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Clemson 2008

Game Recap

By Chris B.

Wow, Wow, Wow.  That is about all I have to say.  A 20-17 win.  Why does nothing surprise me with this team. A little background on my week leading up to this.  I am going to spend the weekend with el wife.  She is living in this dorm like suite thing in the Shrine hospital in Springfield.  Her little TV system here in the hospital doesn't get channel 38 (the Boston/Springfield Raycomm affiliate).  So I am off to the Springfield Marriott, which has a Champions Sports Bar.  Once I get there, I learn the bar is actually under a parking garage, and cell phone service is spotty at best.  So this morning I bought this new phone and it had zero reception all excited since it has a qwerty keyboard to send text messages. ( I may still return it since my Nextel was actually serviceable, and that one usually has ZERO SERVICE).  So back to the week before the game.  I joined Facebook, and Tyson posted this statement on my wall: "If Clemson loses this one Bowden needs to be fired".   I harassed him during the week, not really expecting to win, but again, not being shocked if they did.  So a special thanks to the staff at Champions Sports Bar Springfield for firing up the game for me so I could write this beauty. 

So I show up a couple of minutes late (I could have driven myself, but I was like what if we are winning and I want to drink), so I had to wait for Megan to get me there.  Clemson is driving early.  And the first thing I noticed was, every time we make what appeared to be a "good" defensive play, Clemson still gained at least 4 yards.  They were running at will.  They showed a stat about Play calling showing Clemson had something like 10 running and 1 passing.  I may be exaggerating the run part, but it was way up there, and the pass was one.  So anyway Clemson made our defense look like it was facing it's own second or third defense for the first quarter.  After 1 quarter it was 10 -0 Clemson.  They were running the ball down out throats.  With ease.  Every play was worth at least 3 yards, and that was the bad plays.  Then at the very end of the first quarter we punt, and Spiller boots it, recovered by the Terps.  The quarter ends, and we get it to the one.  Da'rell Scott scores, but they call a false start against the Terps.  They didn't just call it, it was obvious.  So we settle for a FG.  Thank God we were able to settle for it!  The recent past makes me worry about FG's.  Then on the next drive we swat a backwards pass, and Adrian Moten recovers it, "just before it goes ob".  We only convert this in to a FG.  So I walk out of the sports bar at halftime with us trailing 17-6. 

These are the text messages I have once I get reception  at halftime.

Bob W: MD is getting 11 ( in regard to another new "investment opportunity" the Springfield Investment Group is capitalizing on. This week it involves the Terps.  12:10 PM

Forrest: This is fun 12:34 PM

Brian S.:  " I can't stand watching this D"  12:37

Forrest: "Had him beat...poor throw" in reference to Heyward-Bey beating his man, but the pass being broken up due to being under thrown.  12:40 PM

Forrest: "What the hell r they doing? Are u Watching this  crap? 1:00 pm

Bob W: "Cosh blows" 1:08 PM

Justin (Phone Call): " We are blowing this...  Jason asked me if I wanted something to drink, no I will have four drinks instead of eating. If the Defense plays like it did the last couple of drives we can win"  I was berating us, saying "we are pissing away chances.  Every penalty, we are getting, is killing us.  Not only is it a penalty, they are big plays that are getting called back." Justin had more faith/ was possibly more drunk than I was.  1:37 PM

Jason:  "D is in trouble" 1:38 PM

Lee: "Yeah Terps, I hope they can hang in" 2:52 PM

Tim (neighbor on second floor of 356 K St): Yeah Terps  3:09 PM

Bob W: "U see the Old Miss Score?"  3:09 PM (in reference to us both trying to pick up the Florida Defense/special teams in our fantasy college football league.  Bob got them, and they were losing to Ole Miss.

Tyson: "f***!   I can't believe MD beat them.  Congrats...I guess Bowden must be fired today.  3:26 PM

There were a few others in there, that basically berated Cosh.  Any who.  The second Half was a totally different story.  The defense made some changes, and were actually able to stop Clemson time after time.  We got some good (lucky) spots (Harper Keeper), this year.  It almost feels like they were trying to make up for past injustices.  However the biggest play, perhaps of the year took place.  End around reverse to Darius Heyward-Bey.  It goes for 75 yards (why does he always get tackled at the 5?  Can you tell I have him on my fantasy team?)   However, that is the play that got things rolling.  75 yard run for Hey-Bey and a TD to a WIDE OPEN Torey Smith gets it to a 17-14 game.  A few minutes later Team Bixler fantasy Star Da'rell Scott punches one in to give the Terps the lead.  All along, I was saying, there is no way this defense can hold on to this one. They did, with perhaps a little help on the spot as mentioned earlier. Then we were moving the ball once we got the ball back.  Scott on runs, short passes to Ronnie Tyler, whatever it took, we were getting it done.

I am still in shock as I write this.  There were so many things that went wrong early.  We dropped passes, had passes hit us in the chest, had passes hit us in the back (which we actually caught).  Sounds like a Dr. Seuss Poem:

 We did not catch the pass.  It hit us in the hands.  It his us in the chest.  It hit us in the backs.  We did not catch the pass.  One time we had a pass hit a blocker in the back, we turned it into a catch. 

Overall:  I almost hate to admit  this, but the defense made some changes at the half and we shut them out.  That has got to be the most amazing part to me.   Now this may have been the drinks I was having at the bar, but this is my take.  Clemson was pounding it down the throat of our beloved Terps early.  Then it seemed they were trying to pass.  It seemed like the running game would have put them way up, and chewed up clock, but to me, it seemed Bowden wanted to prove they could pass.

What does it all Mean: Well I almost hate to say this as well, but baring a major let down at UVA, we have a bye and a HUGE home game against Wake.  Of course as I write this Wake is down to Navy, but as far as I am concerned Clemson and Wake are our big competition for the division.  I guess you could throw FSU in there as well.  As Gary Williams would say "We have a good chance to win the ligue".  This also means I need to figure out how to get there for Wake!

Around the ACC:

Duke 31 UVA 3.  Talk about a sad state of affairs.  They have got to have the knockout mentality next weekend.  5 Second half turnovers by UVA propel the Dookies to their first ACC win in 25 GAMES!

UNC 28 Miami 24:  I was lucky enough to see this one on the tv next to the MD game.  I am sure you all saw the big hits the Canes used to set up the big punt return.  Any way UNC goes up late.  Miami starts driving, and gets down into the redzone.  On the last play of the game it appears as if though they are about to score a TD on a pass, but it was ripped out of the hands of the WR and intercepted in the end zone to preserve the win for UNC.

Boston College 42 Rhode Island 0:  Yawn.  In a day of great games, BC goes down a level to play URI.

FSU 39 Colorado 21:  FSU holds down the fort at Home VS Big 12 opponent Colorado.  FSU might be more of an enigma than the Terps.

South Florida 41  NCST 10:  State lays an egg against Big East opponent USF.  State gave up safeties on two consecutive series trying to punt.

Virginia Tech 35 Nebraska 30:  VT survives a late comeback attempt thanks to a personal foul call that gave Tyrod Taylor a chance to score what would turn out to be the game winning TD.

Random Thought: Is there really anything better than college football Saturday?

Random Thought Part Deux:  How come when these other schools do "color Outs" it looks awesome.  We can't seem to get it together.  I see a gold out in our future.  I think the School needs to give EVERYONE shirts to make it happen.