Three players for Clemson to look forward to

By Robert Rousseau  |   Monday, January 05, 2009  |  Comments( 5 )

Clemson Tigers
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It’s sometimes hard for college football fans to stay optimistic if their team closes a season poorly. That happened to the Clemson Tigers, who allow a blocked punt and blocked field goal in their loss to Nebraska, 26-21, in Jan. 1's Gator Bowl.

It was the kind of thing that gives a coach like Dabo Swinney nightmares.

Still, the bottom line is that the Tigers appeared more athletic than their adversaries from the outset. By itself, that means bad things, because they lost the game. Because Clemson fans have all offseason to brew on this, though, let’s look at some of the positives that the Tigers’ faithful can look forward to next season via three returning players (leaving C.J. Spiller out in case he leaves).

First, there’s freshman defensive end Da'Quan Bowers, who was simply excellent against Nebraska. He flew through the line early and made a tackle in the backfield, which was just a glimpse of things to come. In the end, Bowers was named the Tigers' bowl game MVP after tallying 4.5 tackles, including three for a loss. As fans know, he’s a ridiculously athletic player who was impressive all year and should only get better come next season.

"I feel like I have learned a lot from the first game until now,” Bowers said. “I know I have a ways to go before I'm performing at the level I know I can. This off-season will be different, because I feel like I know what to expect. Our team is going to work hard to be better next season. That will start next week."

Then there’s Jacoby Ford, who managed five electrifying catches for 112 yards and a touchdown against the Cornhuskers. Simply put, Ford goes from zero to 100 quite quickly and should bring some needed experience and big-play capability to next year’s lineup.

Finally, there’s center Thomas Austin, who was named to the all-ACC second team this season. Austin is a solid and smart player who will come back as a senior better than before.

Of course, there are certainly more athletic and highly capable players whom Clemson will have to look forward to in 2009. The question with this club over the past few seasons has been: Will those players perform consistently well together? Will they put in the effort needed?

It's Swinney’s job to make happen.
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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or ...
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