With the Panthers game this afternoon, I'm not sure I'll be able to do the game review tonight, it'll probably be up tomorrow sometime. I'm wondering whether we should chart any of the performance, as in play-by-play or drive by drive. I would at least like to enjoy the win before I look at the film and critique. I will be pulling out clips.
Just some thoughts...
-We did not play a perfect game in any phase, but still managed to win a big game on the road against a good team. We were a few plays from wins before, and made them yesterday when it counted.
-Kyle Parker had a good day. Miami's defense was not stellar coming in, because of the youth, but they werent bad. He had ALL DAY to throw the football, which was great considering how talented and quick they are up front (even with injuries). He still made some bad mistakes.....the fumble where he held the ball out like an idiot, the throw into double coverage to Allen in the endzone that was picked off, AFTER they called a timeout and assuredly telling him NOT to turn the ball over but throw it away if no one was open.
-The defense allowed 8 plays of 20+ yards. We got some pressure but it wasnt great, I wasnt encouraged with how our DL played against them in passing situations, though I didnt expect to dominate a good team up front like WF or BC. We did not blitz as much as usual. Da'Quan Bowers was essentially bottled up all day. Jenkins was handled well. Thompson and Cumbie were handled for the most part. Sapp made a couple good plays. They managed a very strong running game against us, which I did not expect. I thought their passing game would be more lethal. They had 210 yards from the 3 RBs.Clemson Tigers stats
-Our LB Corps got themselves blocked out of many plays with bad angles and overpursuit. Cooper being out showed in some passing situations, but the running game they put together is just not acceptable. Maye charges in without reading all his keys, so does Conner. The safeties did not do any better in run support.
On the 69 yard TD play in the 2nd half, McDaniel was coming up into the alley on primary run support, and was out of position to help the Corner in deep help.
Thankfully we should not face a stronger running game, although FSU has the potential. Ponder can run must better than Dasher or Dalton as well.
-Pass coverage was OK, it was more matchup zone Cover 2 than usual, which looks like Man/Man to most unless you really pay attention. Its not really softer, but different, and you cant play the same coverage all the time. We forced 3 picks off a good QB. Hankerson was the only one who presented a huge problem repeatedly in coverage it seems. 17-27, 256 yds passing for Harris.
Steele: "You have to mix it up. You have to play split safety. You have to play eight in the box with one in the middle of the field. Some of them we dialed up right. Some of them we dialed up wrong. That's irrelevant. We have to be able to do that. And we did for a lot of plays. There was some good plays out there. There were some bad calls. I mad two bad calls. They did a good job of dialing it up. I thought the passing game up until the deep, deep one was for the large part alright. They maxed protected a lot. We still got to him 2-3 times. We affected him a little. They hit some, but not too many chunk plays.
"They came out with one and it was the worst time to have one because we had the lead at that time. But they hit and it was a game-changer in terms of that moment.
"But our kids, it was amazing on that sideline. They just felt like they were going to win the game. They went out there and did that. The run game was the most frustrating thing. They loaded it up out there and got two tight ends out there. It was nothing we hadn't seen on tape. We miss hit it a little bit, a couple of times. We'll learn from it. Thankfully it didn't cost us."
When asked about what to work on:
"I think without getting too technical, they got into a lot of big people, two tight ends and two backs and did some things. We need to make sure we help out guys lined up a little bit better. And that stuff. We didn't make huge critical errors, but enough that it kind of kept the bleeding going. They were getting in max protection in a huge way. They were not leaving those edges open. They've got eight blockers there now. And seven on other times. To pressure that you are leaving some things very vulnerable."
-I'm happy with the pass blocking, almost ecstatic but for the plays where Parker bootlegs right into a pass rusher, but damn the run blocking was bad. How can these guys give Parker all damn day to throw, and yet generate NO holes to run through? We MUST run the football better.
-The clock management was again an issue.
-The FUCKING PUNT RETURN TEAM almost AGAIN lost us the ball by not getting the hell out of the way when the kick comes down short.
-Playcalling except for one or two calls was pretty good I thought. I'm not "All In" with Napier, but his stock is rising. The gameplan looked like it made sense again. Good use of PA and the TE in the seam.
-Mike Palmer is, i believe, one of the top receiving TEs Clemson has ever had. I was a Keith Jennings fan, but he never got the opportunities Palmer has been. He's got good hands and actually runs clean routes, as opposed to our WRs. Who coaches TEs....and who coaches WRs? Yeah, you know our opinion on the Scotts.
-CJ Spiller spent too much time on the sideline in crucial situations, and sometimes the personnel used on a certain play doesnt fit the play called. Clemson has always had this issue. Reggie Merriweather was taken out against SC, Davis was taken out against Auburn on the goal line, etc. You dont run an I-formation isolation play with Ellington, he's not CJ yet, he hasnt learned to break tackles, just how to make people miss. Harper should be in for those tough yards if you want to spell CJ. Ellington on zone or shotgun runs. I know CJ played his ass off with 310 yards, but 14 carries is not enough.
I imagine his toe is not healed enough yet.