The Clemson Tigers will punch you in the mouth. If I had to pick one word to describe Clemson's battle with top 15 ranked Auburn this past Saturday it would be: brutal. Clemson stood up and fought with Auburn like they were playing for some kind of championship. They absolutely dominated Auburn for a half and outplayed them for another quarter and in overtime. Now, while that statement may cause you to get out your excuse umbrellas, go ahead and put them back up. Clemson lost the game and Auburn won the game. Auburn deserved to win the game and while Clemson didn't deserve to lose, but they didn't earn a win either. It wasn't the refs, it wasn't the weather, it wasn't anything but an epic football game between two solid teams and one team made one more big play than the other. As hard as it may be for some Clemson fans to let it go, just do it. The Auburn game is over now and Clemson is sitting on a chance to win the ACC if they move forward and improve each week.
One other thing we learned was that how you play against crappy teams at the beginning of the season means absolutely nothing. Dabo, as many predicted, saved his whole bag of tricks for Auburn. And it shocked Auburn completely. Once Auburn was able to collect its thoughts, they hit Clemson with everything they had. Clemson took a bit of a beating for one quarter (the 3rd) and re-established control of the game in the 4th. Unfortunately for Clemson folks, they still lost in overtime after a throw that was inches too far and a botched kick. But if the 2010 Clemson Tigers can actually build from that loss, they have to be considered a front runner in the race to win the ACC. Even in losing, Clemson looked better than any other ACC team so far. I know Clemson fans do not wish to claim a moral victory, but what they witnessed very well could end up being the first chapter in in a story that ends with an ACC Championship.
I'm not freaking out over Clemson simply because it was a close game to a top 15 team. That, in my opinion, is not enough on its own to feel great about a team. Plenty of crap teams have found it in their souls to play with the big boys on one special night. The reason I am high on the 2010 Clemson Tigers is threefold. First, Clemson dominated Auburn on the line of scrimmage for most of the game. Second, they had a solid gameplan which kept Auburn off balance for much of the game and was able to adjust once the tide turned. And third, the Clemson Tigers fought back when the game got intense. Auburn is loaded with athletes and led by solid coaching. I think the adjustments made at halftime speak volumes for Gene Chizik and company.
But, another guy who deserves some credit is Billy Napier. Apparently, he is capable of calling an excellent game. And here is the kicker, he did it against a solid opponent. Now, the reason this is different than before (before meaning with Rob Spence) is that Rob Spence called a genius game... against lesser opponents. But, Billy Napier had Clemson running up and down the field against a tested, talented and somewhat veteran Auburn defense, and in their house no less. All the shortcomings of Clemson's offense from that night came from minor mistakes in execution. And it is sort of hard to blame Parker for being inches off after having his ribs used an an anvil by an Auburn linebacker in the third quarter.
We will see how consistent the 2010 Clemson Tigers are against Miami. Miami presents a huge test for the Tigers. If Clemson wants an ACC title, they need to win that game, even though they are on the other side of the conference division and even though there are plenty of games left. A slip up is sure to happen somewhere down the line. Clemson needs to start off the ACC season with a bang and establish itself as the class of the ACC this year. If the 2010 Clemson Tigers want to get some respect and convince everyone they have turned the corner from pretty good to really good, they need a win at home against a ranked Miami squad. Playing with some heart is great, but it is time to win and the opportunity is there for a BCS bowl game. Clemson, in my opinion, has shown they have the toughness, the power, the skill, and the leadership to get there.
