5 questions about Clemson
Greetings-
Travis Sawchik of the Charleston Post and Courier was good enough to dig into a few questions I asked him about the team he covers. You can read his Clemson coverage here. Please read on.
1. What has happened in the past few weeks that’s kicked the offense into high gear?
First-year starting quarterback Tajh Boyd really began to look comfortable against Auburn in Week 3 and since that point, only Bud Foster’s defense (Va. Tech) has kept Clemson below 35 points.
Freshman wide receiver Sammy Watkins has really kicked the offense into a different gear since the first game. Not only does he have an elite 40 time, but NFL folks are more impressed with his acceleration, which produces easy separation. He can also high point the ball and has flypaper hands. He’s the complete package. Watkins has taken the top off of defenses, along with fellow freshman Martavis Bryant, allowing tight end Dwayne Allen – a projected top-50 NFL pick – and sophomore receiver DeAndre Hopkins to operate in space underneath.
Boyd’s combination of arm strength and quick release has allowed him to get away with staring down some receivers and waiting longer for receivers to break open. He has really good physical attributes and combined with the skilled pass catchers has made this offense, at least the passing offense, potent.
2. Under what scenario could you see Tech pulling the upset Saturday night?
If Georgia Tech can sustain drives they could be in position to pull off an upset. Clemson thrives off of extra snaps and extra possessions. The Tigers lead the nation in offensive snaps (626) and wear opponents out in the second half, out-scoring teams 175-77 in the second half this year.
Clemson’s defense really struggled with Paul Johnson’s offense in two games in 2009 and Clemson was tied with an FCS option offense in Wofford at the half in Week 2. Georgia Tech is going to have opportunities against a young defense with six new starters that has yet to master base sets let alone option football. Tech needs to stay on the field and hope Boyd gets off to another slow start like he has in his last two road games, throwing a interception returned for a touchdown at Maryland and being off the mark at Va. Tech.
3. Nose guard Brandon Thompson and end Andre Branch are obvious strengths in Clemson’s defense. Where or what are the weak spots?
North Carolina thought it could attack Clemson’s safeties. Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele admits his secondary has been susceptible to double-moves this season and against no team should that be more problematic for Clemson than run-first Georgia Tech. Stephen Hill could have a big night for Tech.
4. Has this season changed your opinion of Dabo Swinney?
We always knew Swinney could recruit – that’s his strength. He has a great personal story and great charisma and that pays off on on the recruiting trail. Sammy Watkins and Tajh Boyd, Clemson’s two most valuable players, were both signed under Swinney.
I was curious to see what changes Swinney would make regarding his coaching staff and he made the a great one in hiring offensive coordinator Chad Morris. I think Swinney has proven he’s more than an ace recruiter and he can be an effective CEO. Perhaps in that Mack Brown mold.
5. What’s the fewest amount of points you could envision Clemson scoring Saturday?
I’ll say 27ish. I think we will see more points than that but Georgia Tech’s best defense is going to be time of possession on offense and it’s certainly plausible Tech will control the clock and shorten the game.
Tech volleyball dad Urban Meyer breaks down the Clemson offense.
Charleston Post and Courier update on the sprained ankle of running back Andre Ellington and a column pointing out Clemson AD Terry Don Phillips hired three of the coaches of the teams in the top five of the BCS – Les Miles and Mike Gundy (when he was AD at Oklahoma State) and Swinney.
A slew of stories available here from the Anderson independent Mail.
Thanks for reading.
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
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230 comments Add your comment
1 4 GT
October 28th, 2011
8:52 pm
Talk about a loser…..,Thanks for defending me while I was gone eating dinner. Nerd Herd knows nothing about me and yet he feels justified in taking pot shots at a total stranger. Oh well, what else can we expect?
1 4 GT
October 28th, 2011
8:53 pm
Heck, I’ll bet Nerd Herd doesn’t even know who MM stands for or what commando or thong means.
1 4 GT
October 28th, 2011
8:57 pm
Filters just ate a comment to Ken.
1 4 GT
October 28th, 2011
8:59 pm
Just lost another try.
1 4 GT
October 28th, 2011
9:01 pm
Another 1 bites the dust.
1 4 GT
October 28th, 2011
9:02 pm
Good article Ken.
1 4 GT
October 28th, 2011
9:03 pm
Good article Mr. Beat Writer.
1 4 GT
October 28th, 2011
9:04 pm
2 more down the tubes. short and to the point. no vulgarity. nothing offensive at all.
dry dirt road
October 28th, 2011
9:22 pm
no shotgun for Tech means no success; at least at times use shotguns; even the high schools on ESPN tonight are using them, and from what I saw, the kids were running them flawlessly out there in Oklahoma; there was a faky long pass to Barry Sanders, Jr. for a td; Tech needs Vad Lee on the field as the shotgun qb for next year since CPJ denys reality so much and refuses to embrace the shotgun this year, and every year; he better watch out or he’s gonna get fired b/c of shotgun offenses; also, Tech needs blitz; the 3 man dl cannot rush the passer w/o blitz help, and the lbs are not as skinny as they would like to be, so they can’t cover receivers every play like Ted Roof’s leaky roof defense tried to do, but leaked with pass completions; Tech also needs to use the tight end; they never do; many teams this year are burning Tech with their tight ends; finally Tech needs conservative unis, not mod ones like the high schoolers are wearing tonight with the mod side pants stripes and jersey wedge stripes
Norma Jeane Baker
October 28th, 2011
10:01 pm
Lucky 13 GT:
How about Mr. Magoo for your MM………did you leave your undies somewhere. Glad you still remember me from so long ago. Are you still working on that triode vacuum tube project in your mom’s basement?
Supersize that order, mutt
October 28th, 2011
10:08 pm
dirty dirt road, Johnson did use the shotgun against UVA, although I think for only one play. It’s coming.
Talk about a loser.....
October 28th, 2011
10:11 pm
Norma Jeane Baker = Nerd Herd. Doesn’t take much to recognize a loser when you see one, no matter how many different names you sign on under. What’s the matter, little girl, your mommie wouldn’t let you out of the house again tonight? I guess she doesn’t want you to face the reality that nobody wants you. Hell, she’s probably wishing she had aborted you.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 28th, 2011
10:12 pm
Damn, what did I come into the middle of? WOW!!!
1 4 GT
October 28th, 2011
10:16 pm
Supersize Just a typical troll showing off Nerd Herd
1 4 GT
October 28th, 2011
10:17 pm
Nerd Herd = Norma Jean Baker Read blogs back to top of this page
Supersize that order, mutt
October 28th, 2011
10:19 pm
1 4, yeah, I read them and figured it out. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to do that. Pretty transparent stuff
Supersize that order, mutt
October 28th, 2011
10:20 pm
typical classless redneck trailer-trash mutt. Too bad TampaDawg or Dawg in Lex aren’t here to show the jerk what class is.
Many Names
October 28th, 2011
10:23 pm
Congrats to One Four GT = Talk about a loser…….Did you figure that out all by your lonesome. Guess I hit a sore spot with the age appropriate reference. Still got that pinup of Woman in a Red Dress in your basement? Talk about a bit dog yelping…..by the way what are you doing looking at a 20 something female at your age? Life has passed you by………oh well….you have cracked the riddle of the universe and figured out that people actually sign on as different people. Nobel Prize should be forthcoming soon……….
Choose One
October 28th, 2011
10:26 pm
What do you guys do besides stay logged on to Yech blog and complain about the filters…..is old age really that boring? Maybe you guys could get a Lego club started on Wednesday afternoon after the early bird special at Piccadilly’s.
Talk about a loser.....
October 28th, 2011
10:26 pm
Well, yet another name. How much more proof do you need to give that you are a pathetic loser. And which is it? Is 1 4 a kid in his momma’s basement or an old man? You can’t even keep your own classless posts consistent. And by the way, there is nothing wrong at all with any man of any age admiring a beautiful woman. But I guess you wouldn’t know about that. You probably get turned on by pictures of little boys. You are a total sicko.
Choose One
October 28th, 2011
10:29 pm
Well I’ll try to stick to a couple of names as you have done, master.
Talk about a loser.....
October 28th, 2011
10:29 pm
Pretty sad to hide behind a computer and take pot shots at people you know nothing at all about, and use 4 different names so far to do it….4 so far, that is. You are a lonely cowardly creep, you loser.
Nerd Herd
October 28th, 2011
10:30 pm
Might want to go ahead and complain to Ken that the filters are not working and someone keeps posting things that are just not “fair”….
Talk about a loser.....
October 28th, 2011
10:31 pm
I bet you are wetting your pants over the thought that you are getting to somebody. The only thing you are doing is proving to the world what a pathetic little child you are.
Talk about a loser.....
October 28th, 2011
10:32 pm
Oh, Ken will read all this sooner or later and delete all your stupid comments, and probably mine too. But it’s worth it to me to tell you what a loser you are.
Talk about a loser.....
October 28th, 2011
10:33 pm
Maybe you don’t have sense enough to realize it, but Ken has access to your email address and your IP address. He will know who you are
Nerd Herd
October 28th, 2011
10:37 pm
Please be sensitive to my condition…..
Nerd Herd
October 28th, 2011
10:38 pm
Please don’t say bad things about me and my status as a minor…..
Nerd Herd
October 28th, 2011
10:40 pm
Ahh…..there’s the complaint to blogmeister.
Talk about a loser.....
October 28th, 2011
10:40 pm
Your only “condition” is that you are a sad lonely child who thinks he can bully around adults and get away with saying anything you want to. Unfortunately for you, even though none of us know who you are, Ken does. And we don’t have to complain to him about you. He reads these blogs and gets rid of the trouble makers like you.
1 4 GT
October 28th, 2011
10:44 pm
I swear, I don’t understand what his point is. Oh by the way, MM was wearing a white dress standing on a grate when the NY City subway went by below in the movie “Seven Year Itch”. The red dress woman was in a Gene Wilder movie
Talk about a loser.....
October 28th, 2011
10:46 pm
His only point is to be an anonymous bully, thinking he can really hurt somebody with his stupid rantings. He has succeeded, I guess, in being an anonymous bully, but I doubt he has hurt anybody, although he has certainly made a fool out of himself.
1 4 GT
October 28th, 2011
10:47 pm
If Nerd Herd thinks I would waste my time complaining about his rambling nonsense, he is dead wrong. I was attempting to compliment Ken on his article about the game tomorrow night and tell him to go home to his family if he was still working.
Talk about a loser.....
October 28th, 2011
10:49 pm
Well, I have done my duty for the night. I defended a friend. I’m done for now though. I have better things to do than exchange insults with a fool
Talk about a loser.....
October 28th, 2011
10:51 pm
Not that you really needed defending, 1 4, but I don’t take lightly to bullying, and I was happy to take a few swings of my own. LOL
1 4 GT
October 28th, 2011
10:52 pm
Amen brother. He got tiresome quickly.
1 4 GT
October 28th, 2011
10:54 pm
BTW GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO JACKETS THWG
1 4 GT
October 28th, 2011
10:56 pm
ST LOUIS leading 6-2 in 7th inning.
GT66
October 28th, 2011
11:06 pm
Supersize – Don’t think you got in the middle of anything – Just stepped where a Mutt was let outside before he was put in his cage for the night – doesn’t look like I missed anything important about football – save your energy for tomorrow night – Go Yellow Britches !!
Nerd Herd
October 28th, 2011
11:11 pm
Thanks for the heads up…..I will keep a lookout for the Gestapo at the door. Sounds like November of 1938 again………
Nerd Herd
October 28th, 2011
11:15 pm
Looks like the whole gang from the early bird special at Piccadilly’s is here……..The Geritol Guys.
Nerd Herd
October 28th, 2011
11:19 pm
What time is lights out at the nursing home? Thought for sure they would have put you to bed already. That’s right it’s Friday night. Ok so in bed by midnight and no more whining.
1 4 GT
October 28th, 2011
11:22 pm
One more comment. Why don’t you get a life and grow up?
sports
October 28th, 2011
11:55 pm
Clempson 44, Georgia Tech “yellow Blowflys” 17 HA,HA,HA,HA,HA,HA
RambleOn84
October 29th, 2011
7:55 am
Personally, I look for our defense to have a very good game. They have quietly put together some good games and this is a good matchup.
Our run D has struggled, but Ellington is out at RB. We handled Lamar Miller pretty well last week, and he is better than Ellington anyway.
Their passing game is strong, but our pass D has been very strong this year as well.
IF we can score on offense, I say we pull this one out. But judging on recent history, that’s a big IF.
carolinajacket
October 29th, 2011
8:44 am
Now, I will say look out for the big play. Clemson and Tech lead the nation in big plays, but they have continued to have them and we’ve missed ours the last two games. Lets turn that pattern around and cut out the “bonehead” plays and we might just have ourselves a “W”.
Steve
October 29th, 2011
10:06 am
Isn’t it funny that WSB, who is based in Atlanta, has an hour long Bulldogs Gameday show on Saturday’s but no shows for Tech? Tells you how much people care about Tech. Ha. Enjoy your 7-5 season nerds.
Orlando Tech
October 29th, 2011
10:24 am
Tech has looked awful on offense and special teams. I was at the Miami beatdown. There were about 50 Ga Tech fans at the game. (A pretty sad turnout as usual) I think the reality is that Paul Johnson and staff can not recruit very well. All of Chan Gaileys recruits are gone, and I have not heard of any great recruits in the system… Is Vad Lee really that good??? He better be or PJ’s days will be coming to an end. He has had 4 years to get players in place and build a competitive program. Do you feel that is happening??
Talk about a loser.....
October 29th, 2011
11:16 am
I’m surprised Ken hasn’t opened a new blog yet today. I hope that means he is getting a little family time before what will be a very long day for him. GO JACKETS !!!!
GIVE ME A BREAK
October 29th, 2011
11:42 am
LET’S ROCK & ROLL TONIGHT YELLOW JACKETS.