Clemson shows it can learn from past mistakes

By Bob Wilson  |   Wednesday, September 20, 2006  |  Comments( 1 )

Clemson Tigers
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Coach Tommy Bowden and his Clemson Tigers found redemption Saturday night in Tallahassee. The coach proved to his detractors that he could learn from his mistakes and could make adjustments on the fly. The team showed it isn't going to lie down in the face of adversity.

Facing a must-win situation in the third game of the year is a hard task for any team to prepare for and is even tougher with four defensive starters injured. However, the Tigers demonstrated that they've still got some bite left and that they are going to be a factor in the Atlantic Coast Conference race in 2006 and beyond. As long as Tommy Bowden can continue to learn from his mistakes and make the right adjustments, his team should be fine.

Although the Tigers dominated both sides of the ball in the first half, two blocked kicks led to all 9 of FSU's first half points. Instead of being up 17-0, Tommy Bowden's troops were left clinging to a five point lead. Rather than continue to stubbornly have kicks blocked, the coach went for two after the second block. The coaches realized that the left side of the line had allowed the last three kick attempts to be blocked, and opted to go for the two-point conversion. In doing so, Clemson was able to secure some much-needed momentum going into the break.

Tommy Bowden has been criticized in the past for not making halftime adjustments, but that was not the case Saturday night. He had his Tigers go for two once more, and failed, but later admitted that he was ready to kick a field goal to win the game, if necessary.

Fortunately, a field goal was not needed. After not being able to run the ball effectively for the majority of the game, the Clemson coaching staff made some changes that ultimately won the game. With less than two minutes to play, the offense moved the ball almost to midfield and Tommy Bowden and offensive coordinator Rob Spence came up with a great call. Rather than get to the line, look over the defense and then get the play from the sidelines, the Tigers went with a quick snap and caught the FSU defense on its heels. James Davis was able to gash the Seminoles for a 49-yard run and put his team inside the five. The coaches were aware that the defenders were standing around and took advantage of it at a most opportune time.

With the ball inside the opponents five, Tommy Bowden put to bed all doubts as to whether he had learned his lesson from the first overtime of the Boston College game. The Tigers lined up in a power formation with Davis behind his fullback and rammed the ball into the end zone on three straight runs up the middle. There was no effort to out-think or trick the defense this night. Tommy simply let his offensive line go out and prove to everyone watching that it was the stronger, tougher line. He put the game and, in many respects, the season, on the line's collective broad shoulders and was rewarded with the first Clemson victory in Tallahassee since 1989.

Although the PAT was almost an afterthought to many of the viewers, those paying close attention noticed that different personnel were on the field. The coaching staff identified the players who were not getting the job done and replaced them.

While many people have suggested that Tommy Bowden does not take responsibility for his mistakes it is apparent that he has learned from the errors made against Boston College. His change in philosophy at the end of the game allowed his team to avoid another gut-wrenching loss and should provide a jumping off point to a fast start to the season. Now, if the coaching staff can find a permanent fix for its special teams woes, the Tigers can once again dream of a conference championship.

Get more original Clemson Tigers coverage at RealFootball365.com
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