:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/39569834/455818680.0.jpg)
That was definitely a heartbreaker on Saturday night..... No way to sugarcoat it. We had the game in our grasp but did everything we could to give it away before finally doing so. You can't make that many big errors like Ryan Norton's botched snap, CJ Davidson's late fumble, special teams gaffes, and Ammon Lakip's shanks, and expect to win the game. I also put a lot of this loss on the coaching staff with the decision not to play Deshaun much earlier in the game and not challenging what was an obvious touchdown that instead led to a botched snap and missed field goal. That was definitely not the shining moment for Dabo and Co. With that being said, there were a few bright spots that made me along with many other Clemson faithfuls hopeful for the future. Aside from the Mack Alexander slip, the defense played an overall great game. Deshaun Watson also showed why he should be the starter with his stellar play throughout the game. After his stellar performance in a hostile environment, Dabo went ahead and did the right thing and named Deshaun our starter. It is obvious the offense operates much better with Watson at quarterback and this will pay dividends for the rest of the season and the foreseeable future of the program.
But here was the bottom line of the result on Saturday night. Great teams find a way to win no matter how they are playing or how well their opposition is playing. And they find ways to win without their best players. FSU is a great team. They found a way to beat us even though they weren't at full strength and not playing their best. Unfortunately, we are not a great team right now. But after what I saw from some of the freshman especially Deshaun on Saturday night, I think we are on our way to something special....
Now onto the news and links.....
Clemson Tigers left with what could have been - ESPN
The title of this article sums up how the game went for us...... Too many could'ves, should'ves, and would'ves came from the result of that game
The title of this article pisses me off. It is obvious that most people don't know what "Clemsoning" is... If you look at the team a few years ago, than you could see were good at 'Clemsoning'.... But we happened to lose to the number 1 team on the road on Saturday.... I don't know how you can call that "Clemsoning"
Clemson likes looks of big in-state receiver | Clemson Recruiting | The State
Had to get a recruiting article in this week. Good to see we are still recruiting receivers to come to WRU... Especially an in-state one.
Deshaun Watson Wins ACC Award, Named Clemson Starter " FITSNews
Very happy for Deshaun..... Very deserving of this award and I look for him to do big things during the remainder of the season.
ESPN measure ranks Tiger 'D' nation's No. 1 - Orange and White Story
This is interesting. I would've thought they went with an SEC team with their SEC agenda.... Besides the first game of the season, our D has been holding up real well even against the number 1 team in the nation. Glad to see ESPN is recognizing us for something.
Jay Jay McCullough plays his way into starting lineup at TE - Orange and White Story
Interesting to see this switch. Jay Jay has by far been the most productive and physical of our tight ends. With Leggett not living up to expectations so far, the injuries to Sam Cooper, and the inconsistency from Seckinger, I agree with giving McCullough a chance to be our starting tight end.
Friday Focus Roper & Blossomgame - Clemson Tigers Official Athletics Site
Here is something non-football related..... I hear Blossomgame has really improved this summer. I look for him to become more of a perimeter threat this season and one of our leading scorers to help offset the loss of KJ McDaniels. I also look for Roper to be more in the mix this season if he is fully healthy. Look for him to contribute at both guard spots. I still think there is a chance he could start the season at the '2' if the coaching staff decides to play Harrison at the '3' if they aren't confident in starting Ajukwa or Grantham right away at the '3'. However, I feel its more likely that Harrison starts the season at the '2' while Ajukwa and Grantham log minutes at the '3'.