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Orange Blooded [4521]
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Thoughts on the game
Aug 30, 2019, 9:17 AM
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It was great to be back in Clemson last night! There was a lot going on in the game and watching it in person, I'm sure I missed half of what those on TV got to see. But, after sleeping on it, here are my observations:
I'll start with Tech. They are not a good football team. It looked like Collins replaced the triple option with the double option. They can run the QB or run the RB. But they don't have a QB on scholarship that can throw the ball down field. I don't know if they'll win 3 games this year. Also, their pregame warm-up looked like a scrimmage. They were diving at tackling donuts and running what looked like good on good scrimmage plays. I don't recall seeing anything like it before.
TL was not 'on' last night. I'm not concerned at all. But, I'm glad we weren't playing a good team that could capitalize on his mistakes.
The kicking game was very good. Spiers first punt was beautiful and gave us the opportunity for that turnover. Potter continues to impress with his kickoffs sailing out of the endzone. That kid is a weapon.
ETN is a legitimate Heisman frontrunner. He was sloppy at times, but when he got a fastball over the middle, he knocked it out of the park. He can score from anywhere at any time. As much as I love and respect the great RBs we've had at Clemson, ETN might be the best ever.
The offensive line is a work in progress. Way too many mental errors... false starts / holding. But, they're very good and can be great. For a first game of the season, not too shabby.
We are DEEP all across the field. RBs are fantastic, as is our secondary. Safety looks as good as I've ever seen. Nolan Turner really stood out to me. XT is a beast. And our LBs, once Venables figured out their tricky 'double option' scheme, were able to dial in and just wreck plays.
Dabo continued to cycle in (heh) a ton of players to gain experience. Since the media figured out that strategy late last year, perhaps we won't get bashed for letting GT score 14 in the 2nd half. We could've beaten GT by 60 last night. But I'll gladly take a 38 point victory with gaining experience for so many players.
The fans were outstanding. My lot was nearly full by the time I arrived at 5:00. The stadium looked packed. Hats off to the students. They showed up in force, were loud and made a difference. That's the best turnout I've seen of the student section in quite a while.
Looking forward to TAMU next weekend. That's going to be a fantastic day in Clemson. I'm already trying to figure out how early I can get there and set up the tailgate. This is going to be a good year, boys.
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Legend [16479]
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Good to get Game One
Aug 30, 2019, 9:20 AM
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Out of the way. Typical 'rough around the edges' performance, coupled with getting a lot of players experience. Got the 'W'...mission accomplished.
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CU Guru [1740]
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Re: Thoughts on the game
Aug 30, 2019, 9:45 AM
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Good summary and looked like a great night to be in Death Valley. A couple of comments on your thoughts....
- I thought the O-line played very well and was rather dominant. Great pass protection and we ran very, very well. We did have a few mental mistakes but nothing problematic.
- It sure was odd not seeing Renfrow out there and we'll all be excited to have Rodgers back. There is certainly a drop off there...no disrespect to Overton.
- BT Potter has an absolute leg and its great to see that again at the PK spot.
- I thought the defense played fast and was disruptive. All the credit to BV and his ability year after year. It felt like I was watching the 2s and 3s from last year most of the game but those guys were the starters! Thats a mental adjustment for me, but I think we'll be fine....next week will tell us where the D-Line stands.
- You're right about GT. Collins is gonna do well there but until he gets a QB they will struggle. I do think they played hard and they'll win some games bc of that but it'll be hard to watch for them this year. Their ability to run, though, may get them to 5 or 6 wins. Did you happen to the players prior pre-game warmups? They were on the sideline lifting weights and doing circuit workouts...pretty bizarre.
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CU Guru [1222]
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Re: Thoughts on the game
Aug 30, 2019, 9:59 AM
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Great summary and agree with most of it.
While the DL had some good moments, there were times I felt they got pushed around a bit. We seemed to miss Big-Dex in the middle.
I'm not sure we can grade our secondary. Tech was not a passing threat at all. They will be tested big time next week.
Very vanilla game plan which was good. A very solid first game. Some mistakes, but all correctable.
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