we won because of player development

Oct 19, 2014, 3:09 PM

There's an old saying: "too much depth is almost enough". It's never been more true than now for the Tigers. People have really not credited idea how beat-up and short-handed this Tiger offense is right now. But it's fascinating how many fringe guys, walk-ons, and veterans who could have moved on (and would have been run off at other programs) have stepped up and carried this unit.

It's easy to recruit 4-and-5-star guys and just plug in ready-made answers. It's another thing to recognize and develop walk-on talent, or show sufficient patience with veterans when a lot of programs just run them off and replace them with new-and-shiny oversigns, which is the M.O. of virtually every SEC program.

Dabo doesn't do that. And we're still winning because these friks and fraks and projects and no-name guys are carrying an offense that should be completely dead right now. No, it's not a sexy offense at all right now, and without our killer defense, we wouldn't even be having this conversation...but this season should have been a disaster akin to the one UGA had last year. But it isn't.

We are short. How short?

QUARTERBACK:
We're two QB's short right now. Watson, obviously, is hurt, and 4-star Chad Kelly was dismissed from the team this Spring after venting all over Ali Green and a hapless pack of Capri-Sun. And Cole Stoudt has a messed-up left shoulder. He still didn't look tremendous Saturday, and the Tigers had to punt 10 times, but he looked a world more effective than he has been and might - might - be getting his mojo back after getting shelled against UGA and FSU. He completed passes other than tunnel screens to the WR, fired down the field, made much better decisions managing the clock, even made a couple plays with his feet. It was an encouraging sign from a QB who looked, to put it politely, DOA a week ago. More encouraging was that Stoudt hit enough throws downfield to chase BC's imposing defense back out of the box, which gave Clemson's offense some room to operate underneath. Morris has gotten a lot of flak this year - justifiably, IMHO - for some of his play-calling and inability to grab an inch at key moments, but he came out with a very good gameplan for Stoudt yesterday and did not give up on the guy, and was rewarded with an encouraging performance.

RUNNING BACK:
We're three four-star RB's short right now. Tyshon Dye, Zac Brooks, and Adam Choice were all highly-recruited 4-star blue chips coming out of high school, and now they're all hurt. Clemson still won because Dabo took the time to recognize and develop the talents of local walk-on Daniel HS product CJ Davidson, who rewarded Clemson with a 32-yard TD scamper at a time when Clemson absolutely, positively had to have a big play. We also got some quality PT from 5th-year senior DJ Howard, who Dabo never ran off despite the apparent embarassment of riches we were carrying at RB prior to the season. How wise does that seem now?

WIDE RECEIVER:
Does anyone realize we've lost 4 4-star-rated WR's who should still be on the field for Clemson? We lost true juniors Sammy Watkins and Martavis Bryant early to the NFL draft, and Charone Peake - the most highly-recruited of all of that trio coming out of high school - has been sidelined with knee injuries all related to that torn ACL he suffered last year. Kyrin Preister was also dismissed from the team. In their stead we've got two true sophomores and two true freshmen, all highly-recruited - but some of the biggest plays yesterday were made by 5th-year senior and former walk-on Adam Humphries, who snagged a number of key third-down grabs and is by a mile one of the best WR's at blocking down the field. His bulldog blocking is contagious, too - on one grab from Germone Hopper, I saw true freshman Artavis Scott - who is a budding star - lock onto a DB and drive him about ten yards up the field, springing Hopper for a first down. As young as this WR corps is, I honestly wonder where we'd be without Humphries this year.

TIGHT END:
And now our prototype future NFL superstar, Jordan Leggett, is down. Leggett, at times, shows you why everybody in the Clemson camp considers him the next Dwayne Allen, and he was taking over the BC game until he got hurt. Fortunately, when he went down, Clemson had a 5th-year senior in Sam Cooper able to step in and provide the blocking Clemson had to have against a BC front that was determined to stomp a less-than-mobile Cole Stoudt into the turf, and McCullough and Seckinger are pass-catching TE's. We needed a blocker and a tough guy, and Cooper gave us that yesterday. Without Cooper returning from myriad injuries, where is Clemson today? Probably with another "L" on the ledger sheet.

OFFENSIVE LINE:
Clemson's four guys short. Guillermo is hurt, Joe Gore is recovering from surgery and is limited, Oliver Jones is out for the season, and OT Shaq Anthony was dismissed. We won because Kyle Norton has been gutting it out this season, playing hurt, and because OG/OT Reid Webster returned for a fifth year and has really bailed out an OL that's very short on numbers and quality this year. (You can cast a baleful look in Robbie Caldwell's direction at how thin the OL is right now, but that's a different discussion.)

Recruiting matters, but ultimately Clemson is still winning right now - winning ugly, granted, but still winning - because Dabo took the time to notice and develop walk-ons, and never ran off veterans who had fallen down the depth chart. Which is a fascinating object lesson, and it's meant that as the blue-chips have dropped like flies, the blue-collar practice grinders have stepped up and carried the team.

Tip of the hat to Dabo, folks...and respect for the blue-collar depth guys, who have continued to get it done.

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> coaching up the QBs for 4 years to not have what
> whadafuq moments in big games?
>
> no where near a bash, just discussion

I think Stoudt got shelled. We started on the road against UGA and FSU, two places where it's easy to drown, and he got thrown into that meatgrinder with zero starts. It's easy for a QB to drown in those crimstances - especially when you've got a prodigy like Deshaun Watson breathing down your neck - and he did.

Is he better than he looked to start the season? Yeah. I don't think he's a future NFL guy or anything like that, I just think his confidence was completely blown up after the second half against UGA.

Stoudt also really has faced a murderer's row of defenses. In Athens, against Pruitt's blitz-happy D? In Tallahassee? Louisville, the #1-rated defense in the country? And now BC, the #8-rated D in the country? Not a lot of room to grow confidence, against that slate, which is as bad as any Clemson QB has faced, like, ever.

No, he did not look good. But in retrospect that slate also looks like what you'd schedule on Dynasty Mode in NCAA College Football. Our schedule was insanely front-loaded this year. So it's pleasing to see that Stoudt's still got a pulse and may be getting his confidence back...and we can safely say, the worst is over, as far as opposing defenses go.

we won because of player development

Humpries wasn't a walk on***

Re: Humpries wasn't a walk on***

oregon has done more with less? LOL this board is really

I was just pointed out the Humphries wasn't a Walk On

Oregon is NFL Phil Knight training ground. No NFL talent?

Re: Humpries wasn't a walk on***

Re: Humpries wasn't a walk on***

Tell 'em coot

wow, i draw the opposite conclusion

Re: wow, i draw the opposite conclusion

I think you missed the point. It's not just about doing more

This was a really good post. Great point.

Morris is the only reason DABO HAS A #### JOB STILL

You are oversimplifying it. And getting too excited.

"However, defenses acclimated themselves

Re: we won because of player development

Re: we won because of player development

does player development include

Re: does player development include

POINT! *******

pretty good but...

Well-thought and stated. Enjoyed reading this. +1***

What a great post

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