Re: Sadler and Sewell back playing Guard is a nightmare situation for us

CUEngGrad93 · 2025-11-17T00:24:26.527Z

It's pretty obvious how much better the OL has been once Sewell and Sadler were benched. I couldn't understand what was taking Coach Luke so long to make the move. It was obvious early in the season. I would have benched those guys and played Jacobs at Guard after the Troy game. Now those guys are back. It may not matter much vs Furman, but against SCar and the possible bowl opponent it will be a big problem. Those two guys are a sieve when it comes to giving up interior pressure.

RememberTheDanny

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Nov 16, 2025, 9:11 PM

Dabo would do the team well by ‘risking it’ starting the game with Sadler and Sewell in a rotation at LG and a rotation at RG of Ronan O’Connell, G.Blanchard, and D.Pennington (in that order) throughout the entire four quarters.

O’Connell, Blanchard, and Pennington must be given extensive live game snaps for there to be a shred of cohesiveness (and post-game film from which RO, GB, and DP can learn from their mistakes.

Of course, that won’t happen. The ‘Clemson way’ is to prepare the starters to win the game right in front of them. In this case, it will be Mighty Furman that will require maximum effort for three & 1/2 quarters to vanquish. Then, RO and GB will get garbage time snaps against an opposing DL that is physically limited and will be exhausted.

The usual ‘Clemson way’ of using personnel in a game, even with the opponent being Furman, must never be compromised. ‘Best whoever is in front of you, substitute only when we are ahead in a blowout.’ Even if we’re playing our annual cupcake.

Our OL will already be abused by S.Carolina … even without any injuries. If one of the five OL starters gets dinged up and misses some snaps (or gets a concussion) against S.Carolina, then bith O’Connell and Blanchard won’t be as well prepared to plug the holes and keep the ship from sinking.

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S.Carolina’s DTs are not special, but neither are they duds.

As for how our OL should be expected to perform against them, it is hard to be optimistic. Not because if any potential lack of effort and heart, but because of ability to play in a not-fully-healthy state. We may have a fundamental ‘lesser ability’ factor with one player who, by all appearances, is a warrior. Rudy Ruettiger types won’t get it done.

Since Elijah Thurman was done for this year, Walker Parks was exposed as a never-quite-fixed necessity at RG. #55 is strong, but agility has been average. Even when he gets his hand on a DT, his block is too-often shed. Thus, we have a liability at RG.

Now, on to #50; I’ve wondered if his injury from last year has impacted him through most of this year. With additional time missed in 2025 because of injury, I strongly suspect that he is not full speed. It adds up to a vulnerability for us at LG.

Dabo better get real and prep those ‘next up’ guys by playing them a bunch vs Furman. Waiting until Ship Clemson is taking in water down there in Columbia before trying out GB or giving extensive snaps to R.O’Connell for the first time all year is not good management of contingencies.

Sadler and Sewell back playing Guard is a nightmare situation for us