Don't Make a Bad Team Look Good

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When you face the kind of schedule Clemson has this season everyone gets

excited about such difficult tasks as Texas A&M, FSU, Virginia and Miami.

One of the goals of the fans is to pull off the shocker and beat a top ten

opponent like the Tigers did twice last season.

However, one of the things that might be just as important is beating the

teams you are favored to beat. Clemson is not a good team this season but

they must do one thing this Saturday: Don't make a bad team look good.

That is exactly what Maryland is...a bad football team. Do not get me

wrong, the Terps play solid defense but this offense is anemic. It is

difficult to gain only 172 yards in two games. NC State's defense is better

than Clemson's right now but Georgia Tech has not shut down teams this

season.

Last week the Tigers played their best game of the year on defense and this

week they play another weak offense. Ralph Friedgen is an offensive genius

but he is like the sniper without ammo. The Fridge has issues on offense

that even he and his brilliant staff cannot fix without help from the Tigers.

Clemson needs to tackle well. They need to keep the Terps in the proper

down and distance situations. They need to force turnovers and not allow

any big plays. But most importantly the Tigers must not make a bad offense

look good.

Clemson continues to struggle offensively but maybe they gained confidence

in the second half last week. Perhaps the biggest news last week was the

commitment to the run. The Tigers must be more committed to the run. It

helps out the defense. It helps out the offensive line and it sets up the

play action game. It also adds a physical aspect to the program.

Last let me give congrats to the special teams. This is the strength of the

team this season and should play a major role in Saturday's game. The staff

will face Steve Suter, one of the best returners in ACC history.

In summary Clemson needs to look like Clemson on Saturday and the Tigers need

to make Maryland look like Maryland and not the Friedgen-coached Terps of

the last three years.

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