Clemson must commit to the running game

By Lee Roberts  |   Friday, February 27, 2009  |  Comments( 2 )

 Clemson Tigers
Clemson's 2008 football season could be described as turbulent, but that might be an understatement. Going from preseason national championship contender to firing your head coach to playing in a New Year’s Day bowl runs the gamut of success and failure as much as any team in the nation last season. Without the rumors of a coaching change,...
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CommentsComments: 2
 No.1
RazzMaTazz		 06:16 PM
02/27/2009
It's too simplistic to look at the numbers for each game or each half and talk about whether Clemson should have have committed to the run or the pass all season. For example, Clemson ran all over UMD in the first half, but then in the second half, UMD adjusted by loading 8 defenders in the box, to stop the run. As I recall, Clemson's ex-OC, Rob Spence, should have countered by passing (especially play-action passing) all over UMD's understaffed secondary, but instead Spence continued to try to run the ball without success throughout the second half. Spence also stubbornly tried run against Wake when they loaded the box. I don't want Clemson to commit to the run or the pass. I want the OC (now Billy Napier) to develop a balanced attack and exploit the opposing defenses' weaknesses (both tactically and strategically). Teams like Texas Tech that rely largely on a passing attack or Georgia Tech which relies largely on a running attack can be quite good. But the great teams, like Florida and Oklahoma expose your weaknesses and beat you with a balanced attack.

Anyway, last year proved the importance of the O-line. It doesn't matter how good your backs and receivers are if the big guys can't run block or pass-protect. I expect a noticeable upgrade in the O-line performance next season with 6 starters returning (and full season of the 3-point stance, rather than Spence's 2-point stance).
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