Future looks brighter now than five weeks ago |
MIAMI, FL (AP) – Junior quarterback Tajh Boyd threw two touchdown passes and Mike Bellamy rushed for two more as the Clemson Tigers won the first BCS Bowl game in the program’s history with a 31-23 victory over Nebraska in the Discover Orange Bowl. The win gives Clemson (12-2) a Top 10 final ranking and makes them one of the top contenders for the national title game to be held in Pasadena, California, next January 7th, while Bellamy will be a front-runner for the Heisman after a season that saw him rush for 1,500 yards. The Tigers were 6-7 two years ago, but rebounded to win 10 games last season and 12 games in 2012. The Tigers fell behind by an early 14-0 score, but Boyd hooked up with junior receiver Nuke Hopkins for a 56-yard touchdown early in the second quarter to trim the Husker lead to 14-7. The drive was set up on an interception by sophomore safety Bashaud Breeland. On the ensuing Nebraska possession, senior defensive end Malliciah Goodman sacked quarterback Jamal Turner near midfield, and the fumble was recovered by Tavaris Barnes at the Nebraska 47-yard line. Two plays later, Bellamy slipped through a hole on the right side and raced untouched into the end zone for a 42-yard touchdown that tied the score at 14. The Huskers closed out the half by getting two field goals, and added another early in the third quarter to take a 23-14 lead. Boyd and the Tigers were just getting started however. Boyd hooked up with Sammy Watkins on a stop-and-go that covered 71 yards, and an interception by Clemson’s Darius Robinson set up a 32-yard field goal by Chandler Catanzaro that gave Clemson its first lead of the day at 24-23. Nebraska marched back down the field on the next drive, but facing a third-and-inches at the Clemson 22-yard line, Corey Crawford and Jeoffrey Pagan stopped Turner on the quarterback sneak. The Huskers elected to go for the field goal, but DeShawn Williams blocked the kick. Seven plays later, Bellamy iced the victory, a reprisal of Clemson’s 1981 National Championship, with a 32-yard jaunt for the final 31-23 score. Boyd finished 17-of-23 for 267 yards and the two touchdowns, while Bellamy and senior running back Andre Ellington helped Clemson to 281 yards on the ground. Watkins led all receivers with six catches for 131 yards, while Hopkins added 5-for-96 and his score. *** Ok, so the above is wishful thinking on the part of Clemson fans, but it could happen. Think about the dark cloud hanging above the Clemson program just a few short weeks ago – Athletic Director Terry Don Phillips was under fire, head coach Dabo Swinney was facing hard decisions in regards to his coaching staff, the Tigers’ arch-rival was playing in the SEC Championship Game – and Clemson fans were wondering if the cloud that seemed to be hovering over Clemson would ever lift. Add in the fact that the arch-rival had won in basketball and beaten the baseball team in the College World Series, and it appeared that Clemson was falling behind their rival and even the rest of the Atlantic Coast Conference, in many ways. The calendar turned to 2011, however, and all of a sudden the future is very bright. The university announced a $50 million facilities upgrade this past week which will be a boon to recruiting on all fronts. Even though head basketball coach Brad Brownell’s tenure at Clemson is in its infancy, it looks like this guy can flat-out coach. The baseball team enters 2011 ranked 4th in the nation. And now, Swinney has added in new blood to the football coaching staff, and a fan base and university that seemed on the verge of giving up is suddenly rejuvenated. Swinney is also bringing in what might turn out to be the best recruiting class in Clemson history, and with all of the playmakers that new offensive coordinator Chad Morris will have at his disposal, a new era could be dawning for the program. And let’s face it, football is the passion of this fan base. Clemson fans love their Olympic sports, make Littlejohn loud, and sell out Doug Kingsmore, but football is the identity of this university. If Swinney can hold onto this recruiting class, Morris and defensive coordinator Kevin Steele, and throw in another solid recruiting class next season, the above scenario is possible. That’s a lot of ‘ifs’ but they are not impossible. They can happen. Will they happen? Who knows. The above scenario is…like I said…just wishful thinking at this point. Way too many variables involved. But the process has started……. And if it happens, Clemson fans will exit the Orange Bowl in two years, and look back at this dark period from two years ago, and realize that these were the weeks that turned it all around. When Clemson became relevant again. Bellamy and Boyd for Heisman in 2013. Or earlier. Best guess Depth Chart for 2012 Clemson will have one more recruiting class to add to these players. January 1, 2013
Clemson Offense
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