Not the End of the World
Well, things went almost according to plan yesterday. Almost.
Clemson came out and did pretty much exactly what they were supposed to do to Florida Atlantic. Pound them. Of course, offense can't take all the credit for our 54-6 victory (which, I'm pleased to say, absolutely obliterated my point spread). We had some miscues. Some were expected. Some made me slump my shoulders in disgust. I don't ever want to see Spiller dance his way through a punt rush again. Ford can only fumble the punt if he runs it back for a TD. Which he did, of course. But I'm sure he got an earful for fielding the punt inside the 10-yard line.
But I walked out of Death Valley generally pleased. I loved the variety in our scoring. If I'm not mistaken, one of our 2nd-half TDs came on a 31-yard fumble recovery by Sergio Gilliam. We could have had another on Michael Hamlin's 74-yard INT return if a FAU player hadn't pulled an Oscar-winning act, baiting Anthony Waters into a block-in-the-back. We scored a TD on special teams. Two field goals (25 and 45 yards) from Jad Dean. Nice. I loved the enthusiasm of our 2nd-team, which played for most of the 2nd half, as well as our goal line stand with 6 seconds left. Even with the game well in hand. You'd have thought they were protecting Howard's Rock itself.
Victory came with a price, though. A very steep price.
Waters, our senior MLB who bypassed a 1st - 4th round NFL pick to return for his senior year, was chasing down FAU's quarterback. The QB suddenly broke stride and sprinted the other way. Waters tried to turn the corner and change direction so he could go after him. His knee wouldn't have it, and he crumpled to the turf in agony. I caught my breath when I saw him go down clutching his knee. I've seen that look before. The trainers tended to Anthony for about five minutes before they sent for a cart to wheel him off the field. But he refused it. He wanted to go off with his teammates. Death Valley erupted into cheers and praise as they watched Anthony get helped to the sideline, his arms clasped on the shoulders of two teammates. A few minutes later, the cart did come around and take him to the locker room. Tiger fans clapped for him again, and Waters, despite the intense pain in his knee, smiled broadly and pumped his fist to the crowd.
Coaches tried to keep things positive. We held out hope that the injury was nothing more than a sprain. My fears were confirmed this afternoon. "Torn ACL. Out for the season."
A crushing blow to our team. I'm sure Anthony must feel absolutely sick right now. It hurts to see this happen to a young man who could've turned pro early, but chose to stay. He is without question our emotional leader and one of our hardest, most dependable workers. But he will come back from this. I know he won't let a torn ACL stop him. He's put it in God's hands (per his own words) and is determined to support us in any way that he can.
As for the Tigers, I'll not mince words. Losing Billie and now Waters will hurt us. We go from fielding one of the top linebacking corps in the ACC to minus two starters. Their leadership and intensity can't be replaced. But it's not the end of the world. I have confidence that Antonio Clay, Kavell Conner, Maurice Nelson, and the rest of our reserves will respond to the challenge. We need them to step up now, and I believe they will do it. Coaches are already putting together a new plan of attack for Boston College, so they'll have the players ready when they return to practice tomorrow. It's not time to raise the white flag in defeat. We'll pick ourselves up and move on. I still believe this team can win an ACC title, and make no mistake: they're going to be even more motivated now.
Anyway, I guess I typed all of that to reassure myself. Please keep Anthony and his family in your prayers. Pray that God will encourage him and use his situation to bring glory to the One that we serve. Thank you. God bless.
Clemson came out and did pretty much exactly what they were supposed to do to Florida Atlantic. Pound them. Of course, offense can't take all the credit for our 54-6 victory (which, I'm pleased to say, absolutely obliterated my point spread). We had some miscues. Some were expected. Some made me slump my shoulders in disgust. I don't ever want to see Spiller dance his way through a punt rush again. Ford can only fumble the punt if he runs it back for a TD. Which he did, of course. But I'm sure he got an earful for fielding the punt inside the 10-yard line.
But I walked out of Death Valley generally pleased. I loved the variety in our scoring. If I'm not mistaken, one of our 2nd-half TDs came on a 31-yard fumble recovery by Sergio Gilliam. We could have had another on Michael Hamlin's 74-yard INT return if a FAU player hadn't pulled an Oscar-winning act, baiting Anthony Waters into a block-in-the-back. We scored a TD on special teams. Two field goals (25 and 45 yards) from Jad Dean. Nice. I loved the enthusiasm of our 2nd-team, which played for most of the 2nd half, as well as our goal line stand with 6 seconds left. Even with the game well in hand. You'd have thought they were protecting Howard's Rock itself.
Victory came with a price, though. A very steep price.
Waters, our senior MLB who bypassed a 1st - 4th round NFL pick to return for his senior year, was chasing down FAU's quarterback. The QB suddenly broke stride and sprinted the other way. Waters tried to turn the corner and change direction so he could go after him. His knee wouldn't have it, and he crumpled to the turf in agony. I caught my breath when I saw him go down clutching his knee. I've seen that look before. The trainers tended to Anthony for about five minutes before they sent for a cart to wheel him off the field. But he refused it. He wanted to go off with his teammates. Death Valley erupted into cheers and praise as they watched Anthony get helped to the sideline, his arms clasped on the shoulders of two teammates. A few minutes later, the cart did come around and take him to the locker room. Tiger fans clapped for him again, and Waters, despite the intense pain in his knee, smiled broadly and pumped his fist to the crowd.
Coaches tried to keep things positive. We held out hope that the injury was nothing more than a sprain. My fears were confirmed this afternoon. "Torn ACL. Out for the season."
A crushing blow to our team. I'm sure Anthony must feel absolutely sick right now. It hurts to see this happen to a young man who could've turned pro early, but chose to stay. He is without question our emotional leader and one of our hardest, most dependable workers. But he will come back from this. I know he won't let a torn ACL stop him. He's put it in God's hands (per his own words) and is determined to support us in any way that he can.
As for the Tigers, I'll not mince words. Losing Billie and now Waters will hurt us. We go from fielding one of the top linebacking corps in the ACC to minus two starters. Their leadership and intensity can't be replaced. But it's not the end of the world. I have confidence that Antonio Clay, Kavell Conner, Maurice Nelson, and the rest of our reserves will respond to the challenge. We need them to step up now, and I believe they will do it. Coaches are already putting together a new plan of attack for Boston College, so they'll have the players ready when they return to practice tomorrow. It's not time to raise the white flag in defeat. We'll pick ourselves up and move on. I still believe this team can win an ACC title, and make no mistake: they're going to be even more motivated now.
Anyway, I guess I typed all of that to reassure myself. Please keep Anthony and his family in your prayers. Pray that God will encourage him and use his situation to bring glory to the One that we serve. Thank you. God bless.
posted by david @ 3:41 PM
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