Thursday March 27, 2008

Running Backs; Baseball and Golf

Fluid
Every team has issues and most of the times those issues are fluid. For example, in January Clemson’s staff may have been worried about running back and depth there. James Davis had entered the draft and Sadat Chambers and Ray Ray McElrathbey were the only guys behind C.J. Spiller. The staff felt good about holding onto the early commitment of Andre Ellington but they were still recruiting Jamie Harper as hard as any staff.

Here we are two months later and things have completely changed at the position. Davis came back and withdrew his name from the draft and the position became a strength again. Ellington stayed strong in his commitment and the Tigers added the big back they were looking for in Harper. Depth was no longer an issue and Chambers was moved back to safety and McElrathbey will not be back with the team.

Last week, we heard Davis missed most of the scrimmage because he dinged his shoulder again and now we find out he will have it scoped soon. Add Rendrick Taylor to the equation now and the running back situation has changed once again.

This is a perfect example of how one position can change in the off-season in a matter of weeks. With Davis and Spiller back Clemson should have one of the nation’s top backfields in 2008 but you can see how easy that can change.

Depth is an important issue today because the regular season is 12 games and hopefully a conference title game and/or a bowl game can make for a long year. Depth is also important because it creates competition and guards against complacency. This is seen at several positions this spring. For example, Ricky Sapp was not noted as one of the team’s hardest workers in the past but that has changed this spring and the main reason is the emergence of Kourtnei Brown. No longer can any player take time off because in most cases there is a player behind him ready to take his job.

This kind of competition is happening at the other defensive end as DaQuan Bowers will push Kevin Alexander but the rising junior is playing well and holding off the freshman sensation.

At defensive tackle experienced players like Rashaad Jackson and Dorrell Scott can’t take snaps off because younger stars like Jarvis Jenkins, Jamie Cumbie and Miguel Chavis would love the extra snaps.

The wide receivers are deep and talented but seniors like Aaron Kelly and Tyler Grisham know Brandon Clear and Marquan Jones would be there if they ever took plays off.

Baseball
With the recent run of success on the baseball field, I wonder if this young team has turned the corner. Just a few weeks ago it seems the inexperience was a major issue as the Tigers seemed to find new ways to lose close games. However, maybe the worm has turned because this group has begun to win the close ones.

Clemson has won seven of its last eight games. Each of the last five games has been decided by two runs or less with four being one-run games.

Earlier in the season it seemed Clemson helped out the opponent especially in the Wake Forest and Boston College contests. But in this recent streak it appears the Tigers are doing the little things so much better. Jack Leggett made the statement in the pre-game Tuesday that the difference in winning and losing is such a fine line but it feels like the difference in Mt. Everest and Death Valley, CA.

The pitching staff has had impressive performances for four straight games including some gems turned in by Graham Stoneburner, D.J. Mitchell and Craig Gullickson. Leggett will change the weekend rotation this weekend when Mitchell moves from a Saturday starter to become the Friday night pitcher. Stoneburner also moves up a day and will now be the Saturday guy. Ryan Hinson, who pitched a couple of innings in relief last night, will start on Sunday. I wonder if Gullickson continues to pitch this well if he will eventually be moved into the weekend rotation.

Perhaps the best news for the pitching staff comes on two fronts. First, the staff has walked very few batters. Free passes are one of the worst things that can happen to a club and this unit has done a great job of limiting the walks. Also, the defense has been much better. Early in the year Clemson found new ways to make a ton of errors but the defense has been very good in this winning stretch.

This young team will get tested again over the next two weeks though. A chilly three-game set begins in Maryland this weekend. The Tigers have a home and home with Georgia mid-week next week before heading to a hot Miami team next weekend. Weekday games with South Carolina come around a weekend series with top-five ranked North Carolina.

Eight of the next nine games are on the road and 11 of the next 14 are against teams that should make the NCAA tournament.

Greenville Tigers
This weekend upstate Clemson fans get a rare chance to watch the Clemson men’s golf team. The Tigers will compete in the Furman Invitational this weekend at the Furman University Golf Course for the first time since 1997. Clemson will be one of 24 teams in the field for the 54-hole tournament that will run Friday through Sunday. Clemson will have an early morning tee time on Friday, but will start around noon on Saturday.

The Greenville County Clemson Club will have a tent set up at the Furman course with brochures and they will be able to help spectators in finding where the Tigers are on the golf course.

Clemson will have four sophomores and a junior in its starting lineup this weekend and Coach Penley and the team would love your support this weekend.

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