Clemson

Clemson week is always special. They are the only ACC school that truly gets us. Their traveling fans are generally wonderful to interact with, and they understand who we were and who we are - because they have been there and are inevitably going back. Due to my own somewhat idiotic optimistic view on our favorite school, I inevitably always believe we have a great shot to win over the Tigers. Two exceptions. At no point in the glory of the Taggart era did I ever have any confidence his Mensa infused staff could win and the proverbial glass was fully empty when Clemson came calling. And in 2020, when the Swinney juggernaut was winging its way to Tampa with a COVID filled coughing aircraft, the non-infected on that team was still going to hang a hundred on us. Well, this year was number three, as I could not see a rational way to justify this offense miraculously finding a way to outscore our Upstate friends. I thought I was headed for an incredibly depressing night, and I left Doak last night with an unexpected spring in my step. There is hope kids, and that is a reason to look slightly forward to the next game instead of a Mastromano booming punt into 2025. 

After the game, every player interviewed went out of their way to comment on the new signal caller. They talked about the leadership, confidence and the energy that the kid had all week and throughout the game. You know, the stuff that a person that plays that position should all possess but had not been noted by anyone outside of the Uiagalelei living room all year.  And let's not ignore the boom shooka boom boom mustache that easily harkens back to the great Danny McManus of my collegiate era. This dude started the Dynasty that put FSU on the map. He was cool in the pocket and had the Fab Four grabbing darts to come back in the Desert and break Husker hearts that begin the magical fourteen year run. He had a little bit of a beer gut, was balding 20 years before men should and thus sported an omnipresent Coors Light hat on his dome while parked on a stool for hours at our then favorite hangout - The Phyrst (our Pot's for you youngsters). But our man Danny had the same stache as our Brock and I can assure you that the young lovelies on campus adored it. There are some enormous pressures when you start a game behind the center at FSU, but umm, the starting qb at FSU also has some special advantages over the rest of the male student genpop. So, all of you ladies that remember The Phyrst, let the mustache roar and defer to your current campus counterparts...

We have chronicled that the chroniclers who are lucky enough to attend daily practices have been universally unimpressed with Brock. He had accuracy issues and most of these folks predicted that the offense was thus unfixable in 2025. Wrong. Again, practice ain't a game, and this kid might be a gamer. I know many of you have chosen to wipe last years' Orange Bowl from your memory. Good decision. But, I left that game noting over and over how much Glenn improved from Charlotte to Miami. His feet were calmer, and his eyes were working even if he had a Time Warp dance troupe for receivers and backs that night. Well, take that Just a Leap to the Left and Jump ahead to this week. The footwork was veteran solid and the decision making was off the charts. He may not be able to get through all his progressions, but when he made the call, he let it rip. The first TD was over a LB and released before his young TE had even turned around. The final TD was one of a passel of British pub darts to Douglas. He is not afraid of tight window throws, but the quick conviction was what I loved. 

Other than untimely penalties, three unexplainably bad snaps and a complete inability to block anyone with a different colored jersey, I loved what the offensive line provided this week. They seemed to clap their hands in unison leaving the huddle. They sat politely on the bench and treated the water people approaching them on the sideline with genuine respect. This running game is biblically bad, and there were a number of passing plays that looked like two hand touch where the bad guys were on Brock before he yelled One Mississippi. I have to assume that the braintrust - even if they would never admit it - were not going to get Brock murdered by having him run on keeps a half dozen times this week. But it would be criminal if we don't see this naked action the rest of the year. We have to get the backside DE and backers to slow down and having the qb pull it and roll is the only way to take these 2-3 yahoos out of the play and overload our already overtaxed fat friends. 

The youth movement was in full bloom with the specialists. The two young tight ends were revelatory with five star Thomas hauling in eight aerials, and Williams who should be at a school gym homecoming as an early entry freshman grabbed his first touchdown on a diving grab. Danzy is always going to be the fastest player on the field and he was five yards free on a long wheel route. Brock got murdered while delivering it, so it came up short (still catchable), and McCoy got some real run this week as well. Who are they, you ask? Well, the Kids Are Allright I say. Again kids ask your Rents about 70's rock bands if those sentences failed to register.  Unfortunately, the adults on this squad are not allright. The seniors can not catch a break, a cold or a football, and it is tough to watch. Statistically, we are dropping exactly 10% of thrown balls this year. We have 22 official drops with 222 passes. The average in college is 3%. Yikes. Remember when not-yet-shaving Peter Warrick dropped every other ball. Yeah, me neither. Because we forgave and forgot his freshman year and watched him become...umm...Peter Warrick. Do you remember the last time a senior dropped a bunch of passes before 2024. Nope, me neither because those boys should not be playing now or ever again.

It was a tough night to accurately judge the defense. Clemson ran the ball on first down for almost nothing on most of their drives. They got inside the red zone and almost never owned the line. But somehow with two long back bursts and a half dozen quarterback scampers, they had a quarter of a thousand rushing yards. There were almost no clear back end coverage busts, and Klubnik threw into doubles way too many times, but again...250 yards. Clemson runs wide receiver screens better than anyone in college football. Yes, they pick on almost every one, but they do it so well and so often, the officials have long ago given up calling that a penalty. It is like when little Timmy gives half his lunch money to the bully every morning, so his parents just give up and give Billy double cash as he sprints out the mudroom. Our safeties still tackle like a sorority pillow fight and communicate like stoned frat brothers, but the linebackers are improving and might not be a weakness by Thanksgiving. Yet another transfer bust, Grady Kelly must have Odell's lasagna recipe, because there is another oldster that needs to not ever play again. Almost every big bust up the middle is when he is in the contest. The rotation needs to be Lyons and Sampson behind Jackson and Farmer. Period. Tighten up Odell, I can give you some Naples pasta specialties that will make you forget whatever Grady has on you. 

We take it for granted that our Aussie is going to just boom every ball 60 in an almost effortless manner, and he got a bunch of at-bats to try and surprise us this week. He didn't. Best punter since Rohn Stark and that is no lie. How about two blocked kicks. I see you Coach P! It was almost a great special teams night until our freshman punt returner decided to not catch a short attempt on the 13 and put Brock smack in front of the Tiger Band for a late fruitless drive. Fitz is so bored he is knocking out LSAT practice tests in front of us on the bench during games. Maybe the second half of the season, kickoffs and point attempts will pick up and law school admissions will wait. 

We get a week off this week, and that is good as Milton is currently heading towards many of us and plans this week are all scrapped as we prep for Nature to give the Weather Channel crazy good content for years. Hopefully, we will regroup at Duke and be able to hold onto the one bastion of ACC pride we still maintain - an unblemished record against the Devils. See you in two weeks in Durham on a Friday night!