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General Info (Coming Soon) Boards & Admin  use policy(Meetings/Club reports) (Buy, Sell & Trade) Jacket Football (Coming Soon) 2001 Kickoff Classic Hoops Jacket Links |
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Head Coach - Tommy Bowden (15-9 @ Clemson, 2 seasons/33-13 overall, 4 seasons) Clemson did not waste any time showcasing their new and improved offense in 2000. They scored 100 points in their first two games, a 38-0 pasting of I-AA Citadel followed by a 62-9 shellacking of Big 12 Missouri. That trend would continue as the Tigers ran roughshod over the first part of their schedule. Only NC State really came close to Clemson, falling 34-27 when a potential game-tying TD pass fell incomplete late in the game. However, cracks started to appear in Chapel Hill. The Tarheels raced out to an early 17-0 lead before Clemson came back. In the process, the Tigers lost Dantzler, only to discover backup QB Willie Simmons was good for more than mop up duty. Still, problems on the defense needed to improve for the stretch run. When they didn't, Clemson ended up losing a heartbreaker to Georgia Tech (I'll pause a minute while you stand up and cheer; all hail Godsey to Watkins!!!!!) and then got absolutely pummelled on national TV by FSU 54-7. They survived a struggle with arch-rival South Carolina (I'll refrain from any derogatory comment here :-( ) but couldn't hang with Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl. Losing 3 of the last 4 took some of the luster off an otherwise good season. Still, it's a big reason the Tigers don't carry more momentum into 2001. A suspect defense lost 7 starters, forcing DC Reggie Herring to change to a 4-2-5 scheme. On top of that, Clemson joined the rest of the ACC (minus Duke) in losing it's OC. This time it was Rich Rodriguez to West Virginia. Former FSU OC and USC HC Brad Scott takes over. While most of the offensive stars return, the biggest one doesn't. Rod Gardner takes his show to the NFL after rewriting the Tiger record book. Somebody needs to emerge as the go to man for Dantzler/Simmons. Rush Off. - 236 ypg/10th...Pass Off. - 210 ypg/63rd...Total Off. - 446 ypg/10th Returning Starters OFFENSE - Brad Scott (3rd season @ Clemson, 1st year as OC) Quarterbacks You'd be hard pressed to argue that any team in the ACC is as set at QB as Clemson. Sure Tech can take great comfort in Godsey, NCSU has Rivers, and the Tarheels are happy w/ Curry...but no team can be as confident about their #2 guy. After redshirting in '99, Simmons came in and showed why he was such a highly sought after recruit. Against North Carolina, he led the Tigers to 31 straight points in erasing that 17-0 deficit. He finished the night 10-18 with 0 INT's and 4 touchdowns. As Dantzler continued to struggle with his leg injury, Simmons continued to fill in admirably considering he was a freshman. On the season he finished 36 of 80, 2 INT's and 7 TD's for 616 yards. He also rushed for 46 yards more. In spring drills, Simmons took all the snaps with the first team offense while Dantzler recovered from off season ankle surgery. While Clemson fans are anxious to see how much improvement Simmons has made, nobody is trying to push Dantzler out the door just yet. Had it not been for that injury, it's not only possible, but likely that Woody would've become the first player in NCAA history to pass for 2000 yards, and rush for 1000 more. He ended the season with 1,691 yards through the air (122-212-6, 10 TD's) and 947 yards on the ground. His rushing yards actually made him the 3rd leading rusher in the ACC. His 13 rushing TD's tied him for tops in the league w/ teammate Travis Zachery. Any runaway wins, or the unthinkable situation of both Dantzler AND Simmons being out will bring Matt Schell (6-2, 205 lb. R-Jr.) to the lineup. He's benefited Clemson as a practice QB, but has very limited snaps in real games- saw only mop up duty in routs against the Citadel, Missouri, Wake, and Duke in 2000. Running Backs I admit to doing a bit of double-take when I looked at Clemson's rushing numbers. Zachery had to have the quietest 1,000 yard rushing season I can ever recall. IMO, it's actually similar to the label that got slapped on GT in 1998 and 1999; that we were running this wide open offense, when in fact we were simply spreading the field w/ good receivers and then running the ball. Zachery missed leading the ACC in rushing by 17 yards. He totaled 1,012 yards (to Womack's 1,028) on 201 carries. As I said above, he had 13 rushing TD's and added 4 more receiving to lead the conference in that category. In fact, it's that ability to slide out of the backfield and catch the ball that really makes Zachery dangerous. He had 27 receptions last year, 2nd on the team, for 288 yards. The interesting thing in Clemson's rushing attack this year will be the absence of your prototypcical fullback. Chad Jasmin will step into that role in place of Terry Witherspoon. Although he's a fine blocker, the Tigers give up 40 lbs. at that position this season. As a reserve in 2000, Jasmin had 11 carries for 60 yards. Right now, he's the only player listed at FB although at times Keith Kelly will line up in that spot even though he's really a tailback. Coming off the bench, he added 240 yards and 2 TD's last season. The player who seemed to make the biggest strides in spring practice was Bernard Rembert. With Zachery also sidelined nursing an ankle injury (suffered in the Gator Bowl), Rembert shined w/ the first team offense. In the spring game, he checked in with 108 yards on just 14 attempts. Last season he helped out with 215 yards on 66 carries and 36 more yards on 3 receptions. Wide Receivers For Dantzler to approach the numbers he had last season, he desperately needs someone to step up and replace Gardner as the go to receiver. Gardner left Clemson as the all-time best receiver in their history. In 2000, he caught more passes (51) for more yards (956) than the 4 returnees combined. (49 for 649) The challenge is obvious...step up the level of play or be replaced by one of the talented receivers Clemson signed in February. At first glance, Robinson appears to have the inside track to be the man Dantzler looks for first. In 2000, he collected 24 receptions for 276 yards and 3 touchdowns. However, it was Youngblood who really came through in April. In the spring game he hauled in 11 passes for 142 yards and a score. That's almost what he had all of 2000 when he caught 12 passes for 221 yards and 2 TD's. Ironically enough, this would be the 2nd time Youngblood has succeeded Gardner- they both played at Raines H.S. in Jacksonville. Bailey and Reames are nice role players, but neither appears to be a game-breaking receiver. Bailey had 9 receptions for 121 yards, while Reames caught 4 for 31 yards. The real story surrounding the Clemson receiver corps though is who's coming. Roscoe Crosby surprised more than few folks (most of 'em Gamecock fans, me included) by basically turning down millions of dollars to play baseball and report to Clemson this fall. Rated the #1 WR in the nation by most recruiting types, the 6-3, 200 lb. freshman is almost certain to see plenty of playing time immediately. Expectations about his impact are through the roof. Joining him will be Airese Currie. This 5-11, 175 signee was rated as high as #6 (BorderWars) in the receiver category. Clemson fans are still hoping that Ty Zimmerman (6-4, 195 lb.), rated the #5 receiver in the country by SuperPrep can make a qualifying score on his ACT. Tight Ends Morgan Woodward is a marked man. Although he still holds down the #1 spot on the depth chart coming out of spring, there's not many Tiger fans who expect him to hold it long. The senior was a minor factor last season with four catches for 89 yards although 2 of them were for touchdowns. The reason Woodward may be second string by the time Clemson visits is a young man named Todd McClinton. He was ranked the #1 TE in the country in 2000 based on his rare combination of size and pass catching ability. Clemson faitful have high hopes based on his 663 yards receiving (32 catches) and 450 yards rushing (47 carries) as a high school senior. He had to sit last season due to academics, but many are counting on him being a major offensive factor in 2001. In addition to McClinton, the Tigers also signed the #3 ranked TE in the nation THIS season in Ben Hall. (6-5, 230 lb.) Offensive Line This unit has come a looooooooooong way over the last few years. In 1999, Tommy Bowden faced the prospects of rebuiling a 3-8 team with 5 brand new starters on the OL. 4 of them are back in 2001 for yet another go around, giving Clemson a unit that's not only experienced, but used to playing with each other as well. That cohesion within a unit that must be precise in it's assignments is overlooked too often. Kyle Young is the glue that holds it together. He consistently rated as one of Clemson's best linemen in 2000. (using the coaches grading scale) Heading into 2001, Young has an opportunity to become just the 2nd ACC player in the league's history to earn 1st team Academic All-American honors 3 years in a row. At the guard positions, Clemson has Merrit, although undersized for his position, and Watkins joining Young in starting for the 3rd consecutive year, Another boost to the OL comes from the return of Akil Smith (6-4, 290 lb. R-Jr.). He established himself as a force at starting LT in 1998 and 1999, but was lost for the 2000 season to circulatory problems that caused some life-threatening blod clots to develop. He's been given a clean bill of health, but showed the lingering effects of the year off in spring. That prompted OL coach Ron West to move RT Gary Byrd to the left side and move JUCO transfer Derrick Brantley up to first team. Eventually, most folks (me included) expect Smith to play his way back into shape, giving Clemson a decent rotation. Now they need to use it. Clemson tended to go with the "Iron 5" last season and it seemed to show (along w/ Dantlzer's injury) late in the season when they lost 3 of 4. In addition to Smith currently being listed as 2nd team, Clemson has experienced backups in Nate Gillespie (RT - 6-3, 271 lb. R-Jr.) who played 4 games on the OL and 8 games at TE last year and Brian Outlaw (C - 6-2, 260 lb. R-Sr.) a former walk-on who's played extensively behind Young his whole career. R-So. Greg Walker (6-5, 315 lb.) made a serious push to be the starter at RG during spring drills, while R-Fr. Cedric Johnson (6-4, 317 lb.) relieves Watkins at LG. Much is being made of the Clemson offense this season. Bowden's style of play has made Tiger receiving records fall like domino's the last two seasons, and with the best WR class of 2001 coming in, even more is expected. However, the best way to stop CU is to follow the old adage of stopping the run. Even with their fleet of receivers, it's the run that sets it up. Consider this, in Clemson's first seven games, they rushed for an AVERAGE of 296 yards/game. In game 8, with Dantzler sidelined, UNC held the Tigers to 112 yards rushing and looked as if they would upset the Tigers for much of the game. While Tech didn't do quite as well containing the ground attack, they became only the 2nd team to hold CU under 200 yards rushing (147) and the score was only close because of two punting miscues. FSU held them to 95 yards and destroyed Clemson by 47 points. South Carolina also held Clemson to under 200 yards rushing and passing and nearly pulled off a tremendous upset. Virginia Tech followed suit, holding the Tigers to 88 yards after Zachery left with a broken ankle. They won 41-20. When it was all said and done, Clemson had seen it's rushing average of 273 yards/game during the win streak fall to 126 yards/game- 46% of their previous average. OTOH, their passing yards only went from 219/game to 200/game. Scoring fell from 43 points/contest to just under 18...and again that was aided by 2 special teams scores against Tech. Similar struggles this season would be disastrous for a depleted defense. DEFENSE DC Reggie Herring (8th season @ Clemson, 5th year as DC) Defensive Line I admit...I'm still having a hard time with this Clemson team. I grew up in SC watching Danny Ford build teams around a strong rushing attack and a smothering defense. Now Clemson is running 4 wides and has a defense that struggled mightily. With only 4 returning starters, you wonder how it's going to get better. The problems start upfront. Nick Eason is the lone returning DL...and he's playing a new position. The former DE takes his 36 tackles, 11 of them for losses including his 7 sacks, and moves inside to tackle. He's joined by the consistently hyped but largely underachieving Jovon Bush. Big things have been expected of Bush since he arrived in Tiger town, but he for the most part he's been a disappointment. In 2000 he played in every regular season game, recording 16 tackles. His only tackle for loss was against Tech. It's time to put up or shut up for Bush; Clemson needs him to come through in a big way because the DL was decimated by an off-season counterfeiting scandal. DT Paul White, DE Marcus Lewis, DE Tyronne Dickerson, and DL Eugene Koon were all kicked off the team. None of these players would've been starters, but at least White and Lewis were being counted on to provide depth. That leaves DeJuan Polk (6-2, 265 lb. R-So.) and Donnell Washington (6-6, 320 lb. R-Fr.) to backup the starters. Polk played DL in 5 games last season...the first 5 when Clemson pounded on weak competition. He collected 8 tackles in that time. The situation is not much better at the DE's. McNeal steps into the starting role after backing up Terry Bryant the last two seasons. As reserve in 2000, he played in 11 games (+ the bowl) and recorded 23 tackles, 2 of them sacks. J.J. Howard (6-3, 220 lb. R-So.), a former tight end who moved over to DE will help out at the position. On the other side, Vaughan slides into the spot vacated by Eason. Vaughan figures to be one of Clemson's rising stars in 2001 if he can build on his finish from last season. Vaughan saw his playing time increase as the season wore on, eventually earning a start in the Gator Bowl when Eason was lost with an injury. He finished with 18 tackles, 3 of them sacks. That's the good news...the bad news is his backup, David Ellis (6-1, 240 lb. Jr.) is a former LB who's never played a down from scrimmage. Every bit of his action has come on special teams. Look for the some of the incoming recruits to compete for immediate playing time on the DL. Losing DT Leo Reed to academics was a huge setback for Clemson; he could've really helped out right away. Linebackers That's it. Two. Just two. Two linebackers. Not three. Not four. Two. Reggie Herring has decided that the best way to cure Clemson's defensive ills is to switch to a 4-2-5 scheme...so Clemson will have two linebackers. They're pretty good ones. But there's only two? Chad Carson is Clemson's best bet to continue a fine line of LB's. With so many of the Tiger's opponents worried about the departed Keith Adams, Carson managed to lead the team in tackles with 146. Now teams will focus on him instead. Bodrick will line up on the strong side opposite Carson. As a reserve in 2000, Bodrick managed 39 tackles and recovered two fumbles. Depth is not as big a concern here. (Hey...there's only two...how hard could it be? - it's a joke Tiger fans!) Rodney Feaster (6-0, 210 lb. Jr.) backed up Adams in 2000, collecting 24 tackles in relief. This year, he'll back up Bodrick. I expect his playing time to increase. Behind Carson is Rodney Thomas. (6-0, 215 lb. Jr.) Thomas racked up 47 tackles last year, mostly on the strength of a school record 26 special teams tackles. He did see time in every game at the LB position. Defensive Backs No one unit bore the brunt of Clemson's defensive failures down the stretch more than the secondary. Even with the presence of All-ACC performers Robert Carswell and Alex Ardley, Clemson's pass defense didn't so much struggle as it imploded. In reality there were some warning signs. Clemson breezed through the first 5 games allowing only 117 yards/game through the air. Then NCSU's Phillip Rivers torched 'em for 370 yards. Ronald Curry followed a few weeks later w/ 314. Then came Goose. Godsey passed for 454 yards in Tech's upset win...the most EVER allowed by a Clemson defense. The record stood for one whole week. Chris Weinke hit 'em up for 521 yards. In 3 consecutive games, Clemson gave up more passing yards than they had in the first 7 weeks of the season combined. That's basically what prompted Herring to move Williams to the "Star"- a hybrid LB/DB position. From that position, Herring hopes to disguise his coverage...sometimes bringing Williams in on a blitz...sometimes showing blitz and dropping off into coverage. From his LB position in 2000, Williams recorded 62 tackles, 6 TFL, 4 of them sacks. Charles Hafley returns to start at the SS safety position, the only true returnee in the secondary. I actually believe that most of the coaches would like to see his 2000 total of 92 tackles GO DOWN! That's alot of folks getting into the backfield. Eric Meekins (16 tackles in 2000) is still listed at the FS position left open by Carswell's graduation. However, he's being pushed hard by R-So. Marcus Houskin. (6-0, 200 lb.) While Houskin saw 99% of his playing time on special teams last year, he made a positive impression in spring. A knee injury suffered by Meekins allowed Houskin the chance to show his stuff. Brian Mance (39 tackles, 3 INT) and Kevin Johnson (16 tackles) are the new corners for Clemson. Mance had extensive playing time, both on special teams and as a productive reserve in 2000. Ofcourse, we Jackets just remember him as the guy streaking down the sideline on the punt return after we had fought so hard to take the lead in that game. Ugggggggh! Johnson OTOH is one of those guys who seemed to disappear in the middle part of the season. He played in the first five games (maybe I should start referring to these as "the routs") then didn't play again until the Gator Bowl. Over half of his recorded tackles were on special teams. Compounding the lack of starting experience is a lack of experienced depth. R-So. Toure Francis (5-10, 184 lb. So.) is a former walk-on who spent most of his freshman season on special teams. He was credited with 8 tackles and one very big blocked punt. Ugggggggh again! R-Fr. Ryan Hemby (5-10, 175 lb.) backs up Johnson, his former high school teammate. Special Teams Tommy Bowden said "I wish we could to a point where I'm surprised he (A.Hunt) missed....we're not there yet." The special teams, a strong point throughout Clemson's glory days in the '80's, has been a sore point the last few years. Things improved slightly last season, and the hope is some momentum gained in the last part of the season carries over. Hunt was erratic, only hitting 8 of 13 FG's...but 3 of them came in the finale against South Carolina. All of his previous miscues were forgiven when he nailed a 25 yarder with 3 seconds left to beat the Gamecocks. His long of the season was a 31 yarder that came earlier in that game. Clemson did not even attempt a FG longer than 39 yards. That's why Tiger fans got so excited when he nailed one from 49 yards out in the spring game. Hunt also handles PAT's where he connected on a school record 45. (out of 47) Because Hunt is not particularly long off the tee, kickoffs are handled by Tony Lazzaro. (5-9, 185 lb. R-Jr.) UGa transfer Wynn Kopp takes over the punting duties from Jamie Somaini. Kopp averaged 36.8 yards/kick for the Bulldogs over the '98 and '99 seasons. Either Brian Mance or reserve WR Joe Don Reames can return punts. In addition to Mance's 88 yard punt return against us, Reames added a 69 yarder against UVa. Although I think Mance is the better of the two, I expect Reames to handle the majority of the punt return duties due to Mance's increased role w/ the defense. Reames may also double as the primary kickoff returner. Rod Gardner led the team in that category last season, while Reames was second. He had 7 returns for 22.6 yard average. Coaching Brad Scott takes over at OC. As an x's and o's guy at FSU, Scott distinguished himself. As the story goes, it was Scott that convinced Bobby to turn loose Charlie Ward one night in Atlanta back in 1992. However, I saw the guy at work first hand in Columbia and he never could make the necessary adjustments when he didn't have FSU caliber talent. I think even Tommy recognizes this as Scott will NOT handle play-calling. Instead, he'll rely on the other former HC on the staff for that, Mike O'Cain- a CU grad who returns to coach QB's. DC Reggie Herring is starting to feel some heat. As the lone hold-over from the Tommy West era, it was Herring's D that really helped Clemson to a 6-5 bowl season in Bowden's first year while the offense adjusted to a new system. However, it's a "what have you done for me lately" worlde. The defensive struggles down the stretch were blamed for the team's poor finish. Everyone recognizes that a tremendous amount of talent was lost...but Herring is still under alot of pressure to improve on those problems. Schedule Somebody likes us in Greensboro. Not only do we get FSU early, we get a week off afterwards. Win or lose this could be huge. Traditionally, ACC teams play very poorly the week after facing the 'Noles - probably has something to do with them playing so many talented players. It also gives Tech a chance to get it's head screwed on straight regardless of the outcome in Tallahassee. If Clemson is not 4-0, the natives are going to be very restless. The Tigers open w/ UCF, (and no, this is not as good a UCF team as last year's) Wofford (woohoo...Go Terriers!!!), Duke, and Virginia...all at home. They'll get to play boatloads of folks in those games. The flipside of that is that Tech represents a serious step up in the overall talent level, and is also their first trip away from the friendly confines of Death Valley. So show up early wearing white and gold, tell your Clemson friends there's a nice bar showing the game in Buckhead, and be LOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUDDDDDDD! What this all means... Talk about your dangerous games. If the idea is to outscore your opponent (and all other stats be damned) then the Tigers will have a chance every single week. Fortunately for Tech, there's some matchups we can exploit to put up some points of our own. Even w/ Hafley, the secondary is looking pretty weak. With our more experienced receivers, I would expect Godsey and Co. to move the ball fairly well. If Williams spends most of his day dropping back, then that's going to leave Clemson vulnerable to a power running game, and we have enough RB's that we can just set up a rotation to pound on an inexperienced DL. Even though Clemson's LB's are a pretty decent group, this will leave them in the proverbial catch-22. Since I don't expect Clemson to just sit back and take it, I figure Herring is going to try and attack us from different angles. The interior blocking by the tight-ends and fullbacks is going to be crucial in giving the receivers enough time to run their routes, and Godsey to find 'em. This is the kind of game where Goose's best weapon is b/t the ears. He's going to have to make some good reads at the line. Defensively, I'm always a big fan of pressure on the QB...but I might make an exception here. Dantzler's turned into an OK passer, especially on medium range out patterns, but he's far more dangerous running the ball. It'll be more important that Tech stay disciplined in their assignments and contain the Tigers. Even if they move the ball down field, avoid the big play. When the field gets short, the LB's and Safeties will be able to help out more. Make Clemson resort to a shaky kicker. The linebackers also need to be aware of RB's (especially Zachery) or TE's releasing late. Just like FSU, it will be a strong test of our much our pass defense has improved. Questions. Comments. Gripes. Complaints. I don't know about ya'll, but this one may set a new standard. What about it Goldtimer???? What's the word count and readability on this one? ;-)
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