Tuesday June 09, 2009

Spiller's Role

Spiller’s Role
We had an interesting discussion this morning on my radio show and I wanted to expand on it with today’s blog.

I finally purchased Phil Steele’s pre-season magazine yesterday and was surprised to see him have C.J. Spiller as the nation’s top running back. I was also surprised to see him pick Clemson to win the Atlantic division.

On the show this morning we had a caller ask if Jacoby Ford could step up and be Clemson’s number-one receiver. I am a big Ford fan and will probably cover that topic in the next few days. But I brought up the idea that the offense will look a little different this season and C.J. Spiller was the second returning receiver last season.

In support of my argument I broke down Clemson’s offense under Bowden and how it changed under Dabo. Here is what I found about Spiller’s role in both scenarios:

*In the first six games of the season (under Bowden), Spiller caught nine passes for 111 yards and one touchdown.

*Spiller did not play against Georgia Tech but in the final six games (under Dabo) he caught 25 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns.

*In the first six games of 2008 he had 48 carries for 314 yards.

*In the final six games of 2008 he had 68 carries for 315 yards.

*In the Virginia game he completed his only pass of the season for a touchdown (under Dabo).

The point is that I think we will see Spiller in an expanded role again this season. First, James Davis is not there to share time and carries. Also, the offensive line is more experienced and has higher expectations in 2009. Finally, there is inexperience at quarterback and hand-offs to Spiller and short passes to Spiller will take pressure off of whoever the signal caller will be.

I like Jamie Harper and Andre Ellington. I think Jacoby Ford can develop into a terrific number-one receiver. I think the tight ends will be a bigger part of the passing game like we saw in the spring game. I think both quarterbacks will play better than what Clemson got last year under center. However, if Clemson is to have the kind of season Phil Steele expects, it has to be done through C.J. Spiller.

Some think he is as good as any athlete to ever step foot on Clemson’s campus. Some think Spiller is as talented as any running back that has ever run down The Hill. I think we have seen too little of Spiller to make either of those statements but I would love to have a bigger sample size this season.

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog concerning Spiller’s Heisman campaign and like most concluded that there is little chance of anyone upsetting Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford or Colt McCoy this year. However, I think it is reasonable to see Spiller having an ACC MVP-type of season.

In his freshman season he had 129 carries. As a sophomore Spiller enjoyed his career high with 145 carries. Last season he had 116 rushing attempts. This season is 200 too much to expect? That would be a little more than 15 carries per game. If he stays healthy is that number too high?

Spiller rushed for 938 yards as a freshman, 768 as a sophomore and 629 a year ago. Is 1,200 yards rushing too much to count on in 2009? Could he average almost 100 yards per game on the ground if he is the feature back?

In terms of receiving, Spiller had 19 as a freshman and 34 in each of the past two seasons. Could we see him catch 50 balls in 2009? That would be 3.8 per game. Is that number obtainable?

As a freshman he had 210 yards receiving. In 2007 he had 271 receiving yards. Last year Spiller had 436 yards receiving. Is 550 yards too high to expect in this senior season?

If those projections are reasonable, a senior season that had 1,200 yards rushing and 550 yards receiving would be among the best in school history.

Spiller was a better football player in 2008. He was more physical and ran between the tackles better. I fully expect to see more of that in 2009.

Spiller had 10 rushing touchdowns as a freshman, three as a sophomore and seven last year. Could he get 12 this season?

He had two receiving touchdowns in each of his first two seasons and three last season. Is it reasonable to think five could be in store this year?

I am not sure we could expect his kick-off returns or punt returns numbers to increase dramatically because he is not getting more attempts like he is in the offense with James Davis gone. However, even if his special teams numbers remain the same then he would have an exceptional year in that category.

Those numbers don’t look like Heisman numbers but they do look like ACC Player of the Year numbers. They also look like the kind of numbers that could lead Clemson to a division title. Clemson’s rushing offense has to improve in 2009 because they can’t win the division by running the ball 112 yards per game.

There is a famous saying that states, “If not me, who? If not now, when?”

Let’s hope that message is clear with C.J. Spiller and this offense in his senior season.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
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Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Mrs. Kathleen Bowers, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Jean-Pierre Bailey, Kaitlyn L, William Perry, Delores Weaver, Eric Boessneck, John Bowers, Jimmy Ness.