Monday August 28, 2006

Trevor Adds Another One; Byrnes-Glades Central Thoughts; Ernesto; Clemson Thoughts; This Week?s Schedule

Trevor Adds Another One
Clemson men?s soccer coach Trevor Adair improved his record against archrival South Carolina to 10-2-1 as the Tigers defeated the Gamecocks 4-3 in Columbia Friday night.

I spoke to my good friend after the game and he was excited that his team won despite not playing its best. The Tigers trailed three different times in the match but came back all three times and won late on a Dane Richards goal.

Clemson is ranked fifth in the nation and will have its home opener Tuesday night against Georgia State. No one dislikes soccer more than me but I will be there Tuesday and every home game that I can because Trevor is a great friend and a great Tiger. Please come out and support the Tigers Tuesday night at 7:00 pm.

Byrnes-Glades Central Thoughts
*Byrnes has a mental toughness that is rarely seen at this level

*Based on talent alone, Glades Central was three touchdowns better than Byrnes

*Without Bobby Bentley and Willy Korn, Byrnes is an 8-3 football team

*Byrnes has about eight really good high school football players and Glades Central had about 30.

*Korn played well with the exception of about four plays. I thought his fumble was a great example of Korn trying to do too much. But lets face it; if Korn does not do it then it will not get done. Two of his interceptions were bad decisions. One interception was just a phenomenal play by Glades Central. Other than that I loved his play. Korn showed his toughness and mental edge. He showed his accuracy in the pocket and on the run. Some may criticize a couple of plays but go back and look at the tape and see how many good decisions he made. He is not a turnover machine, as some want to suggest. For goodness shakes he threw six interceptions last year. Glades Central was the dominant team and had more speed on defense. Korn was harassed all day and kept getting up. I was thoroughly impressed. For those that do not see that this is a special talent then you do not go see much high school football. You have to give Korn some credit even if you are a Gamecock. How many quarterbacks in state history have ever beaten a top five team?

*Stanley Hunter has incredible closing speed and really knows how to use his hands. Hunter is a gamer and a competitor. I love his attitude.

*Lets face it; Bentley said the Rebels played their worst game on offense in four or five years. They turned it over five times and against the fifth-ranked team in the country they still won by two touchdowns.

Ernesto
Keep an eye on Hurricane Ernesto this week. The college football season looks like it will be affected by hurricane season once again this season but this one looks like it could miss us or get out of here by late Friday.

Clemson Thoughts
*Maybe Rob Spence and Willy Korn were meant to work together. I could not imagine an offense where the offensive coordinator could draw up a scheme that was more suited for one player than Spence?s offense and Korn.

* Former ticket manager Bobby Skelton told me once that many families miss Labor Day weekend games because of vacations. I know some families love going to the beach for the last time but how could you miss a Clemson football game for the beach? I could not imagine making that choice. The Tigers play seven home games a year. How could you miss one?

The way I see it, I am 38 years old and the life expectancy of a male in the United States is about 74 years. I only have about 36 more football seasons left if I hit the average. That is only 234 more home football games. As depressing as that may sound, I still take notice. That is only 234 more times to see the Tigers run down the hill so I won?t be at the beach this weekend. Hey, 234 is the average for my age but I am not guaranteed any more. The next time I see the Tigers run down the hill may be the last so I will be there and I will enjoy it. If the Tigers play seven home games a year that means you have 358 days a year to go to the beach. Be there on Saturday?if the good Lord is willing I know I will.

*I was going to write a preview of Florida Atlantic?s personnel this week but what does it matter? The Owls will not compete on Saturday against the 18th-ranked Tigers so their personnel is not the point. I think Clemson fans are more excited about seeing their talented team and the newcomers anyway. The true story lines this week will be Proctor, Davis, Spiller, the O-Line, the secondary, the punter, etc.

This Week?s Schedule
*Each Wednesday I will be at George Coleman Ford in Traveler?s Rest from 12-1 PM. You can register for a free lunch from Dukes Sandwich Shop and come to our hour-long football meeting. I will discuss high school, college and pro football and answer questions about this week?s games and recruiting. To register send an e-mail to aly@wccpfm.com or mickey@wccpfm.com.

*If you are coming to town early Friday stop by and see us at Valley Walk behind the world famous Esso Club. I will broadcast ?The Overdrive? radio show there from 3-5 PM each home game Friday. Come by and visit us and see Tom Winkopp?s beautiful projects, (Valley Walk, Tiger Dens at Valley Walk and The Park at Valley Walk).

*I will be speaking to the Greer Touchdown Club this Thursday at noon. Contact me if you are interested in coming to the meeting.

*Ralph Patterson, Tim Bachman and I will broadcast the Byrnes-Greer game this Friday night on Charter Cable and the game can be seen on Video on Demand from Charter.

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