Clemson Tigers

Tigers Take Down Tide 38-7

Game Report Posted: January 19, 2009 06:11  

The Alabama Crimson Tide traveled to Clemson today to face off with the Tigers at Memorial Stadium. The two teams were ranked #22 (Alabama) and #11 (Clemson) and it seemed this match up would be a fight to the death in the trenches. Dabo Swinney, Clemson's newly anointed Head Coach had other things in mind however. Clemson came out swinging and soon put the Tide into a 14-0 hole. Alabama would never recover.

Clemson's defense ruled the day, accounting for 14 points off of interception returns including a 102 yarder by Crezdon Butler. Not only did the secondary play its part, but the defensive line held their own, allowing only 19 rushing yards on the day. Bama's QB, John Parker Wilson, seemed to be overwhelmed the entire evening. Even though he was never sacked, he had to evade blitz after blitz and this no doubt played a part in the 3 interceptions he threw. He did, however, connect on an 80 yard TD strike to wide out Mike McCoy. This was the only time Alabama was allowed to score the entire game.

The Tiger offense seemed a little lackluster. There were no big plays on their side of the ball, but rather a grind it out offense was employed. This attack was headed by the dual threat of James Davis and C.J. Spiller in the backfield. Both rushed for 60 yards and they combined for 3 scores. Red shirt Senior Cullen Harper was miffed throughout the game, throwing for only 70 yards on 9 completions with no touchdowns. He did manage to give the ball away twice on interceptions though.

Overall it was an excellent first outing for Coach Swinney and the Tigers. In the weeks to come they will need to work on getting the ball to their backs more and letting Davis and Spiller make the plays. If they do decide to throw, Harper will need to be a lot more accurate and must settle down in the pocket. On defense, the Tigers need to keep up the good work. Putting pressure on the QB, bottling up the runs, and defending passes will lead to wins on the board.

Clemson Paws TAMU 44-18

June 9, 2008

Game Report Posted: January 19, 2009 08:55  

Another Saturday in the fall and another win for the Clemson Tigers. Facing off today against the Aggies from Texas A&M, the Tigers were heavily favored to win the ball game and boy did they ever deliver. It seemed like it might be a long afternoon when the Aggies jumped out to a 10-0 lead thanks to a FG and an interception return on a careless pass by Cullen Harper, but the Tigers jumped right back in the mix with 14 unanswered points. Extraordinarily, both of those scores came from Jacoby Ford and the return game. He first found a seam and returned a kickoff 103 yards and then, after a stalled drive by A&M, he fielded a punt and made a couple moves to break off a 56 yard TD return. After this, Clemson never looked back. Scoring 30 points in the final 3 quarters while holding the Aggies to only 8 more.

The Aggie offense looked good in the first half, reeling off several big plays both passing and rushing. They never could turn their drives into points though, and they suffered greatly because of it. It seemed like the defense had a chance after the returned interception in the first, but this soon changed as well. Texas A&M bowed under the pressure and started giving up yardage to the powerful running game of Clemson. A big blow came to the Aggies came when their star QB, Stephen McGee got hurt midway through the 3rd. The backup came in, but was only able to muster one scoring drive. McGee was diagnosed with an ACL sprain and is rumored to be out 3 weeks.

The Clemson defense rolled for a second straight game, yet again holding the opposing rushing attack under 100 yards. The defensive line did a great job containing both the running backs and the quarterback, combining for 19 tackles and 3 sacks in the game. The secondary had their backs, contributing 2 interceptions, a sack and a touchdown. The Tiger's offense seemed lackluster for the second straight game as Cullen Harper only passed for 115 yards on 9 attempts. Yet again he managed to throw an interception, and this time the defense turned it into a touchdown. The running game was solid yet again, with Davis and Spiller combining for 118 yards and 2 scores. This game, however, was decided on the special teams front. Jacoby Ford had 248 all purpose yards on 5 return attempts and 2 touchdowns.

The Tiger squad looked great in their thrashing of Texas A&M, but several glaring problems need to be addressed. The main problem is Cullen Harper's tendency to turn the ball over. He has had 3 interceptions in the last 2 games and, if left unchecked, this problem could prove to be deadly for Clemson. Still on the same passing note, it seems that Clemson doesn't utilize their WRs very often in the game. This could prove harmful later when defenses start scheming to stop the run and not worry about the pass. Harper needs to be straightened out so Clemson can get their passing game back on track.

Textile Bowl Victory for Clemson

Game Report Posted: January 20, 2009 00:55  

The Wolfpack of NC State came to Death Valley Saturday to do battle in the Textile Bowl with Clemson. The game was an all out offensive blitzkrieg. With 800 yards of total offense, and over half that being rushing yards, this game was fought along the lines. The Wolfpack started off slow, only scoring 7 points in the first half. However, they came back to life after the break and scored 14 points in the 2nd. It still wasnt enough as the Tigers ran away with this one thanks to their seemingly unstoppable backfield.

The NC State offense tormented Clemson all afternoon, rushing for a season high 135 yards and passing for 237 and 2 TDs. The Clemson defense hadn't allowed this much yardage to a team yet this season. Even though the Wolfpack came into the game severe underdogs, they showed the crowd that they had a chance with 2 strong second half scoring drives. It was too little too late though and Clemson locked down the defense, preventing any more scoring from NC State.

The Clemson offense continues to win games with the help of running backs James Davis and C.J. Spiller. They both combined for 280 rushing yards and 5 scores in the game, including 1 huge run apiece. Davis broke his 61 yarder just after halftime, and Spiller was followed suit on the very next drive taking it 46 yards to score. If anyone had any doubts about these two being the most dangerous tandem in college football, this game should have proved it to them. Even Cullen Harper looked better, throwing for 147 yards, 1 TD and 1 interception in the game. He still needs to try to keep the ball away from the other team though.

The Clemson Tigers look unstoppable this year, and are heading toward another win next week when the Central Michigan Chippewas come to town. CMU is 2-1 so far this season, their only loss coming at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs. Clemson is expected to run away with this game, literally. There doesnt appear to be anything the Chips will be able to do to stop Davis and Spiller.