Clemson Tigers
Preview 2009
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By
Richard Cirminiello
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2009 CFN Clemson Preview
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2009 Clemson Offense
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2009 Clemson
Defense
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2009 Clemson Depth
Chart
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2008 Clemson Preview
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2007 Clemson Preview
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2006 Clemson
Preview
Head coach: Dabo Swinney
2nd year: 43
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 27, Def. 25, ST 1
Lettermen Lost: 25 |
Ten
Best Tiger Players
1.
RB C.J.
Spiller, Sr.
2.. OG Thomas Austin, Sr.
3. CB Chris
Chancellor, Sr.
4. DE Da'Quan Bower, Soph.
5. WR Jacoby
Ford, Sr.
6. LB Kavell Conner, Sr.
7. NG Jarvis Jenkins,
Jr.
8. DE Ricky Sapp, Sr.
9. CB Crezdon Butler, Sr.
10. SS DeAndre McDaniel, Jr. |
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2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 8-4
2009 Record: 0-0
9/5 Middle Tennessee
9/10 at Georgia Tech
9/19 Boston College
9/26 TCU
10/3 at Maryland
10/10 OPEN DATE
10/17 Wake Forest
10/24 at Miami
10/31 Coastal Carolina
11/7 Florida State
11/14 at NC State
11/21 Virginia
11/28 at South Carolina
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2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 10-2
2008 Record: 7-6 8/30 Alabama (Atl.) L
34-10
9/6 The Citadel W
45-17
9/13 NC State W 27-9
9/20 SC State W 54-0
9/27 Maryland L 20-17
10/4 OPEN DATE
10/9 at Wake Forest L
12-7
10/18 Georgia Tech L
21-17
10/25 OPEN DATE
11/1 at Boston Coll W
27-21
11/8 at Florida St L 41-27
11/15 Duke W 31-7
11/22 at Virginia W 13-3
Nov. 29 South Carolina W
31-14
Gator Bowl
1/1 Nebraska L 26-21 |
After catching the country off guard with last year’s
uninspired start, before showing some heart to finish with a
better-than-it-would've-seemed-before-the-season 7-6 finish, Clemson is
looking to weave a surprise of a different kind in 2009.
While
the Tigers regrouped to finish strong and darn near win the Gator Bowl,
no one around the campus was happy with how things turned out
considering this was considered a sleeper national title contender going
into the season. Last year set back the program, which began the year
No. 9 nationally, and it ended up perpetuating the stereotype that it’s
a perennial underachiever. Out went Tommy Bowden and in came Dabo
Swinney, who has brought a youthful energy and new coordinators for both
sides of the ball. There’s a different buzz around Death Valley, but
will the results be the same?
Even after the addition of Miami,
Boston College, and Virginia Tech from the Big East, Clemson has had the
tools to be the best team in the ACC over the last few years. It's all
been there with speed, athleticism, and great players from top-shelf
recruiting classes, but just when the Tigers got close to being special,
and just when everyone was starting to get on board the bandwagon,
pffffffffft. The balloon would pop with a clunker of a game to screw
everything up. When the bad performance came in the season opener
against Alabama last season, the team never recovered.
Talent has
rarely been an issue at Clemson. The school has been a regular feeder to
the NFL, and this season will be no different. Athletes, like RB C.J.
Spiller, WR, Jacoby Ford, and defensive ends Ricky Sapp and Da’Quan
Bowers, were blue-chippers, with next-level ability. Putting it all
together? Now, that was the problem under Bowden for a Tiger team that
hasn’t won an ACC championship in nearly two decades. Swinney has a
blueprint for success, which includes surrounding himself with quality
coaches and players, but then again so did his predecessors.
In
the short-term, the Tigers have three issues to address if they’re going
to exceed modest expectations and permanently put 2008 in the rear view
mirror. They’ve got to decide on a quarterback out of underclassmen Kyle
Parker and Willy Korn, solidify an offensive line that was an Achilles’
heel, and generate more pressure on defense. Kevin Steele’s defense is
going to be outstanding, but the direction of the offense will dictate
just how far this team can go this fall. If it awakes from last season’s
slumber, look out. Clemson could be poised to make preseason forecasts
look silly for a second straight year.
What to watch for on offense:
The race to replace Cullen Harper under center. The program is fortunate
to have two really talented young hurlers, but who gets the ball when
Middle Tennessee State visits Sept. 5? Sophomore Willy Korn was
considered the future from the moment he left Byrnes (S.C.) High School,
but redshirt freshman Kyle Parker has been Barack to his Hillary,
parlaying a great offseason into a dead heat...at worst. Most observers
feel Parker is in the poll position, but nothing is set in stone until
the two complete their duel later in the summer.
What to watch
for on defense: Sacks. With Ricky Sapp, Da’Quan Bowers, and Kevin
Alexander at defensive end, Clemson ought to be treating the quarterback
like a piñata, right? It should, but it didn’t last fall, finishing last
in the ACC in sacks. It’s the lone glaring weakness on a defense that
figures to be among the league’s best again in 2009. New defensive
coordinator Kevin Steele prides himself on crafting physical defenses
that can really bring it. Tiger fans hope he’s the right guy to light a
spark under this pass rush.
This team will be far
better if … the offense shows up in league games. Last year, the
Tigers scored 17 against Maryland, seven against, 13 against
Virginia...you get the point. The only time they opened things up were
versus the likes of South Carolina State and The Citadel. If Clemson is
going to put 2008 behind it, it needs to start trading more field goals
for touchdowns, while doing a much better job of extending drives on
third down.
The Schedule: There are some landmines, but it's a manageable slate.
The key will be for the Tigers to maintain their focus in the middle of
the season, (not the program's strong suit) against teams like Wake
Forest and Maryland. The non-conference schedule was a joke before
trading out Central Michigan for TCU, while dealing with the rivalry date with South Carolina to end the regular
season is always tough. The ACC season starts out nasty with a road trip to face Georgia
Tech from the Atlantic before the key game against two-time defending
Atlantic champion Boston College. The next conference game is at
Maryland, meaning the first moment to take a mini-breath in the ACC
comes against Wake Forest at home. Going to Miami isn't good, but it's
offset by a relatively easy game against Virginia in between two late
road games.
Best Offensive Player:
Senior RB C.J. Spiller. The country’s best backup of the last three
years is about to finally get a starring role. Despite starting just
seven career games, Spiller already holds a dozen school records, and
enters his final year on the short list of Heisman contenders. With
game-changing speed and a plethora of skills, he’s a dynamic playmaker
when his blockers get their work done. With better support up front,
he’ll challenge Cal’s Jahvid Best for the nation’s leader in all-purpose
yards.
Best
Defensive Player: Senior CB Chris Chancellor. Although he gets
competition from other Tiger players, it’s tough to deny an experienced
lockdown corner, who basically cuts off half the field for quarterbacks.
One of the top cover guys in the ACC, he has great instincts and speed
to go along with 30 career starts of experience. A big-play defender,
he’s had four interceptions and nine pass breakups in each of the last
two seasons.
Key players to a successful season:
The offensive line. The new quarterback is going to be pretty pivotal as
well, but if the line doesn’t block exponentially better, none of it
will matter. Starting with RB C.J. Spiller and WR Jacoby Ford, the
Tigers have next-level game-breakers on this side of the ball, but their
skills are diminished when the line isn’t doing its job. Plus, how can
redshirt freshman Kyle Parker or sophomore Willy Korn be expected to
develop behind center if he’s always ducking for cover?
The season will be a success if ... the Tigers cap a
nine-win season with a bowl victory. More than anything else, the
program wants to drum up some momentum and get beyond last year’s
seven-win disappointment. While there are too many questions on offense
to be thinking ACC crown, the schedule has few serious landmines, making
a rebound well within reach.
Key game:
Sept. 10 at Georgia Tech. Last year, the Tigers got off to an
awful start and never fully recovered. Obviously, they’ll be looking to
avoid a similar fate in 2009. The biggest September roadblock will be
this early-season trip to play the Yellow Jackets, a team Clemson has
beaten just once in its last five tries. The Tigers are going to learn a
lot about their quarterback, who’ll be calling signals in hostile
territory for the first time.
2008 Fun Stats
- First half
scoring: Clemson 190 - Opponents 92
- 3rd down conversions: Opponents 77-of-207 (37%) - Clemson 50-of-167
(29.9%)
- Sacks: Opponents 34 for 238 yards - Clemson 14 for 121 yards