Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Stay classy, Steve Spurrier

So let me get this straight: Clemson coach Dabo Swinney makes a heartfelt, sincere statement of support and sympathy for South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore, who suffered a season-ending knee injury on Saturday, and Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier uses the opportunity to issue a snide dig at the Tigers?

"Jackass," indeed.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Tigers ranked No. 9 in both polls

Clemson returned to the top 10 on Sunday in both major college football polls.

 The Tigers reached No. 9 in both, a jump of four spots from the previous week.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Clemson 42, Wake Forest 13: Record-setting win

The Tigers broke all kinds of offensive records in Thursday's big 42-13 victory over Wake Forest, and they also might have put an end to Clemson's Thursday-nigh jynx. Twofer.

RECORDS FALL: A rundown of which were broken. Also, the win tied an ACC record for most high-scoring games in a row.

A BIG STEP? Coach Dabo Swinney sees Thursday's victory as a landmark in a lot of ways.

DABO SPEAKS: "We got into a great rhythm."






Sunday, October 21, 2012

Clemson 38, Virginia Tech 17: Defense steps up

Wonders never cease. Clemson's defense came to play on Saturday, helping the Tigers dismantle Virginia Tech 38-17.

Clemson forced four turnovers en route to the win.

DEFENSIVE TURNAROUND: Very welcome at this point in the season.

DABO SPEAKS: About the game.

Sunday, October 07, 2012

Clemson 47, Georgia Tech 31: Crucial win

Clemson rolled up big numbers on offense on Saturday en route to a big 47-31 victory against ACC rival Georgia Tech. The victory puts the Tigers at 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the ACC as they head into a week off before facing Virginia Tech at home on Oct. 20.

OFFENSIVE JUGGERNAUT: The Tigers rolled up 601 yards of offense on Saturday.

RECORD SETTER: Quarterback Tajh Boyd is setting all kinds of marks this season.

DABO SPEAKS: "We won every quarter."

POLL PROGRESS: Clemson moved up to No. 13 in the USA TODAY poll.

Friday, October 05, 2012

Can Clemson handle GT's triple option?

Clemson faces old rival Georgia Tech on Saturday in a key ACC game, and the big question is whether the Tigers' struggling defense can stop the Yellow Jackets' triple-option offense. Let's hope they can.

CONFIDENCE GAME: Clemson is gaining confidence after the tough loss to Florida State two weeks ago.

HOW TECH WINS: Strike quickly.

HOW CLEMSON WINS: Outscore the Jackets. No, seriously.

TROUBLE SPOTS: Georgia Tech quarterback Tevin Washington is a big one.

IT'S DEATH VALLEY AGAIN: Clemson is 22-3 at home since a home loss to Georgia Tech in 2008 -- Dabo Swinney's first game as coach.


Thursday, October 04, 2012

Notre Dame saves the ACC, schedulewise?

Thanks to the addition of Notre Dame to the league, the ACC has abandoned plans for a nine-game conference schedule. According to the Orange and White, that means that Clemson can now play a high-quality opponent (*cough* Georgia *cough*) every year instead of, oh, Duke.

Sounds good to me.

Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Tigers lead ACC in five stat categories

Stats entertainment! Clemson is No. 1 in the ACC in interceptions, third-down conversions, fourth-down conversions and turnover margin, and Andre Ellington leads the league in rushing.

WATKINS RETURNS: Sammy Watkins returned to practice this week and will play against Georgia Tech after his "scary" illness kept him out against Boston College.

GAME TIME: Clemson vs. Georgia Tech goes off at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday on ESPN.