End of season report: Clemson’s O-line

By Bob Wilson  |   Wednesday, February 07, 2007  |  Comments( 1 )

Clemson Tigers
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The success of Clemson mirrored this past the success of its offensive line. As the Tigers roared out of the gate to a top-10 start, the O-line paved the way. However, as opposing defenses were able to slow down the running game, the losses quickly mounted.

All in all, it was a good year for the big guys up front. The Tigers ran for 217.8 yards a game - good for fifth in the country. Clemson nearly had two backs gain 1,000 yards, too. Sophomore James Davis plowed ahead for 1,187 yards, and freshman C.J. Spiller slashed for another 938 yards on the ground. The duo also combined for 27 rushing touchdowns.

The line was expected to be a strength going into the season, and it didn't disappoint. All five starters from 2005 returned. The veteran group comprised of seniors Roman Fry, Dustin Fry, Nathan Bennett and Marion Dukes and junior Barry Richardson really left its stamp on Clemson football. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Roman Fry was lost for the season in the Georgia Tech game. Although Chris McDuffie stepped in and played well against the Yellow Jackets, the line wasn't the same.

Part of the problem was that opposing defensive coordinators finally figured out that Clemson couldn't consistently throw the ball, thus allowing defenses to stack the line and take away the run.

Brandon Pilgrim and Christian Capote, both juniors, played well when called upon and gained some valuable playing experience. The Tigers were fortunate in that by blowing out several opponents early in the year, they allowed the backup linemen to get meaningful snaps in several games.

The loss of both Frys, Bennett and Dukes will be hard to overcome in 2007. Fortunately for Clemson, Richardson decided to come back to school after considering an early defection to the NFL ranks. McDuffie, Pilgrim and Capote have all played in big games, so they shouldn't have too many problems stepping into the starting lineup.

Head coach Tommy Bowden has several big bodies he can rotate in and out of games next year, but it will be hard to replace the four seniors he had in '06.
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