Season-Ending Salve

Well, we let destiny slip away again last week. And the title drought extends into yet another year.

With that said, let's move on to the annual season finale against our fowl-feathered nemesis, the South Carolina Gamecocks.

A week ago, Tiger fans would have found themselves quite hard-pressed to concentrate on beating the Gamecocks. And who could have blamed them? We were riding high on the wings of a four-game winning streak with an ACC title shot merely 60 minutes away.

On the other hand, USC's season had entered into its annual downward spiral. After starting the year 6-1 and rising to #6 in the polls, the Gamecocks dropped contests against Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and Florida. Their run defense was finally exposed for the swiss cheese that it is. There have been repeated questions related to the team's mental drive and attitude. Primarily from the Ol' Ball Coach himself.

My Mom said last week the only hope USC had was if we came into Williams-Brice this week with a swelled head. No chance of that now, of course. We're coming in with the same record as last year, only with another chance to salvage a season suddenly in genuine danger of tanking. We're a wounded team, that's for sure, but more guys are showing a willingness to step up and carry the team on their backs, a stark contrast to last year.

My feeling is this year will, as always, come down to the team that wants it more. I always say the records and stats get tossed in the garbage when two rivals like USC and Clemson clash. Of course, the more talented and experienced squad will normally pull out the victory, but anything can, and often does, happen in a rivalry game.

Maybe it's lingering shreds of optimism not extinguished by Matt Ryan's late-game heroics last week, but I like our chances tomorrow evening. I think Davis and Spiller can pound the Gamecock defensive front. And unlike last year, Harper can beat them through the air if it comes to that. I like to think if Spurrier watched any of our BC contest at all, he'd stick to his team's strengths and defend against the pass. But then again, you never really know with Darth Visor. He scares me.

Anyway, prediction time. We're coming in wounded and need to bounce back in a big way. South Carolina needs to beat us to save their bowl hopes and win two in a row over the Tigers, something that hasn't been accomplished in 37 years. Playing on the road really isn't much of a factor; in fact, we might even gain some intensity from it. I think our running game gets untracked enough to produce some yardage, and most imporanrtly TDs, and Aaron Kelly redeems himself with some clutch catches down the stretch when we need them the most. The Tigers pull out a tough one, send the Cocks home for the holidays, and await an invite from the Peach or Gator Bowl to extend their season.

FINAL SCORE: Clemson 24, South Carolina 17

GO TIGERS!!!

Destiny

First of all, my apologies for being so off base on the Wake prediction last week. I went into Death Valley fully anticipating a close match that could hinge on one play at the right time, ala 2006, turning the tide. But Clemson had other plans, I guess.

Cullen Harper took the field and dissected the Demon Deacons like a spoon searching for marshmallows in a bowl of Lucky Charms. Jamie Cumbie, Dorell Scott, and Tremaine Billie carved up the Wake front four like they wanted Thanksgiving dinner two weeks early. Ricky Sapp, Kourtnei Brown, and Phillip Merling took turns playing Whack-A-Mole with QB Riley Skinner all day long. Every time he tried to scoot or pop up at the far side of the line, one of those living mallets smashed him into the ground.

Wake's gameplan copied most of our opposition of late. Clog the line of scrimmage and shut down James Davis and C.J. Spiller. In other words, their strategy was to make Harper beat them through the air.

Oops.

Guess they forgot Cullen ain't Will Proctor (no offense to Proctor).

If this young man is not in the running for ACC Player of the Year by the time that conference play wraps up, a serious injustice will have occurred. Talk about coming out of nowhere and thrusting yourself into such a position as to unseat the bread & butter of this team, namely the dynamic duo of Thunder and Lightning.

What was once thought to be the be-all, end-all formula to defeating the Tigers has now become one of our greatest strengths. As I sat and watched Cullen systematically pick Wake's anemic pass defense like a grapevine, I kept waiting for the Deacons to, no pun intended, "Wake" up (okay, pun intended) and spread out to defend against the pass. But it never happened. Much to Cullen's delight, I'm sure, as he continued to find All-ACC candidate Aaron Kelly open on slants. Tyler Grisham had maybe his best outing. Rarely have I seen a wideout show the toughness and poise this Superman has.

Yes, I love the nicknames for players. Davis and Spiller, naturally, are Thunder and Lightning. Grisham is Superman. Aaron Kelly is Gumby. Rendrick Taylor is the Hulk. Jacoby Ford is the Flash (even injured, you couldn't even catch his shadow). Cullen is Rocky Balboa. Our boys on defense are the "Goons."

Sitting in the yawning shadows of the north gate, I could just feel the excitement rising steadily as the seconds ticked away on our surprising demolition of Wake. And at last, it was over. Another lopsided victory. One step closer to the ACC title.

And it all comes down to Saturday night. 7:45. Death Valley. The Fighting Tigers of Clemson University and the Eagles of Boston College square off for the right to take the reigns of the Atlantic Division and play for a conference crown in Jacksonville.

For two weeks, Clemson has held destiny in its hands. For two weeks our players have stepped up to the plate and done their job. For two weeks, we have shown that we can handle the pressure of being the hunted rather than the hunter.

Lose tomorrow night and none of that will matter. At least in the eyes of the media. Tiger fans are not ones to tolerate getting close so many times only to fall short, and the media monguls only like you as long as you're winning consistently. And make no mistake, this is as close as it gets short of the title game itself. If we let BC take it from us, we fall right back into the depths of memorable flash-in-the-pans. Remembered in the short-term, forgotten in the long run.

Anyone remember the 8-0 start to 2000? No? Oh yeah, we choked against Georgia Tech and Chris Weinke's FSU team demolished us in Tallahassee. No ACC title.

Remember the big finish of 2003? Certainly a magnificent ending that could have been sweeter had we exercised that potential earlier in the season when we had the chance. But we let NC State slip a 17-15 decision from our fingers. No ACC title.

Remember 2004 when we capped a four-game rally by beating Miami in the Orange Bowl (back when Miami was a powerhouse, before they bid a fond farewell to their historic home field by letting Virginia trample them 48-0)? Oh yeah, we lost to Duke the next week. But it didn't matter much because the damage was already done. No ACC title.

Remember the thrilling peaks of 2005? Back-to-back thrillers against Texas A&M and Maryland? Jad Dean's kicks? Reggie Merriwether's gutsy runs? The smackdowns we laid to NC State and FSU? No? That's right. Georgia Tech ripped one away from us in a one point defeat. BC clobbered us in the Valley, and we were fortunate to play overtime against them. No ACC title.

Remember the 7-1 start of 2006? Surely a confounding one-point loss to BC wouldn't derail what was shaping up to be a magical year with only a title game appearance as a logical ending. Sure did. The wheels came off on the heels of back-breakers versus Virginia Tech and Maryland. A sour ending in Nashville. And again, no ACC title.

Is this year different? Have we put the past behind us and are determined to play at our highest potential in the spotlight? Are we ready to seize destiny in our paws?

Commentator Scott Rhymer, in his monthly column on TigerNet, said it best when he pointed out that Saturday night is not about the 2006 team, 2003, or any team or season prior. It is not about ESPN College GameDay. It is not about Death Valley or the orange pants or Howard's Rock. It is not about the fans clad in a sea of solid orange. It is not about the assistant coaches, be they Koenning, Napier, or Spence. It is not about Tommy Bowden, Terry Don Phillips, or the Clemson athletic program.

What it is about is the players. For both teams. This is their game. Everything they have worked for, from the beginning of spring practice, agonizing weeks of three-a-days, ballgames, seasonal injuries, blood, sweat, tears, guts, will, determination, and heart. The coaches may instruct them, and the fans may cheer them on, and they may draw inspiration from the Rock or the britches. But in the end, they must put on the pads, take the field, and do what only they can do. All the spectators and good luck charms in the world won't get it done for them. The best coaching scheme in the books won't win a game. The players must go out and execute. It is theirs to win or lose.

For years, we Tiger fans have waited so impatiently for Clemson to reclaim its place among the elite of college football.

For years, that chance has eluded us like that annoying Whack-A-Mole who just keeps ducking back into the safety of his hole.

For years, the prize has been so close that we could just reach out and brush it with our fingertips.

For years, we have lacked that one extra step or one properly-run play to get the job done.

So again I ask...is this year different? Will our questions get answered? Will our cries finally cease on the wings of laser beams from Cullen Harper, or the driving force of Davis and Spiller, or the never-say-die attitude of Grisham, or the steady leg of Mark Bucholtz, that carries us from the Eagles' clutches, and into the cushion of ACC contender, with but the Gamecocks left to smite in their sinkhole of a stadium?

This Tiger fan believes. He risks heartbreak by doing so, but he believes just the same. That's why I will be in the Valley of Death at 7:45 tomorrow night, ready to yell at the top of my lungs for my team. Because tomorrow night is all about them.

Win or lose, it'll be a night to remember.

An evening of anticipation.

A date with destiny.

Go to it, Tigers. Reach out and grab destiny...

...And this time, don't let go.

FINAL SCORE: Clemson 31, Boston College 27

GO TIGERS!!!

One Foot in the Door

Maybe Tommy Bowden does have a point about parity after all.

A month ago, the Fighting Tigers were by all counts written off, headed straight for another mid-season swoon that has marked our program for the past several years. The losses to Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech took the air out of our season and as if on cue, talk turned from righting the ship to naming Tommy's imminent successor.

Yet righting the ship is exactly what we've done. Funny how things work out. Most of our Tiger brethren couldn't look past the consecutive, dispicable defeats and see a way of climbing out of the gutter. A way named Central Michigan, Maryland, and Duke. Most of us didn't want to face the reality that the season was only halfway done. It was far more satisfying to kick our coach when he was down, to deride our Tigers and their mistakes despite their refusal to quit. Say what you want about our methodical meltdown in the Valley versus the Hokies, but our boys fought till the last whistle.

What good could it possibly do to run over a few pretenders? Quite a bit, it seems. As Clemson has quietly taken care of business on its end, the landscape of college football turned on its ear. LSU exposed the seemingly invincible Florida Gators and gave Georgia, plus all its remaining opposition, the blueprint on how to beat them. Two #2 ranked teams fell from the realms of glory. South Carolina's smoke and mirror streak ran out at the sweetly satisfying hands of *snicker* Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt. You read me right.

Most important, Papa Bowden came through for us.

I watched in amazement with Anna Kate as Florida State traveled up to Boston College and knocked the formerly-unbeaten Eagles from their perch. They remain on top of the ACC, but they are wounded. Vulnerable. Matt Ryan's shine has at last been tarnished.

The Seminoles' victory cleared the path for the Tigers. Our destiny once again rests in our hands. Defeat Wake Forest and Boston College in Death Valley, and it's clear sailing to the ACC Championship Game. In other words no more depending on other guys to do the work for us. Keep taking care of business, and we're off to Jacksonville.

First up is Wake Forest. A squad whose recent history with us needs no explanation. We've split the last four meetings with them, beginning with a 45-17 thrashing up in Winston-Salem in 2003. Needed double-overtime in 2004 to beat them in the Valley. Choked a big one away in 2005. Gaines Adams hauled our bacon out of the furnace last year in a highlight play for the books after we'd been dominated the entire game.

Wake still scares me with how doggone well they play solid fundamental football. The offense won't jump out at you, but it's the variety of ways they can score that tell the tale. Riley Skinner is a playmaker who makes smart decisions. Kevin Marion will hurt you if you give him enough space.

Oh, and they're the defending champs.

Yep, despite how we came back to beat them, all we Tigers could do was watch as the Demon Deacons played for the title that slipped through our fingers faster than C.J. Spiller jukes defenders. To say we're a little miffed by that would be like saying Cullen Harper is okay at throwing TD passes.

Excitement in Tiger town is at a fever pitch. I can feel the renewed energy and life in the air. For the first time in years, it's November and we've got one foot in the door. Our task is clear. Win out, and we play for the championship. Lose, and we go back to playing the "what-if" game again in a meaningless "Fill-in-the-Blank" Bowl.

I'm confident and nervous all at once. I have faith that we've got the playmakers, the will, and the resolve to overcome all obstacles, all mistakes, and all adversity to emerge victorious and bring the ACC crown back to Clemson. At the same time, one can't ever fully shake that nagging shred of doubt just below the surface. We have seen Clemson get one foot in the door and slam it shut before. Will they fall short again? Or will this finally be the year that we get it done when it counts the most?

It's gut-check time and I believe the steady leadership of James Davis, the unerring arm of Cullen Harper, the indispensible toughness of Aaron Kelly and Tyler Grisham, the electrifying big plays of Spiller, and the maturation of our boys on the line of scrimmage will see us through safely.

The Demon Deacons pay a dear price for daring to show their face in the Valley of Death at high noon, and the Tigers roll on to a fourth straight victory, and a showdown with Boston College. Winner take all.

FINAL SCORE: Clemson 35, Wake Forest 24

GO TIGERS! FINISH THE JOB!