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All-TigerNet [14921]
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Rewatched the 2011 ACCCG this week
Jul 29, 2020, 11:26 AM
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as part of my annual rewatching-old-games-on-YouTube-to-stave-off-the-preseason-doldrums ritual.
Things I had forgotten:
- I remembered the Tigers dominating that game the whole time but it was 10-10 at the half. Clemson took over in the 3rd on offense and Steele's D continued to dominate the Hokies to put it away. - That VT team was 11-1 and ranked #5 coming into the game (their only loss was of course to the Tigers earlier in the year). They ended up losing to Michigan in OT in Sugar Bowl and finished #21 in the AP Poll despite an 11-3 record. - Logan Thomas was not a good QB and I don't understand why his height alone justified being All-ACC (2nd team) and drafted in the 4th round. He ended up bouncing around at QB to 3 different teams until the Lions moved him to...TE. - Forgot how good David Wilson, the VT RB, was. He had 1,600 rushing yards coming into that game (132 ypg). The Tigers held him to 32 on 11 carries! He was a 1st round pick and was good in the NFL until a scary neck injury ended his career in his second season.
- Dwayne Allen was a beast! Had 2 TDs in that game. Kind of forgot he won the Mackey Award that year. - Andre Ellington is an under-appreciated RB in Clemson history. He wasn't as fast as Spiller or ETN and wasn't gonna bowl through guys like Gallman but he had the best balance of any RB in the last 30 years at Clemson. - No offense to Tajh Boyd but seeing his cross-field throws then compared to Trevor's now really makes me appreciate how strong of an arm TL has. - Boyd was an absolute wrecking ball when he rushed though. He ran like a FB a lot of the time. - Watkins had a killer cut on a route in the 3rd quarter that just destroyed the DB. He got wide-open on a long TD throw that kind of broke the game open for good. - Kind of interesting given their respective NFL paths but funny to see Watkins as more the featured WR and Nuk more playing 2nd fiddle. Hopkins actually had 2 more catches and 12 more receiving yards but Watkins had 5 rushes to go with his 5 catches and a rec TD. - This was the beginning of the end for Mike Bellamy. He'd had a long TD run in the regular season vs. VT but was suspended for the ACCCG and never played another down at Clemson. - Given the string of dominant DEs before and after him, Andre Branch is kind of a forgotten player over the last 15 years but he was 1st Team All-ACC in 2011 and had 10.5 sacks. Ended up playing 7 seasons in the NFL, which isn't too shabby.
Really interesting game historically for Clemson. It was our 1st ACC Title since 1991 and Dabo's 1st of 6 and counting. But it was sandwiched between a gut-wrenching loss to the Gamecocks and an all-time meltdown Orange Bowl vs. WVU that ended up bringing in Venables.
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Legend [16263]
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"There goes the fella!" quote from Brent Musburger - likely
Jul 29, 2020, 11:32 AM
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Sammy's 3rd Quarter TD? Happened so fast Brent couldn't get the name in order.
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All-TigerNet [14921]
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Haha yeah that made me laugh too!***
Jul 29, 2020, 11:42 AM
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Legend [16507]
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Just finished the regular season game. Branch was a beast
Jul 29, 2020, 11:39 AM
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in that one as well. Their offense was Wilson and then Mr. Giraffe flopping around. Nothing coming out of that game made me fear ANY changes that might result in a closer game in the ACCCG. Tech just didn't have anything for us on either side of the ball.
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All-TigerNet [14921]
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Yeah we had their number. They were a good team that year
Jul 29, 2020, 11:46 AM
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though.
They beat the GT team that beat us and blanked a top 25 UVA team 38-0 the week before the ACCCG.
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Starter [361]
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I to do a double take when I read Steele’s d dominated
Jul 29, 2020, 11:46 AM
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Come to think of it. Vt (twice) was the only team we had a pulse on d against and yes they were dominant
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All-TigerNet [14921]
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Steele is obviously mostly remembered by Tiger fans for his
Jul 29, 2020, 11:50 AM
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last game at Clemson but he's been really good at Auburn.
People forget he was the DC at Auburn that pretty much bottled up DW4 and Co in the 2016 game on the Plains. Also shut down a really good Bama Offense in 2017.
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Starter [361]
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Oh I definitely agree with talent to work with
Jul 29, 2020, 11:58 AM
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He is solid. There were probably a handful that would have made the 2 deep going into this yr. Andre branch is the only player that stands out and if merling was on there then him too
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All-TigerNet [14921]
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The D-line was pretty good that year but overall it was not
Jul 29, 2020, 12:12 PM
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our most talented defense. Mallicaiah Goodman, Cody Sensabaugh, Jonathan Meeks, and Brandon Thompson were all upperclassmen who played in the league.
Had a ton of young talent on that team that didn't play at all or much though-- had some FRs named Beasley, Jarrett, Anthony, Crawford, Breeland, Steward, Barnes, and Peters.
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Oculus Spirit [90820]
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What I also remember about VT in the ACCCG is:
Jul 29, 2020, 2:24 PM
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Walking into stadium & their large number of fans all dressed out with their neat clothing..not looking into our eyes as we all passed to head to our seats..
and put out an aria that they were really pisssed we’d beaten them badly at Lane Stadium on National TV..
and this championship game was gonna be a big pay back.
Sorta bothered me but it ended up a “no contest” game.
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All-In [27344]
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Re: Rewatched the 2011 ACCCG this week
Jul 29, 2020, 3:32 PM
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I was at that game. It was glorious!
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Orange Blooded [2763]
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Virginia Tech may have been 11-3
Jul 29, 2020, 3:47 PM
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but they only played three games against teams that finished the year ranked and lost them all. Hence them being 21st.
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