel-Good YouTube:

Look away, Georgia Tech fans. I mean it.

Preview Disclaimer

Bowden Bowl IX on Labor Day

Florida State will visit Clemson on Monday night, Sept. 3, 2007, in the season opener for both schools. As an ACC fan, these Labor Day evening games are fantastic and offer the kind of exposure for the league that you really can't find outside of the annual conference title games.

As a Florida State fan, though, this sucks. It throws off the planning and practicing for the first two weeks of the season. On top of that, there's another game just 5 days later. Last year, the Noles almost lost to Troy five days after their Labor Day win at Miami. Thanks, but no thanks. Find some other sucker next year, ACC.


Sept. 3, 2007...The last of the interminable "Bowden Bowls"?

Music City Bowl Preview

MUSIC CITY BOWL - Dec. 29, 2006 - The Coliseum, Nashville, TN
Clemson (8-4) vs. Kentucky (7-5)
Ah yes, the always dangerous "One Team Happy To Be Here" vs. "One Team Kinda Mopey To Be Here" matchup. We've seen this type of scenario knock Oregon and Cal off their pouty perches the last two seasons. While this matchup doesn't have a juicy BCS-snub storyline, make no mistake - Kentucky is positively giddy to be in Nashville and the Tigers are certainly not.

Nonetheless, it is difficult to imagine the porous Wildcat defense doing much to stop Thunder Davis and Lightning Spiller. Stacking the box early and hoping QB Will Proctor gets rattled is about the only shot the Cats have of staying in the game, but they just don't have the horses to do it.

That said, look for very talented UK QB Andre Woodson to burn the Tigers a few times, giving the likely pro-Cat crowd a few reasons to cheer. Regardless, Clemson will salvage a bit of their fading season this afternoon.

Clemson 30, Kentucky 17