Clemson (8-4) vs. Kentucky (7-5)
Dec. 29th,
1:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
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Player Profile: Kentucky QB Andre Woodson, team bowl history and more
Every bowl season has at least one game
pitting a disappointed team with no real interest against a team
jacked up to be playing anywhere. This could easily be it.
Halfway through the season, Clemson was being considered one of the
best teams that probably wasn't going to win a conference title
after running over Georgia Tech in a 31-7 win to go 7-1. The Tigers
beat eventual ACC champion Wake Forest, beat Florida State back when
that meant something, and only lost to Boston College in a double
overtime thriller.
And then ... thud.
 |
|
National
Rankings |
|
Clemson |
Kentucky |
|
Total Offense |
|
13th 411.67 ypg |
37th 372.5 ypg |
|
Total Defense |
|
12th 270.08 ypg |
118th 457.67 ypg |
|
Scoring Offense |
|
9th 33.75 ppg |
45th 26.58 ppg |
|
Scoring Defense |
|
15th 15.17 ppg |
101st 29.08 ppg |
|
Run Offense |
|
5th 225.17 ypg |
101st 98.5 ypg |
|
Run Defense |
|
20th 103.33 ypg |
111th 189 ypg |
|
Pass Offense |
|
74th 186.5 ypg |
9th 274 ypg |
|
Pass Defense |
|
15th 166.75 ypg |
118th 268.67 ypg |
|
Turnover Margin |
|
41st 0.33 |
5th 1.08 |
|
Clemson
Fa Atlantic
W 54-6
at B Coll
L 34-33 OT
at Fla St W 27-20
No Carolina
W 52-7
La Tech
W 51-0
at W For.
W 27-17
at Temple
W 63-9
Ga Tech
W 31-7
at Va Tech L 24-7
Maryland
L 13-12
NC State
W 20-14
So Carolina
L 31-28 |
Kentucky
at Louisville L 59-28
Texas State
W 41-7
Ole Miss W 31-14
at Florida L 26-7
Central Mich
W 45-36
So Carolina L 24-17
at LSU L 49-0
at Miss St W 34-31
Georgia W 24-20
Vanderbilt
W 38-26
UL Monroe
W 42-40
at Tenn. L 17-12 |
|
Position
Ratings
relative to each
other |
|
C |
5
highest
1 lowest |
K |
|
3.5 |
Quarterbacks |
4.5 |
|
5 |
RBs |
3.5 |
|
3.5 |
Receivers |
4.5 |
|
4.5 |
O
Line |
3.5 |
|
4 |
D
Line |
2.5 |
|
4 |
Linebackers |
2.5 |
|
4.5 |
Secondary |
1.5 |
|
4 |
Spec
Teams |
3.5 |
|
4 |
Coaching |
4 |
|
Virginia Tech
dominated the Tigers 24-7 setting off a run of three losses in the
final four games including a 31-28 loss to archrival South Carolina.
Outside of the Hokie beatdown, Clemson lost three games by a grand
total of five points and ended up in what its fans consider a minor
league bowl.
Contrast Clemson with Kentucky, who hasn't been to a bowl since 1999
and appeared to be in a holding pattern until the Rice Brooks era
came to an end. After a 3-4 start, it appeared to be yet another
ho-hum, forgettable year to pass the time until basketball season
began, but a win over Georgia, as part of a four-game winning streak
in the easy part of the schedule, got the Wildcats a 13th game
providing a spark of hope for the future of the program.
Now Kentucky is a hot, exciting team with a big-time passing game
and a quarterback in Andre Woodson who became good enough to
consider leaving early for the NFL. A thrilling offense, and no
defense whatsoever, made Wildcat games as fun to watch, in a sort of
perverse way at times, as any in the SEC. UK became the team no one
wanted to face.
Clemson is the far better team on both sides of the ball with one of
the nation's most devastating running attacks and a stifling defense
that held teams to just 270 yards and 15 points per game. Now it's
about attitude. If the Tigers are pumped up, focused, and interested
in making a statement, they should be able to win without too much
of a problem. If they spend their time dreaming of more prestigious
bowls, UK has the ability to pull off the upset.
Is this a case of a flat team about to get tagged, or has there been
so much talk of an upset that Clemson will overcome and come in
motivated? These are two fun young teams that should be even
stronger next year and have the potential to put on a good offensive
show.
Players to watch: Andre Woodson went from being in a
quarterback battle to becoming an All-SEC star throwing for 3,216
yards and 28 touchdowns with seven interceptions with only one game,
the 49-0 loss to LSU, without a scoring pass. At 6-5 and close to
250 pounds, he's a big bomber who's getting better by the week with
good accuracy and decision-making skills. When given a little bit of
time, he can pick apart most secondaries.
Out to make sure Woodson doesn't get comfortable is Clemson DE
Gaines Adams, who made just about everyone's All-America team
and will be a top ten pick in the 2007 draft. Demanding double teams
on every play, big enough to play end and fast enough to be an
outside linebacker, he's a terror at getting into the backfield and
an all-around playmaker against the run. With all the focus on him,
the rest of the line should shine.
Offensively, Clemson's lightning fast rushing tandem of C.J.
Spiller and James Davis should be too much for the
Wildcats to handle. With the time off before the bowl, Davis, who
led the team in rushing and finished with 17 touchdowns on the year,
has been able to rest the injured shoulder that limited him over the
final four games of the year after tearing off 216 yards and two
scores against Georgia Tech. Spiller picked up the slack with 154
yards against NC State and 155 against South Carolina, and has the
ability to carry the entire offense, but he won't have to.
Kentucky has
a decent running game, but to have a shot, it needs Woodson and
junior WR Keenan Burton to match the Tiger offense point for
point. Burton was finally able to stay healthy and showed what he
could do with a 72-catch, 1,006-yard, 12 touchdown season with nine
scores in a late four game span. If nothing else, the attention
Clemson will have to pay to Burton should open things up for tight
end Jacob Tamme and speedy receiver Dicky Lyons.
Kentucky
will win if...
it bombs away early and takes the
fight out of the Tigers. Clemson isn't just going to quit, but
energy level in a game like this might mean everything. With
questions in the Clemson secondary after the arrest of top corner
Duane Coleman for marijuana possession forcing several young players
to get more work, UK should have several options to throw to. C.J.
Gaddis will likely take Burton as much as possible, so if Woodson
can get a little time and make the right reads, he should be
successful.
Clemson will win if... it controls the game
with the ground attack. Even if Kentucky gets up early and the
offense is working, Clemson can't get away from the running the
ball, running the ball, and running the ball some more. The big
Tiger offensive line should wear on the smallish UK defensive front
that lacks proven depth. Either Clemson will run well early, or
it'll start to hit home runs late by springing Spiller and Davis.
Kentucky has the nation's second-worst defense for a reason.
What will happen: Kentucky has had a great season becoming
one of the SEC's better stories, but now the clock will strike
midnight. The Tiger running game will roll for well over 300 yards
keeping Woodson and the Wildcat offense off the field. UK will get
its share of big plays on punt returns and through the air, but the
defense will be too porous. Don't forget about the efficient Clemson
passing game which shouldn't have a problem keeping the chains
moving.
Line: Clemson -10 ... CFN Prediction: Clemson
38 ... Kentucky 20
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Fiesta Bowl
Player Profile: Kentucky QB Andre Woodson, team bowl history and more