Clemson Football Team Preview

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It was a tense summer for Clemson fans and coach Dabo Swinney. Quarterback Kyle Parker had been drafted in the first round of the MLB draft by the Colorado Rockies, and there was some question as to whether he would give up football and go pursue his baseball career, or stay behind at Clemson and quarterback the Tigers. Fortunately, Parker decided to stay at Clemson for now and put his baseball career on hold for the time being.

 

A lot of yardage is gone from last year’s team. Jacoby Ford and Michael Palmer, the team’s top two receivers, are gone, but most importantly, CJ Spiller, who pretty much did everything-ran the ball, caught the ball, returned punts and kicks, mowed the field, washed the team’s jerseys, and he probably could have played defense too if asked, is gone. Spiller set 31 records at Clemson in his four years in the backfield. In Spiller’s place will be sophomore Andre Ellington, who could very well be a Spiller clone. Ellington ran for 491 yards last season on just 68 carries, a whopping 7.2 yards per carry. Backing him up will be junior Jamie Harper, who put up 424 yards rushing, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. These are two talented running backs. This could be a poor man’s James Davis/CJ Spiller combination.

Kyle Parker will return for his sophomore season after an offseason of question. He had a very solid freshman season, and really came on as the season progressed. Parker only completed 55% of his passes, and threw for 2526 yards, but did have a 20-12 touchdown-interception ratio. They’re not the best numbers, but for a freshman, they are pretty good. I think he will cut down on the interceptions this season.

The returning receivers didn’t contribute a lot to the team last season. The lone starter returning is senior Xavier Dye, whose 14 receptions lead among the returnees.  Senior Terrance Ashe and junior Marquan Jones came out of spring practice listed as the starters. Ashe caught 11 passes and Jones caught nine last season. Vying for playing time at wide receiver will be junior Brandon Clear and freshman Bryce McNeal. The tight end, sophomore Dwayne Allen, only caught 10 passes, but three of those were four touchdowns.

The offensive line returns four of the five starters. And this is a really good line that is regarded as the best in the conference, and among the best offensive lines in the country, and a line that paves the way for a really good running game, led by preseason all first team tackle Chris Hairston.  The Tigers also get back Hairston’s counterpart at tackle in Landon Walker, along with guard Antoine McClain and center Dalton Freeman. However, depth is an issue here, and injuries to the offensive line could be killer for the Tigers hopes of repeating in the ACC Atlantic.

 

 

The defense is regarded as one of the best of the conference, and there isn’t a more feared secondary in the league than Clemson’s. If you’re a quarterback, you have to watch out for the safeties, because they gravitate right to the football, and they can wreak a lot of havoc on the football field. DeAndre McDaniel was one of four Tigers with over 100 tackles, but led the team with eight interceptions. McDaniel was a first team All American last season. He’s joined by Rashard Hall, who picked off six passes last season, and was honorable mention all ACC. Both of last season’s starting cornerbacks are gone, but Marcus Gilchrist, who lead among returning starters with 107 tackles, moves over to cornerback. The other starter at cornerback will likely be senior Byron Maxwell, who also had a pair of interceptions.

The defensive line returns three of the four starters, and junior Da’Quan Bowers is primed for a big season. Bowers had 58 tackles and 10 for loss last season. He will be joined on the other side of the line by junior Andre Branch. Branch had eight tackles for loss last season, and takes the place of the departed Ricky Sapp. Both defensive tackles return. Senior Jarvis Johnson was a beast in the middle, with 69 tackles and 11 for loss. He is joined by junior Brandon Thompson.

The linebackers are a bit of a question mark. Only junior Brandon Maye returns from this group. Maye was fourth on the team with 103 tackles, and also contributed three sacks. Sophomore Corico Hawkins figures to be the starter at middle linebacker, but he is relatively inexperienced. The other linebacker spot is up in the air. Redshirt freshman Quandon Christian emerged from the spring as a possible starter, but senior Scotty Cooper is also in the mix.

 

Tigers fans hope senior kicker Richard Jackson can turn around what was a dismal nine game stretch that saw him only hit nine out of 18 field goal attempts. Jackson finished 20 out of 31 for the season. Should Jackson falter, Spencer Benton will be there to back him up. Benton did kick some extra points for the Tigers last season, and converted on his lone field goal attempt.

The punting duties will be handled by Dawson Zimmerman. The junior averaged 39.1 yards per punt on his 55 attempts, with a 34.4 net. Zimmerman put 19 of his punts inside the 20.

 

Clemson should start off with two straight wins against North Texas and Presbyterian, but the first test will be the third game at Auburn. Clemson has lost 13 in a row to Auburn, and hasn’t beat Auburn since 1952. The conference schedule has the Tigers going to North Carolina, Boston College, and Florida State, and hosting Miami and in state rival South Carolina. This schedule is a little tough.

There are a couple of players to look at for your fantasy team. Kyle Parker should improve from his first season, and I am calling for a minimum of 25 touchdown passes this season. You can also look at Andre Ellington at running back. Although I don’t think he will match last season’s 7.2 yards per carry, he could easily average over 5.0 yards per carry, and he should easily top the 1000 yard mark this season.

 

This is another team that could be labeled as a bit of a sleeper in the Atlantic. They lost a lot of yardage from the skill position players, but their backups have shown a lot of promise in the playing time they had last season. But the schedule worries me a bit. They have a lot of tough games in conference, and they may lose three of the four conference road games. I think Clemson ultimately will get to a bowl game, but will finish third in the Atlantic.