Athlon: Clemson Spring Preview |
The following below is a small excerpt from a Spring Preview from Athlon Sports.
Spring Storylines Facing the Tigers: 1. The No. 1 issue facing Dabo Swinney and Boyd as the two unquestioned leaders of this Tigers program is mental toughness. The Tigers are the defending ACC champs, but certainly didn't play like it down the stretch last season. Clemson lost four of its last six games by a combined margin of 98 points. Losing by 25 points per game does not a champion make. Obviously, the most important game was the 38-10 drubbing of Virginia Tech in the ACC title game, however, the victory likely only added to the preturbed nature of the Clemson fan base. The team has the ability to repeat as ACC champs and potentially push for an even bigger prize, but this program has to prove that it can handle the stresses of championship caliber football. Consistency and composure has to come from the top - aka Boyd and Swinney. 2. New defensive coordinator Brent Venables lands in Death Valley after essentially being run out of town at Oklahoma. The Crimson and Cream fanbase had Venables under heavy scrutiny after multiple years of underacheivement - something with which the Tigers' fanbase is all too familiar. Old defensive guru Kevin Steele saw his unit surrender 169 points on those four losses, which included the 70-point Orange Bowl embarassment at the hands of West Virginia. The depth, talent and potential is dripping off this Clemson defense, but Venables has to prove that he still has what it takes to be an elite level BCS coordinator.
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