TigerNet Talk: Where We Stand

by TigerNet Staff - Thu Sep 27 09:54:05 GMT-04:00 2012

This past weekend Clemson fell short in Tallahassee after sprinting out to an early lead. A play or two on either side of the ball and maybe it's a different game. Losing by 12 points on the road against the #4 team in the country is upsetting, no matter the stats, but it's not the end.

But the season moves on and Clemson has a chance to get things back on track in Chestnut Hill. The Boston College Eagles have a new offensive coordinator in Doug Martin and the Eagles are playing a more uptempo style.

Offensively, Boston College is much improved over last year's team which finished last in the ACC in scoring, total offense, and 11th in passing. Their new system has already shown some signs of life, but not enough save Frank Spaziani if they don't start winning some ballgames.

Boston College quarterback Chase Rettig has been much improved this season and has shown tremendous leadership for Eagles. He currently leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in passing yardage and total offense per game. During his career he has shown the ability to be a top flight passer and Martin's offense has really opened things up.

Look for the Eagles to spread the ball around to a number of quality wide receivers against a Clemson secondary that has shown signs of weakness. You can beat the Eagles' offense is eager to test Clemson down the field.

The Eagles also lost former starter Montel Harris who had a chance to become the Atlantic Coast Conferences all-time leading rusher. Due to off the field issues, he was dismissed, which opened up the starting job. Expect Andre Williams and Rolandan "Duece" Finch to get the bulk of the carries.

As for Clemson, this is a "gut check" game. Will the Tigers play with a lack of enthusiasm feeling that the season is lost? It would appear that Tajh BoydTajh Boyd
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At this point, Clemson's road games are the most winnable left on the schedule. From a talent level Clemson should be far and away the best team on the field this weekend. The Tigers can't sit by and hope for Florida State to stumble a few times and not go out and handle business in their remaining games.

If Clemson is going to be considered "back", it will come down to how they finish this year. There are some games on the schedule that you can lose, for example, this past weekend and still be recognized as one of the top teams by the end of the season. But losing at Boston College, Wake Forest, or Duke is inexcusable.

I don't know about how you truly measure being "back". Big wins are important, but bad loses can ruin a season. It's nice to upset number one, but hurts twice as bad to lose to a team in the basement. I tend to forget a lot of the wins, but the times we've been upset while at the top of our game tend to linger.

I know this though, when you can go into the afore mentioned venues every other year and smash those teams. You are headed in the right direction. There is no excuse for not giving 110% at all times when you wear that Clemson orange. Let's hope we get a good measure this weekend of where we stand.

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