about the louisville game, ive got this feeling (long)

Sep 19, 2016, 12:09 PM

that we will win, and here's why...

throughout our recent history (say the last 20 years) ive watched clemson step to the doorstep of excellence time and time again only to time and time again be turned back to square one (i.e. beat miami, then lose to duke). its been really frustrating seeing all of that over the years.

back in 2011 when clemson started off really hot and we were the talk of the college football world, we came into atlanta to play tech and i remember the feeling i had in the pit of my stomach. i knew we were the better team, but there was always something about the jackets that made me nervous. i said to myself, "our undefeated season will end today" and it did in really ugly fashion.

this is one example of a series of occasions that i think we've all felt. the sinking feeling of apprehension leading up to a game that you know very well we could lose. its also very strange how often those apprehensions avail themselves to become painfully true.

this team, i believe is different. they are not going to choke at tech. we may not annihilate them, but we will beat them. there is no fear of that in my heart at all. which leads me to.....

Louisville...

i dont see this game going very well for louisville. Florida State provided the exact recipe of what not to do against them, and its all fundamentals.

-defensive ends cant crash inside, they have to set the edge
-defense must maintain gap integrity
-defense must get pressure on the qb and get tackles for loss
-make jackson beat you with his arm, not his feet. if he sits in the pocket, we'll eat him alive.

-offensive must limit turnovers and let deshaun and wayne and the recievers do what they do.
-offensive line must block well and open up holes and protect the qb
-we must play inspired

-lastly, special teams really hurt flordia state in this game. and its hurt us in the past too and this is where i see the game possibly hanging in the balance. we will really see if we've improved in this area against them.

florida state failed miserably in all of the above fundamental areas of the game, and their talent couldnt overcome it. it was a perfect storm. turnovers led to touchdowns, and short fields. special teams miscues led to touchdowns, and short fields. louisville with a short field is very dangerous.

say what you will about our offensive struggles but our defense has not struggled this year at all. we had some late breakdowns against troy that i believe will get or are already cleaned up. this defensive unit has been very good and very fundamentally sound.

our offense will be the best offense they have faced. none of the teams louisville beat had experience at the qb position or offensive lines with a pulse. deshaun showed his leadership by admitting that he wasnt having fun and letting it loose and playing fast with an edge and that infected/exhilerated the whole team. clemson may have been playing sc state this past weekend but i saw a team having a lot of fun and playing fast and hard. we easily could have hung 100 on them even with the shortened second half. we chose to sit our starters to get younger guys in the game (unlike louisville, in any game theyve played this year).

for all of those reasons, combined with the fact that we have an amazing coaching staff that has repeatedly shown that it learns from its own mistakes, and the fact that we have put HARDLY ANY OF OUR OFFENSE ON FILM FOR ANALYSIS (unlike louisville), i do not have that sinking feeling or fear of this louisville team. theyre good, no doubt, but we're better and i think youll see it 2 saturdays from now in the valley!

go tigers

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about the louisville game, ive got this feeling (long)

I didn't read any of that but -- GO TIGERS !!! OPEN A

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Re: about the louisville game, ive got this feeling (long)

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