Music City Bowl - Clemson/Kentucky Prediction
I'll do my best to keep any disappointment out of this post. As any Tiger fan will vehemently tell you, Clemson had the talent, experience, power, and leadership to make the ACC their own personal playtoy this year. Even more maddening was the fact that the big guns of the conference - Florida State and Miami, obviously - suffered the inevitable down year at the same time. Even lost coaches, head and assistant, in its wake. We had the best backfield in the league, possibly the country. A potential first-round pick at defensive end. A Lou Groza post-season and pre-season finalist. The ascension of a heralded 2005 recruiting class into the lineup. An even stronger class coming in. A stable coaching staff for the first time in a fairly long time.
But such was not to be.
We can point the finger at anyone or anything we want. Be it Tommy Bowden's coaching or Will Proctor or blown calls or injuries. But it's an exercise in futility. Right now, all that matters is the present. And tomorrow at high noon (or today, depending on when you read this), the Fighting Tigers will work to salvage their wounded pride and deliver a knockout punch to the inflated dreams of the Wildcats from Kentucky.
I've been in Nashville with Anna Kate, her Dad and step-Mom the past two days. Sadly the UK fans have us outnumbered. I once spent 10 years of my life in this city, and except for my three old, treasured homes in Franklin and Brentwood, the place seems foreign. You'd think we made a wrong turn and went to Memphis with the color blue so prominent around these parts. Oh wait, that's South Carolina's bowl site. Never mind.
We attended the Battle of the Bands in downtown Nashville this evening. One of the preliminaries in the ancitipated matchup between the schools is to pit their bands against each other, where there shall be bayonets drawn, horses trambling people, arrows flying...okay, maybe not. Just both bands pumping up their respective crowds with a selection of fight songs. It didn't help that one of the announcers was just blatantly a Wildcat. Nor did it help that such a gathering in the streets made the disparity in our crowd sizes that much more evident. Heck, it didn't help that UK's band marched down a minute early and fired up the larger blue/white contigent before we could even set our feet. Nevertheless, Tiger Band, the Clemson cheerleaders, and the Rally Cats showed their stuff and matched the Kentucky squad blow for blow. Or I should say beat for beat. At least the female announcer supported us gracefully.
But now, all preliminaries are finished. Like it or not, this is the capstone of our season right here. It's not the one we envisioned back when we sat in the Top 10 at 7-1, fresh off a 31-7 stomping of the nerds from Bumble Bee Tech. But it is what it is. All that remains is one last hurrah. A final chance to show what we're made of.
I like to think that our team plays best away from the spotlight. When we're as good as written off, which we are. Every media mongul save for our faithful state papers has turned their back on the Tigers. We're last month's news. Merely the latest in a series of choke jobs. So when there's nothing to lose, that's when we tend to shine. Because let's face it. The outcome of this bowl game will not determine the success or failure we'll have in 2007 and beyond. It has few long-term implications save for giving our benchwarmers extra practice time and a few extra weeks to get healed from nagging owies. We can go with a clear head and still feel good about what's to come.
Then there's Kentucky. Playing in its first bowl game in several years. Saddled with a postseason losing streak dating back to 1984 (including a 14-13 loss to Clemson in Tommy West's first game in the Peach Bowl). Kentucky may very well have a motivation edge going into this match because their season, once a lost cause, has quietly done a Cinderella and become a sleeper success. They can punctuate it with a huge victory over the Tigers, but if not, no big loss. Kentucky too has little-to-nothing to lose.
I've only seen the Wildcats in action on one occasion. South Carolina defeated them 31-24 earlier this year, but it was a game the Chickens appeared to have in the bag, only to see UK claw its way back and to come within a Hail Mary of forcing overtime.
I have to believe (and hope) that the stats on paper will (for once) determine what the outcome will be. That the Tiger offensive line will return to form and play like the veteran senior front they are. That James Davis will shake his late-season slump and bust the huge runs we're used to seeing. That the return of the Incredible Hulk, a.k.a Rendrick Taylor, will not only give us another big-play receiver to compliment Chansi Stuckey, but fill the blocking void left by Thomas Hunter, lost to our latest foot injury. That C.J. Spiller's ankle is completely healed. That Reggie and Ray Ray will see significant action for a morale boost. That Will Proctor will complete the vertical pass to someone. Anyone in an orange jersey.
To say we should win this going away sounds hauntingly familiar to other games we've played this year. This is shaping up to be a reversal of the 2003 Peach Bowl. We had major momentum on our side while Tennessee came in the jaded, jilted team that felt it deserved better. Are we that team now? I really hope not. So I say when the chips are down and they are, we'll finally see the best of our 2006 Clemson Tigers as they send the Frostbitten Felines back to Lexington in a steaming bucket of Kentucky Fried.
My prediction?
Clemson 28
Kentucky 17
GO TIGERS!!!
But such was not to be.
We can point the finger at anyone or anything we want. Be it Tommy Bowden's coaching or Will Proctor or blown calls or injuries. But it's an exercise in futility. Right now, all that matters is the present. And tomorrow at high noon (or today, depending on when you read this), the Fighting Tigers will work to salvage their wounded pride and deliver a knockout punch to the inflated dreams of the Wildcats from Kentucky.
I've been in Nashville with Anna Kate, her Dad and step-Mom the past two days. Sadly the UK fans have us outnumbered. I once spent 10 years of my life in this city, and except for my three old, treasured homes in Franklin and Brentwood, the place seems foreign. You'd think we made a wrong turn and went to Memphis with the color blue so prominent around these parts. Oh wait, that's South Carolina's bowl site. Never mind.
We attended the Battle of the Bands in downtown Nashville this evening. One of the preliminaries in the ancitipated matchup between the schools is to pit their bands against each other, where there shall be bayonets drawn, horses trambling people, arrows flying...okay, maybe not. Just both bands pumping up their respective crowds with a selection of fight songs. It didn't help that one of the announcers was just blatantly a Wildcat. Nor did it help that such a gathering in the streets made the disparity in our crowd sizes that much more evident. Heck, it didn't help that UK's band marched down a minute early and fired up the larger blue/white contigent before we could even set our feet. Nevertheless, Tiger Band, the Clemson cheerleaders, and the Rally Cats showed their stuff and matched the Kentucky squad blow for blow. Or I should say beat for beat. At least the female announcer supported us gracefully.
But now, all preliminaries are finished. Like it or not, this is the capstone of our season right here. It's not the one we envisioned back when we sat in the Top 10 at 7-1, fresh off a 31-7 stomping of the nerds from Bumble Bee Tech. But it is what it is. All that remains is one last hurrah. A final chance to show what we're made of.
I like to think that our team plays best away from the spotlight. When we're as good as written off, which we are. Every media mongul save for our faithful state papers has turned their back on the Tigers. We're last month's news. Merely the latest in a series of choke jobs. So when there's nothing to lose, that's when we tend to shine. Because let's face it. The outcome of this bowl game will not determine the success or failure we'll have in 2007 and beyond. It has few long-term implications save for giving our benchwarmers extra practice time and a few extra weeks to get healed from nagging owies. We can go with a clear head and still feel good about what's to come.
Then there's Kentucky. Playing in its first bowl game in several years. Saddled with a postseason losing streak dating back to 1984 (including a 14-13 loss to Clemson in Tommy West's first game in the Peach Bowl). Kentucky may very well have a motivation edge going into this match because their season, once a lost cause, has quietly done a Cinderella and become a sleeper success. They can punctuate it with a huge victory over the Tigers, but if not, no big loss. Kentucky too has little-to-nothing to lose.
I've only seen the Wildcats in action on one occasion. South Carolina defeated them 31-24 earlier this year, but it was a game the Chickens appeared to have in the bag, only to see UK claw its way back and to come within a Hail Mary of forcing overtime.
I have to believe (and hope) that the stats on paper will (for once) determine what the outcome will be. That the Tiger offensive line will return to form and play like the veteran senior front they are. That James Davis will shake his late-season slump and bust the huge runs we're used to seeing. That the return of the Incredible Hulk, a.k.a Rendrick Taylor, will not only give us another big-play receiver to compliment Chansi Stuckey, but fill the blocking void left by Thomas Hunter, lost to our latest foot injury. That C.J. Spiller's ankle is completely healed. That Reggie and Ray Ray will see significant action for a morale boost. That Will Proctor will complete the vertical pass to someone. Anyone in an orange jersey.
To say we should win this going away sounds hauntingly familiar to other games we've played this year. This is shaping up to be a reversal of the 2003 Peach Bowl. We had major momentum on our side while Tennessee came in the jaded, jilted team that felt it deserved better. Are we that team now? I really hope not. So I say when the chips are down and they are, we'll finally see the best of our 2006 Clemson Tigers as they send the Frostbitten Felines back to Lexington in a steaming bucket of Kentucky Fried.
My prediction?
Clemson 28
Kentucky 17
GO TIGERS!!!
posted by david @ 11:16 PM
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