Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

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14 years ago, 2009 History lesson reprise. (Long.)

Aug 21, 2023, 8:05 AM

2009: President Barack Obama ramps up the US military presence in Afghanistan, even as he was ramping down our presence in Iraq. He had opposed a similar “Surge” in Afghanistan as a Senator in 2007. but encroachment in the region by Al-Queda operatives changed his mind once he took office as President. A fire in a Bangkok night club kills 66 people.

Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger is hailed as hero, as he somehow manages to crash land his stricken airliner in the Hudson River with no loss of life. It would come to be called “The Miracle on the Hudson”. I would not disagree with that statement at all. Susan Boyle of Scotland becomes an overnight sensation after performing on the TV show “Britain’s Got Talent.”

The ACC Champions for 2009 were the (7-1, 11-3) No. 13 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets of Coach Paul Johnson. They defeated the (6-2, 9-5) No 24 Clemson Tigers by a score of 39-34 in the ACC Championship Game, but lost 24-14 to No. 10 Iowa in the Orange Bowl.

Undisputed 2009 National Champions were the 14-0 Alabama Crimson Tide of Coach Nick Saban. They started their season with a win over No. 7 Virginia Tech, 34-24, and defeated five MORE ranked teams along the way. Their only really close call was a 12-10 squeaker over Tennessee, who was NOT a ranked team. Bama took out previously No. 1 ranked Florida 32-13 in the SEC Championship Game, leaving a sobbing senior Florida QB Tim Tebow proclaiming, “It wasn't supposed to end like this!” That's life, Timmy. It ain't always a bed of roses. Speaking of roses, the Tide then took out No. 2 Texas 37-21 in the Rose Bowl to win the Natty.

Prior to the start of the season, in Clemson, it was announced that sophomore linebacker Stanley Hunter was forced to quit playing football due to medical reasons. Hunter, who led the 2008 team in fewest plays per tackle, was suffering from an increase in seizures due to epilepsy. Coach Swinney announced that several players would alternate wearing #17 during the season as a way to honor Hunter.

Cornerback Chris Chancellor, whose normal number is #38, wore #6, the normal number of wide receiver Jacoby Ford, for the Miami game. (Under college football rules, two or more players on a team can wear the same number as long as only one is on the field at a time.) Chancellor, a native of Miami, made the change with the blessing of both Ford and Coach Swinney in memory of his former high school teammate Jasper Howard, a cornerback who wore #6 for Uconn, and was murdered in the early morning of October 18 following UConn's game against Louisville.

Dabo Swinney was already beginning to establish what kind of culture he would have at Clemson University. He had already gotten a “10 Star Prospect” when CJ Spiller announced he was foregoing the NFL Draft, and returning to Clemson for his Senior season. CJ Spiller just flat out loved Clemson University, and Clemson loved him right back.

That season started with a 37-14 home win over Middle Tennessee for the unranked Tigers. Next up, a road trip to Bobby Dodd. Coach Paul Johnson had brought a modified Triple Option offense with him to Atlanta, and it took some getting used to. Tech pounced early, jumping out to a 14-0 lead, and then intercepting new Clemson starting QB Kyle Parker to gain possession again. Clemson's defense held, but were caught napping as GT ran the field goal team on late, hiding a receiver near the sideline. The fake field goal worked to perfection, putting Tech up 21-0 before the 1st quarter even ended. Tech got the ball back again early in the 2nd quarter, and their backs started ripping off huge chunks of yardage. Clemson finally stalled them inside our ten, and they got a field goal to go up 24-0.

We finally got on the board with our next possession, as Spiller snuck up the sideline and was hit perfectly on the wheel route for a 63 yard touchdown. 24-7. We were moving again on the next possession, but Tech intercepted Kyle Parker to kill the threat. Clemson came out smoking in the 2nd half, driving it down the field, and capping the drive with a Duane Allen touchdown, to cut the Tech lead to 24-14. We held again on defense, and on the next possession, Parker hit Jacoby Ford for a beautiful 77 yard touchdown, to draw within three at 24-21. Another defensive hold, and another Clemson drive marched down the field, but was stalled inside the Tech 5 yard line, forcing a field goal, to tie the game at 24 all.

Clemson's defense came up big yet again, as Deandre McDaniel intercepted Tech on the next possession. Clemson drove down the field again, but had to settle for another field goal, to lead for the first time at 27-24. But then, Tech's running game suddenly started working again, ripping off first down after first down. But, the Clemson defense eventually forced a field goal, to tie the game again at 27-27. Tech forced a Clemson punt on the next possession, after a “no-call” that looked a whole lot like pass interference, on a 3rd and 21 play. On Tech's final meaningful possession, they got a rare long pass completion, which put them in position to kick a field goal to lead 30-27. Clemson could not summon any more magic on a final desperation short time possession, and the game ended with Tech running out the clock to win 30-27. Even though the Tigers came up short, the rally to take the lead after going down 24-0 was cause for optimism.

Clemson would defeat Boston College for the 2nd year in a row in our next game, 25-7 in the Valley. We then welcomed a TCU team that was ranked No. 14. They had a future NFL defensive end in Jerry Hughes, and a future NFL QB in Andy Dalton. The combination of those two, and a rain slickened field that slowed the Clemson running game, allowed TCU to do just enough to escape with a 14-10 win. This was another one that Clemson definitely felt had “gotten away”.

The next game, at Maryland, was a game of swings and missed opportunities. Clemson jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but was caught before halftime to trail 17-13. We were held scoreless until after Maryland scored their last touchdown, going up 24-13. CJ Spiller returned the ensuing kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown, with 4:11 remaining, and we converted a 2 point try to cut the lead to 24-21. That would be the final score, as we missed two field goals later in the game, and lost our final possession on a fumble. This was another game, the 3rd in a row, that felt like it should have been a win.

But, even though things looked pretty bleak at this point, this was when the Dabo Swinney coaching style was most beneficial. He refused to let the team get down on themselves, looking for whatever positives he could find from each game to build on. Things finally began to turn around, ironically enough, in the next game, at home, against Wake Forest. Clemson would avenge last year's embarrassment, throttling the Demon Deacons by a score of 38-3. Next up, a trip to Land Shark Stadium, to face No. 10 Miami. This game would be an ESPN “Instant Classic”, as the Tigers took a thrilling 40-37 win in OT.

This began a string of four games in a row where the Clemson offense would put up 40 or more points. A 49-3 win over Coastal Carolina was no surprise. But, when FSU came to town for a night game that would forever after be known as the “We Will Rock You” game, and the Tigers prevailed 40-24, fans took notice. (Note: n the Tiger's 40–24 victory, C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford became the leading all-purpose yardage duo in NCAA history!) We took that 40 point offense to NC State, and tacked on 3 more, for a 43-23 win. We came back home with a No. 23 ranking, for a 34-21 win over Virginia on Military Appreciation Day. As it turned out, that game got us our first ever outright ACC Atlantic Division title, and a berth in the ACC Championship Game. (We had the head to head tiebreaker with 2nd place BC, even if we had lost the Virginia game.)

Coach Dabo Swinney thought that Clemson was putting far too much emphasis on the South Carolina game each year, and not enough on winning our conference. He set out to emphasize how important it was to take the first step of winning the Atlantic Division, and then winning the ACC title, since we had not won one since 1991. Whether consciously or subconsciously, this philosophy would come to haunt Clemson for five years in the South Carolina game. We carried a No. 18 ranking to Williams-Brice for the annual meeting with Coach Steve Spurrier's Dirt Peckers.

The game started in the best possible fashion for the Tigers, as C.J. Spiller took the opening kickoff all the way to the House, for a quick 7-0 Clemson lead before the Coot fans had even settled into their seats and got their batteries and water bottles ready for the Debris Tossing Contest. When Rashard Hall intercepted Stephen Garcia after the Coots had been driving on their first possession, we thought it was going to be our day. But, Clemson running back Jamie Harper fumbled the ball away, giving it right back to the Chickadee offense, and Carolina drove it down the field and stuffed it in the endzone to tie the game at 7-7.

On the next Clemson possession, Kyle Parker was intercepted at midfield, and a long return set up the Coots on the Clemson 12. They took it in a short while later, and led 14-7. The first sign that it would NOT be our day came on the next Coot possession, as we held them to a long field goal attempt, which doinked off the upright, but fell through, good, for a 17-7 lead. Clemson could do no damage on three more possessions in the 1st half.

On our 1st possession of the 2nd half, we stopped ourselves with a lost fumble on our own 35. But, the Tiger defense rose up, and blocked a Carolina field goal attempt. But, the Coot defense forced a 3 and out, and on their next possession, their offense started clicking behind Stephen Garcia, as they mixed runs and passes on a long drive to paydirt, now going up 24-7 with just over 12 minutes to go. We got a 47 yard field goal on our next possession to cut the lead to 24-10 with almost 11 minutes still to go in the game.

But, the Gamecock offense went to work again on their next possession, relying on the running of Kenny Myles, and worked the clock down to under 5 minutes before settling for a field goal to increase the lead to 27-10. Then, we finally got our first offensive touchdown of the day on our next drive, on a nice pass from Kyle Parker to Michael Palmer, who also caught another big pass earlier in the drive. 3:46 remained in the 27-17 game. We attempted an onside kick, but the worst happened, as it bounced perfectly up in the air, and was snagged by receiver Alshon Jeffrey in full gallop, all the way down to the Clemson 10 yard line. The Clemson defense held on for 3 downs, but the Old Ball Coach went for it on 4th down with 2:42 to go, and Garcia hit Weslye Saunders for the clinching touchdown, 34-17. Clemson now leads the series 65-38-4.

The ACC championship Game against Georgia Tech was another Instant Classic. C.J. Spiller played the game of his life, on a gimpy ankle for the most part, as the game went back and forth. But, an exhausted Spiller had to take a break as the Tigers faced a 3rd and goal inside the Tech two yard line, late in the 4th quarter. Reserve Andre Ellington came in, and on fresh legs, dove over the top for the touchdown to give the Tigers the lead, 34-33, with 6:11 to go. That was too much time for the run oriented Tech offense, and they methodically ground out yardage, until running back Johnathan Dwyer burst around the left edge, and scored from 15 yards out to put Tech up 39-34, after a failed 2 point conversion.

We got the ball back on our own 35 with 1:20 to go, but no timeouts. A holding penalty on 1st down put us in a 1st and 20 hole, and a long completion on 3rd down still left us two yards short of a 1st down. Kyle Parker was tackled for no gain on a desperation 4th down scramble, and that was the ballgame. Two games with Georgia Tech in 2009, and two leads given up late. So close, but no cigar. Tech would go to the Orange Bowl, while we had to settle for an invite to Nashville, and the Music City Bowl. C.J. Spiller had literally left his heart on the field at Raymond James Stadium, rushing for a record 233 yards in the losing effort. He was named Game MVP, believed to be the first time in any Championship Game that a player on the losing team earned that honor.

Spiller actually slowed down in the Tigers 21-13 win over Kentucky in the Music City Bowl, “only” gaining 172 All Purpose Yards to again be named MVP of the game. After the shootout with Georgia Tech, the win in the bowl game almost seemed like an anticlimax. But, it was Dabo Swinney's first ever bowl win as a Head Coach, allowing the 2009 Tigers to finish at 9-5. All 2009 results below.

Middle Tennessee W 37–14
at No. 15 Georgia Tech L 27–30
Boston College W 25–7
No. 14 TCU L 10–14
at Maryland L 21–24
Wake Forest W 38–3
at No. 10 Miami (FL) W 40–37 OT
Coastal Carolina W 49–3
Florida State W 40–24
at NC State W 43–23
Virginia No. 23 W 34–21
at South Carolina No. 18 L 17–34

December 5
Clemson vs. No. 10 Georgia Tech
ACC Championship
L 34–39

December 27
Clemson vs. Kentucky
Music City Bowl
W 21–13

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Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)***

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)***

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)***

Awesome pic Tug!

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)***

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

agree but that 'claw" thing needs to go.***

Tug with the "A" game winner!

No sparkles vs sparkles

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

Slowly but Shirley!!! We're getting there!!

Good morning MfO!

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

Clemson Football Scored 14 Points in its First Game Ever

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

Clemson has had 14 DL Drafted Since 2015

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

14 years ago

14 years ago, 2009 History lesson reprise. (Long.)

Mike Eppley Tony Mauney Brandon Streeter Will Proctor

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

I got you to 991, who has the magic key?

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

Two....Weeks. Two....Weeeks!

I know how she feels***

Re: Two....Weeks. Two....Weeeks!

Re: Two....Weeks. Two....Weeeks!

I am ready!!! Go Tigers!!!***

Still time to get in shape to walk the hills and climb the

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

Thanks, O.J.!

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

Tell me again what’s S’appening in 14 days!

So ready!!! Been a tuff start to school!!

Re: So ready!!! Been a tuff start to school!!

Bump

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Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

Re: Hill Watch...14 days!!! (2 weeks!)

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