Kirk Herbstreit talks Clemson and Orange Bowl

Herbstreit says quarterback Tajh Boyd will lead an offense next season that will be as talented as anyone in the country

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu Dec 29 13:50:30 GMT-04:00 2011

Kirk Herbstreit, the former Ohio St. quarterback and current lead college football analyst for ESPN, said Thursday afternoon that Clemson is a team that he keeps a close eye on and he believes that the 2012 Clemson offense will be as talented as anybody in the country expect for Southern Cal.

TigerNet spoke with Herbstreit as part of a BCS media opportunity, and he said that Clemson is a team he loves to watch.

“From the Auburn game on this season, I watched them very closely,” Herbstreit said of the Tigers. “I had some very close friends who went to Clemson, and they have been one of those teams I have watched and I have lived the disappointments of the past few years through those friends’ eyes. This year, they were kind of trumping that. They knocked off FSU and then another powerhouse on the road at Virginia Tech, and you could tell there was something different about this team and they just kept rolling.”

He said the loss at Georgia Tech was the main culprit of a late-season slide, and that the slide was more about confidence than coaching.

“I think when they showed up and lost the way they did at Georgia Tech, I think it impacted them,” he said. “It affected what they had created. You look at what they did the last four weeks, and it was like watching a different team. I think it had more to do with the mindset than X’s and O’s. Then they go into Charlotte against a team they had already beaten, and you wondered what was going to happen.

“And what I think was interesting was that [Virginia Tech quarterback] Logan Thomas fumbled the football on his very first play. It was like the fuse got lit again with that fumble. Clemson went back to being the team they were in September and October – they were flying around on defense and playing with emotion and high-fiving each other. They let four weeks of frustration out in that game. I think they were playing with a big-time chip on their shoulder.”

Herbstreit said the key for Tigers against West Virginia in the Orange Bowl is to bring that same type of emotion.

“Now they are playing a team they are expected to beat, and Dabo has another challenge,” he said. “The challenge is in that he has to be able to get his team to respect West Virginia and to feel like ‘If we don’t play our best game, we are going to lose.’ But I think being on the big stage and in a BCS bowl game will be enough to entice this team. When Clemson is healthy and playing with confidence and emotion, they can play with anybody in the country. But if they don’t start well and face some adversity, how will they react to that?”

He said the Tigers have enough pieces in place – especially offensively – to be a factor nationally next season.

“I don’t know all of the players - but with Tajh BoydTajh Boyd
RS So. Quarterback
#10 6-1, 225
Hampton, VA
View Full Profile and Sammy WatkinsSammy Watkins
Fr. Wide Receiver
#2 6-1, 200
Fort Myers, FL
View Full Profile and some of the players they have – when they are healthy and they are right they are as dangerous offensively as anybody in the nation,” he said. “To have a Sammy Watkins and a DeAndre HopkinsDeAndre Hopkins
So. Wide Receiver
#6 6-1, 200
Central, SC
View Full Profile and a Jaron BrownJaron Brown
RS Jr. Wide Receiver
#18 6-2, 200
Cheraw, SC
View Full Profile , the list just goes on and on. And nobody wants to talk about Andre EllingtonAndre Ellington
RS Jr. Running Back
#23 5-10, 190
Moncks Corner, SC
View Full Profile , but when he is healthy he is a difference maker. Tajh was the closest thing to Cam Newton this season because of the style of offense. And what keeps defensive coordinators up at night is not just trying to stop Sammy Watkins, it is how do they stop the entire offense because they have five or six different options. When Boyd is playing well and making good decisions, they are as dynamic and versatile as anybody in the country.

“Next season, they have to more than likely find a tight end to replace Dwayne AllenDwayne Allen
RS Jr. Tight End
#83 6-3, 255
Fayetteville, NC
View Full Profile [if he enters NFL draft]. He was a big piece and a difference-maker there. But with all of the players they have, I would say they are more talented offensively than anyone in the country outside of USC. I think with [Matt] Barkley, {Robert] Woods, [Marqise] Lee and [Curtis] McNeal, USC is probably the most talented offense next year, But there is no doubt that Clemson is right up there.”