Monday October 29, 2007

Superman

Superman
I have been begging for more toughness from this football team for weeks and let me be the first to say thank you Tigers. More specifically, thank you James Davis!

In my opinion this was the Tigers best performance of the season and their first physically dominant performance on the road in some time. Simply stated, Clemson hit the Terps right in the mouth and Maryland had no answer.

Maybe it has been two inferior opponents and maybe it is Thomas Austin’s move to center but the Tigers’ offensive line has looked completely different in the last two games. The offensive front pushed Maryland around to the tune of the 249-yards on the ground.

I loved James Davis before the game but he went way up in my book after this contest. Davis put this team on his back and willed his club to victory. His toughness showed up all day including some very tough runs like the touchdown run on fourth down. Davis is a man and the heart and soul of this team.

It sure was nice to see C.J. Spiller look like his old self. The sophomore made Terrapin defenders look silly at times. He was terrific again in the open field but it was his toughness that showed up and impressed. Spiller actually got tough yards at times on Saturday and this was his best game of the season. He caught the ball well out of the backfield as well.

Cullen Harper had another good game including a terrific finish after a so-so start. Harper was 20-26 for 179 and two touchdowns. He made some big time throws after the first quarter.

The receiving corps enjoyed a good had another solid game including efforts from Aaron Kelly, Tyler Grisham and Jacoby Ford. One of the few negatives was Ford’s season ending injury which leaves some huge holes in the future game plans.

Defensively the Tigers shut down Maryland across the board. The Tigers shut down the running game and held two good backs and the Terps to 97 yards on the ground. Clemson’s pass rush looked improved and the secondary made plays in shutting down Darius Heyward-Bey to zero catches.

Perhaps the best news of the day defensively was the physical nature of the Tigers. Like the offense, the Clemson defense hit the Terps in the mouth which was refreshing to watch. Specifically the Tigers made the Terps fall backwards like when Michael Hamlin and Chris Clemmons hit their receivers. Clemson was also terrific in the short-yardage situations including the non-touchdown that was given to Keon Lattimore.

Speaking of non-touchdowns, when will the ACC put a stop to the embarrassing replay judges? Someone please tell me how they could overturn Spiller’s touchdown catch then uphold Lattimore’s touchdown. Not only is the officiating in the ACC a joke but the replay booth is even worse.

The only thing worse than the replays was the condition of the field. It should not surprise anyone that Maryland’s tarp had holes in it. Seems like the Orange Bowl money from a few years ago surely did not go into a tarp or drainage at Byrd Stadium.

Ford is out for the year and that is a huge story. Bowden wins back to back games and he may be on the way to saving his job again and that is a big story. Clemson is still in the Atlantic Division race and that is a major story. However the major story I will take from Saturday is James Davis.

My college roommate calls him Superman (see the picture of his jersey being pulled by FSU in the home opener so he says you shouldn’t pull on Superman’s cape). I call him a man! Davis saw this team needed leadership and he decided to do something about it. He saw this team was facing pressure and he stepped up to take pressure off of his teammates and put it squarely on his back. Davis saw his team was in need of a big win on the road and he went out and took it to the Terps.

His touchdown run was a sign of his determination and his will. Clemson had been robbed of a touchdown when the replay judge’s showed his incompetence or his bias. The Tigers had it fourth and goal and made the decision to give it to their best player. Maryland responded by getting three defenders behind the line of scrimmage to attack Davis. But his will (and stiff arms) would not let Clemson fail. On a phenomenal run Davis broke the shell of the turtles as Clemson went up 17-3. Had Maryland stopped Davis the Terps would have stayed just one score behind the Tigers.

That was not his only run that showcased the intensity. Earlier in the drive Davis also converted short-yardage on fourth and one at the Maryland 20-yard line when he rushed for three yards over the right side of the line.

Davis would not be denied and it was Bowden that made sure of it. The head coach reminded the team of Davis’ guarantee in the locker room before the game and Bowden challenged his team to back up Davis’s claim.

As it turned out, Davis’ guarantee was brilliant because throughout the week it took pressure off of the team and put it on his shoulders. It also gave his teammates more incentive to back up their leader. He was the rallying point. The Tigers were called on to fight for Davis and like his teammates I believe that is a cause worth fighting for.

Bowden is not noted for being a motivator but last week James Davis took over that role as well. Clemson Hall of Famer Jeff Davis said the 1981 national championship team turned the corner when the players took ownership of the team. He said the biggest motivators and the judge and jury were the players. On Saturday James took another step closer to Jeff and another step to becoming my favorite Tiger.

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