Clemson’s late-season slide continues

By Bob Wilson  |   Monday, November 27, 2006  |  Comments( 8 )

Clemson Tigers
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Clemson Tiger fans have to be wondering what happened Saturday in Death Valley. Their team was going for its ninth win in 10 tries against South Carolina. However, the late-season slump continued as the Gamecocks handed it to Tommy Bowden's Tigers. A team that once was 7-1 and ranked in the top 10 is now unranked at 8-4.

The Tigers lost a golden opportunity this year. The ACC is down. Wake Forest and Georgia Tech, two teams Clemson defeated, will play for the conference championship. Next year the league will be a lot tougher and Tommy Bowden will be breaking in a new quarterback and new offensive line.

What now? This was supposed to be Bowden's most talented team yet. This was supposed to be a special year. Instead, it was another mediocre result. Clemson suffered an inordinate amount of injuries to quality starters, but all teams have to deal with injuries. Is this as good as it gets with Tommy Bowden? Possibly.

While some of the Clemson faithful will complain about the spot on the fourth-down gamble by South Carolina where the Tigers appeared to have clearly stopped the runner in the backfield, the reality is that the Tigers were once again outcoached during Saturday's upset.

A recurring theme this season has been the coaching staff's inability to make in-game adjustments. The Gamecocks moved the ball at will in the first half. The offensive line pushed the pass rushers out wide, allowing their quarterback to step up into the pocket and find open receivers. With the defense worried about the passing game, the running lanes were wide open. Clemson's defense never adjusted and the result was a season-high (by more than 100 yards) 492 yards given up.

The South Carolina coaches made some poor decisions, too, however. The Gamecocks' failed fourth down at their own 39-yard line should have lost the game for them. Fortunately for the Gamecocks, the home team wasn't done making poor decisions.

On the final drive, senior Reggie Merriweather reeled off three runs for 23 yards. He was running the ball like a man who knew his last game was slipping away. His intensity and power running was giving the offense a lift, but with the crowd chanting "Reggie! Reggie!" he was pulled for C.J. Spiller.

The freshman got knocked out of the game and rather than put Merriweather back in, the coaches went with James Davis, who has been ineffective for weeks. With the senior watching from the sideline, the offense ground to a halt.

The final insult came with the offense facing a third down just outside the 10-yard line. South Carolina showed blitz, but neither Will Proctor nor Bowden called timeout to get out of a bad play call. The Tigers had all three timeouts remaining. Proctor was sacked and then Jad Dean missed the potential game-tying field goal. The Clemson staff seemed to be coaching the final minutes as if it was afraid to lose the game, not ready to win it.

Once again, Bowden lost to an opponent he was supposed to beat. The big question for next season and beyond is, Can he put together a team that plays well all season long? So far, the answer has been a resounding no.
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