Monday October 12, 2009

Clemson Wins on an Open Date

Clemson Wins on an Open Date
The Tigers did not play this past Saturday but once again the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference screwed it up so bad that Clemson fans have more hope. Despite Clemson not playing this weekend, the Tigers won.

Clemson had a 13-3 lead against Maryland (still can’t shake that feeling of that loss) but for the last two and half quarters everything from that point went wrong and the Tigers fell to Maryland 24-20. Since that game ended, however, Clemson has not played a single play bit everything that had to happen has gone right for the Tigers.

Last week, my thought process had Florida State and NC State as the two best teams in the division so I thought Boston College needed to beat the Seminoles and Wake Forest needed to beat the Wolfpack. Mission accomplished. Florida State found a way to lose to a bad Boston College team 28-21 and the Wolfpack lost in Winston-Salem 30-24.

This past weekend the Tigers were off but the other five teams in the division played and everything once again worked out to Clemson’s advantage. Three teams from the Atlantic Division played Coastal Division foes and all three lost. Florida State gave up over 500 yards of total offense to lose at home to Georgia Tech 49-44. Boston College got steamed rolled in Blacksburg, VA and lost to the Hokies 48-14. In the biggest surprise of the weekend, Thaddeus Lewis was 40 of 50 passing for 459 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions in a 49-28 blowout win by Duke at NC State. It was the first time Duke won a conference road game since 2003.

The only game that featured division opponents this week also worked out well for the Tigers. Maryland was the only undefeated team in the division but the Terps lost 42-32 in Winston-Salem.

Now please don’t misunderstand me. I am still very concerned about this football team. I am extremely concerned about this offense. I am not happy at 2-3 and have little confidence in the rest of the season. However, the weakness of the division gives the Tigers a chance.

That chance may not be taken and this offense may not improve as the season progresses but at least there is a chance.

Here is what the division has in store for us for the rest of the season:
*Wake Forest leads the division with a 2-1 conference record. The Deacs have the top-ranked offense in the league but defense is the issue. The winner of the Wake Forest-Clemson game this weekend will on the tie-breaker between the two schools and perhaps have the leg up on the rest of the division. The Deacs have beaten NC State and Maryland but have a loss to Boston College. After a trip to Clemson, Wake Forest has other conference games against Miami, at Georgia Tech, Florida State and at Duke.

*Boston College is the second place team in the division heading into this weekend with a 2-2 mark. The Eagles have wins against Wake Forest and Florida State but losses to Clemson and Virginia Tech. They have a huge game this weekend when they host NC State. The rest of the Eagles’ ACC schedule includes games at Virginia and Maryland and a home game against North Carolina.

*Maryland is 1-1 in league play coming off of their loss to Wake Forest this past weekend. The Terps’ conference win came at home against Clemson. Their schedule includes home games with Virginia, Virginia Tech and Boston College and road contests at Duke, at NC State and at Florida State.

*Clemson is just 1-2 in the league but could play itself back into contention with a win over Wake Forest Saturday. If the Tigers even their record at 2-2 this weekend they could be on top of the division again by Saturday night. A tough trip to Miami awaits next week but the rest of the schedule still gives Clemson a chance. Home games with Florida State and Virginia and a road game at NC State would round out the ACC season. A 5-3 record wins the division but there is also still a chance a 4-4 record with the tie breakers could get a team in the ACC championship game in Tampa. Clemson needs to win this weekend to have the head-to-head tie breaker with Wake Forest.

*NC State is 0-2 in the league with losses to Wake Forest and Duke. The Wolfpack need a conference win and Tiger fans may want to pull for State Saturday in Chestnut Hill against Boston College. State still has other road games at Florida State and Virginia Tech. The Pack hosts Maryland, Clemson and North Carolina.

*It’s hard to believe Florida State is 0-3 in the league. The Noles have lost to Miami, Boston College and Georgia Tech. They are close to being eliminated in the division. The rest of the schedule includes trips to North Carolina, Clemson and Wake Forest and home games against NC State and Maryland. The Seminoles are 1-3 at home this season.

At this point, I have no idea who will win the division. My guess is that will be the best of the worst and the tea with the fewest weaknesses. Wake and Florida State are awful on defense but can score. Boston College and Clemson are the exactly opposite and Maryland has major issues on both sides of the ball.

From Clemson’s perspective, the Tigers need a win Saturday and an injection of confidence. Clemson cannot concern itself with the rest of the division at this point because it has so many issues. The Tigers need to find an identity on offense, improve the red zone offense, get better quarterback play, and establish more weapons on offense.

It has been a long couple of weeks around Tigertown and I, for one, am ready to move forward with a big win. Five wins should be enough to win the Atlantic out right but 4-4 may get you into the title game if you win the tie-breaker. Saturday’s game is as big as big can get in terms of winning this bad division.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*If you want the reason for the prayer to be added to the name please specify in your e-mails.
*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list

Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, 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, Delores Weaver, Eric Boessneck, John Bowers, Jimmy Ness, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, John Petrey, Chalmers Carr, Drayton Melton, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy, Caleb Kennedy, Ann Fallaw, Bob Pollock, Teresa O'Connor, Matt Jacobs, Mike Kingsmore.