Clemson’s Clay looks to make most of Billie’s bad break

By Bob Wilson  |   Wednesday, August 30, 2006  |  Comments( 1 )

Clemson Tigers
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Antonio Clay will take the field with the Clemson Tigers' first-team defense as the strongside linebacker this Saturday. The sophomore was slated as a first-stringer this spring, but lost the job to the former starter, Tramaine Billie. Billie, a senior, had started 18 straight games coming into this season, but had been demoted because he was constantly looking to make the big play rather than playing within the defensive scheme. Although he was the team's third leading tackler last year, with 93 stops, the senior's desire to make individual highlights often put him out of position and hurt the team.

Billie had climbed out of coach Bowden's doghouse with an impressive summer camp and was being counted on to be a valuable member of the Tiger defense until he broke his ankle late in the summer. He will be out at least eight weeks and may even redshirt. The starting spot is now Clay's by default.

Clay was highly recruited, turning down Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami (FL), Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oklahoma before deciding on Clemson. The true sophomore has ideal size (6-foot, 220 pounds) and is a tremendous athlete. However, he needs to improve his understanding of the position and his intensity on the practice field. While he has the physical skills to excel, his efforts in practice haven't been consistent enough for the coaching staff. Junior Maurice Nelson has been moved to the strong side to push the new starter and provide some experienced depth.

The Georgia native did play well last year, when he was given a chance. Although Clay only totaled 27 tackles on the year, he made the most of his one start against lowly Temple. Clay led the defense with nine stops against the Owls, including two tackles for loss and a sack. Although he is green, he will have the benefit of playing beside Senior All-American candidate Anthony Waters. The other starting linebacker, Nick Watkins, is also an experienced linebacker who can provide support. Playing beside two savvy veterans should hasten the learning curve for the talented sophomore.

Playing well against Florida Atlantic is important for Clay. He needs to prove to his coaches and teammates, as well as to himself, that he can handle the starting position. Clemson's title hopes could come down to the second and third games on the schedule. The Tigers can't falter in Boston or Tallahassee if they hope to play in the ACC Championship game.

The new starting linebacker will be faced with the strength of Boston College and the speed of Florida State in back-to-back road games. With a new quarterback making his first road starts in hostile environments and with fan expectations higher than they've been in years, the defense can ill-afford any big mistakes from the inexperienced linebacker.

When Clay chose Clemson over the many big-name programs that were pushing for his services, he did so with the expectation that he would play early and well. Now Clay has his opportunity to show Tiger fans just how great he can really be.
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