Dan Scott: Duke - Clemson Prediction |
Duke (0-10) at Clemson (5-5)
OFFENSE All eyes will be on Clemson quarterback Woody Dantzler today. Dantzler needs just 131 rushing yards to become the first player in NCAA history to finish the regular season with better than 2,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing. For Duke, point guard Jason Williams and No. 2 man Mike Dunleavy are a dynamic scoring duo, but how can the Blue Devils compete 11 on 5? ADVANTAGE: Clemson DEFENSE The Tigers hope to build on a solid effort coming off the South Carolina loss, one of the few bright spots Reggie Herring's unit has had this season. As usual, quarterback pressure and secondary play will be the keys. The Blue Devils are known for their dominant, intense man-to-man defense. That should shut down the Tigers' wide receivers, but again, with only five men on the field, how will they stop the run? Carlos Boozer can't do it by himself. ADVANTAGE: Clemson SPECIAL TEAMS With six players unaccounted for, Clemson should block every Duke kick. ADVANTAGE: Clemson COACHING Clemson's Tommy Bowden has endured the most trying year of his brief career as a head coach. Duke's Mike Krzyzewski may be the best coach in college basketball today, which will do the Blue Devils absolutely no good Saturday. THE PICK Clemson 45, Duke 20 PRE-GAME TRIBUTE TO HONOR VICTIMS OF SEPT. 11 Clemson University Saturday will honor Sept. 11 victims among its extended family at a game rescheduled due to these terrorist attacks. In a special pre-game presentation, the University will pay tribute to friends and relatives of members of the Clemson family, lost in this national tragedy. An e-mail to students, faculty, staff and alumni invited those who had lost a loved one to share the name with Clemson. The following individuals will be honored: * Nick Brandemarti from West Deptford, N.J., who worked on the 89th floor of the World Trade Center * Bobby Coll, an amazing man and uncle who worked in the World Trade Center * Brian Denning and Greg Todisco, friends who will be remembered * Tom Foley, a firefighter in the Rescue 3 Company who lost his life in the rescue efforts in New York * Emeric "Ric" Harvey and Robert T. "Bob" Twomey, uncle and father who worked in the same company and were having breakfast in the World Trade Center that morning * Captain Mary Jane Sweeny of the U. S. Navy, a friend of Clemson University, assigned to the Pentagon * James P. White, a Clemson alumnus who was one of the youngest partners of Cantor Fitzgerald * Douglas Gardner, a cousin of a Clemson alumnus In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., Atlantic Coast Conference presidents and athletic directors made a collective decision to postpone all athletic events that week. It was only the second time in history that a Clemson game was postponed. Clemson's Nov. 23, 1963, football game with South Carolina was postponed due to the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. That game was rescheduled for the following Thursday, Thanksgiving Day. The Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony and banquet, scheduled for Sept. 14, was also postponed. This event will be held Feb. 1, 2002, at the Madren Center. Invitations will be sent by mid-December. Anyone with questions about this event should contact Charlie Bussey at 656-2979. CLEMSON TO CONTINUE STEPPED-UP SECURITY FOR HOMECOMING GAME Clemson will stick with increased security measures, enforced after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, for its Dec. 1 game against Duke. The "no pass-outs" rule enacted following Sept. 11 will be continued. Once inside Memorial Stadium, fans will not be allowed to exit and return. "We understand that this changes a long-standing Clemson tradition, but we hope all of our fans will understand why this is necessary," said Athletic Director Bobby Robinson. The new stadium rules also mean no backpacks, tote bags or other large carryalls will be allowed in the football stadium. Items allowed into the stadium but subject to search are purses, diaper bags, seat cushions, binoculars, cameras, video cameras, cell phones, radios, Walkman-type radio/recorders and hand-held TVs. Umbrellas and strollers can be checked at the gates by security personnel. Bomb squad experts and bomb-sniffing dogs from the City of Anderson will be on hand to check the stadium and cars parked near it. Adults attending the game should have an official form of photo identification with them, and children should remain with an adult at all times during the game. Planes will be restricted from flying over the stadium, and only cars bearing IPTAY placards will be allowed access to roads in the vicinity of the stadium (Avenue of Champions, Centennial Boulevard, Press Road) during the game. "These measures are purely precautionary to ensure that everyone can come to the game and enjoy themselves," said Mary Poore, associate vice president for municipal services. MANEUVERING AROUND ROAD CONSTRUCTION CALLS FOR PATIENCE Improvements in traffic flow continue to be made as construction progresses on the S.C. Highway 93 project. If you are going to the game or you have family and friends coming to Clemson on Saturday, the University encourages you and your visitors to: * allow extra time for the trip; * pay special attention to signs, orange traffic cones, directional signals and instructions given by State Troopers and other law enforcement officers coordinating traffic control; * excercise caution on roads into Clemson where some lanes are closed and surfaces may be uneven; * accept that traffic will move slower than on past football Saturdays and that you may not be able to take your usual route to the stadium; and * be patient.
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