Thursday, August 29, 2019

The Atlantic Tackles Trevor Lawrence

MATTHEW EMMONS / USA TODAY SPORTS / REUTERS
High-brow web/print hybrid The Atlantic focuses on Clemson's young superstar quarterback Trevor Lawrence and how NFL rules prohibit him from playing on Sundays.

The plain facts of his talent and his inability to make money off of it, though, fit neatly into an era of growing skepticism about the ethics of nominally amateur college sports. 

It's a good piece and it's not too long; read the whole thing.

Clemson vs. Georgia Tech: It's Finally Gameday!

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The day we've all been waiting for is here — the opening of Clemson's football season.

The No. 1-ranked and defending national champion Tigers kick off tonight at home against ACC foe Georgia Tech. Gametime is 8 p.m. on the new ACC Network, which Sling TV doesn't offer (yet), so I don't know how I'll be able to watch. I'm hoping it gets out of hand early so it doesn't matter.

GAME PREVIEWS: Shakin' the Southland, Tigernet, Clemson 247.

SERIES HIGHLIGHTS: NCAA.com has a nice look at the Clemson-Georgia Tech series, including that heartbreaking 2004 Tiger loss in Death Valley that was probably the most apt example of the now-defunct phrase "Clemsoning."

WHERE IS CLEMSON? A great story from the Washington Post. Sample:

Evidence suggests that the proper noun “Clemson,” for so long limited to mostly regional usage, has expanded its reach in recent years. It has done so through that most American of methods: having a football team that routinely goes on television and beats the pure living hell out of other people’s football teams.

Read the whole thing.

LATEST LINE: Clemson is a 36-point favorite, which seems a bit high to me.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Predictions are Hard, Especially About the Future

What would college football in mid-August be without predictions? Here are a few.

Shakin' the Southland sees Clemson winning the ACC Atlantic Division (no surprise there).

The Tigers return a ton of key pieces on offense including QB Trevor Lawrence, RB Travis Etienne, WRs Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross, and three offensive linemen. It could be the best offense in Clemson history.

Looking further down the road, Shakin' the Southland also predicts that the Tigers will top Virginia in the ACC championship game.

Thursday, August 08, 2019

Tiger Enter Season Ranked No. 1

It's official: Clemson is the team to beat in 2019.

The Tigers are ranked No. 1 in both the AP and coaches preseason polls.

As Shakin' the Southland wrote in its analysis of the coaches poll:

"We’ve arrived and now people are realizing it is 'We want Clemson,' not 'We want Bama.' ”

Here's a link to the full AP poll. Here's a link to the full coaches poll.

The Tigers open the season on August 29 with home night game against ACC rival Georgia Tech. Kickoff is at 8 p.m., and the game will be televised on the new ACC Network.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Clemson is Already Winning Big ...

... And it's only July. Tigernet's David Hood looks at how the Tigers were the all-encompassing focus of both the ACC AND the SEC media days:

It’s easy to understand why Clemson would be the main topic with ACC teams, but the SEC teams also had to answer questions about how this upstart from South Carolina could, gulp, be the favorite again this season.

Read the whole thing.

Monday, July 08, 2019

Sad News: Former Tiger Dies

Former Clemson running back Tyshon Dye drowned during a family get-together during the July Fourth holiday.



Tigernet has posted a lovely tribute to a player who was "a sweet soul."


My son Koty was born nine weeks early and spent most of the first two months of his young life in NICU at Greenville Memorial Hospital, fighting for survival. He is mostly deaf and there are other issues that make it hard for him to make friends or socialize with other people. ... Four or five years ago, Dye was rehabbing from injury but Swinney’s high school camp moved him out of the indoor practice facility. For some reason, we were allowed to interview Swinney that day and I took Koty with me to hold the mic. When the interview was over, I still had camp to cover and Koty wandered off. When it was time to leave, I looked everywhere but didn’t see him anywhere. I finally heard the sound of laughter and found him sitting upstairs at the indoor practice facility with Tyshon. The two were having all kinds of fun – they aren’t far off in age – and I almost hated to break it up. 

Read the whole thing.


Tuesday, June 25, 2019

'Hold Me Closer, Woodrow Dantzler'

Tigernet catches up with Clemson great Woodrow Dantzler, a run-pass quarterback with the Tigers from 1999-2001:

In 2001 as a senior, Dantzler became the first quarterback in NCAA history to throw for at least 2,000 yards and rush for another 1,000 yards. He was 188 for 311 (60.5 percent) passing for 2,360 yards and 17 touchdowns. He added 1,004 rushing yards and another 10 touchdowns. 

Today, Dantzler is doing vital work as a mentor and role model.


Friday, June 21, 2019

Death Valley Will Look a Little Different in 2019

Tigernet details some changes to the physical plant at Memorial Stadium. This includes removing the small ticket office at Gate 1 to create more access points, finishing the IPTAY building in the WestZone, and adding some national championship signage.



Sounds like positive changes.

Thursday, June 20, 2019

I'm All Ready for 'All In'

Clemson 24-7 has some news today: The ACC Network, which will launch on August 22, will present a four-part documentary on Clemson football entitled All In: The Clemson Football Family. The episodes will run in prime time, August 25-28.

From the post:

“We knew early on that we wanted to do something special with Clemson,” said Stacie McCollum, senior director of programming and acquisitions. “We wanted to showcase the people and culture behind the program’s success as they prepare to defend their national title. Access programming and storytelling will be hallmarks of this network, and the opportunity to feature the Tigers in our first series is a testament to that commitment. Anyone who loves college football will enjoy this series.”

Check out the trailer:
All In The Clemson Football Family Trailer from ACC Network on Vimeo.