Clemson: A Study in Buffoonery

A couple of items to note about Clemson University before we get into last nights evidence of buffoonery:

1. Clemson is an SEC program that's been forever stuck in the ACC.
2. Problem for Clemson is it is about as good as South Carolina is in the SEC.
3. Clemson dominated the ACC right up until the time Florida State joined the league in 1992 and brought with it higher level quality SEC-like play (and has not won a league title since).
4. Clemson's SEC-like credentials can be traced to the Danny Ford era, which brought with it an actual national championship, via a squad produced by recruiting violations that would make even the shadiest SEC program blush.
5. That lone national title in 1981 makes every Clemson booster forget that Clemson hasn't, ever since the sanctions that resulted from the aforementioned recruiting violations, ever been a national title contender again - not even close.
6. Because Clemson boosters think they are title contenders, they've assumed the best and brightest coaches would joyfully leap at the opportunity to coach the Tigers.
7. This assumption has led to multiple coaching blunders, the most significant of which was hiring and keeping, for nearly a decade, Tommy Bowden, hired simply because the Tiger faithful assumed the name "Bowden" alone generated ACC titles. Tommy's tenure was marked by increasingly underachieving and soft teams.
8. Once the administration accepted the fact Bowden's baby was NOT the answer, they fired him mid-season and bumbled and stumbled through a search that included the desperation move for the hottest coaching prospect going, Lane Kiffin. They failed.
9. So what do they do - put one of Bowden's assistants in the head coaching spot and hope the quality improves.

This leads us to last nights game against Georgia Tech....

If you watched this game, the first quarter demonstrated, in one neat little package, everything that is wrong with Clemson. At the end of it, they were down 21-0 and looking like they hadn't the first clue about football. Granted, they fought back and even took the lead in the 4th. But once Georgia Tech stopped playing around and decided to simply run the ball, they took the lead and eeked out a win. Now back to two plays that demonstrate how bad Clemson has become.

Clemson, down 7-0 courtesy of an 82 yard run by Anthony Allen, finds itself on the Yellow Jackets 38 yard line, staring at a fourth down. The call? A fake field goal to pooch punt that was promptly returned 85 yards for a touchdown. A couple of things:

1. Why are you making this call Dabo? You are on your 38 yard line. Can't you simply poochj kick without mucking it all up with a fake field goal? What would GT do if they knew you were going to punt? I'll tell you what - since you were on the 38, the GT coaches likely would have told their receiver to let the ball go. But since they had a man back for the field goal attempt, that wasn't the case. What is the logic in this? How about just punting? At worst they get the ball at the 20 if your kid can't drop the lob shot in there. Heck, even if you simply try the field goal, at worst, GT gets the ball at the 45. No, you call for the fake.
2. Further enhancing Dabo's buffoon image, he's was seen getting in the grill of his kicker right after the play? Why - YOU made the call coach? He was simply doing what you told him to do? What could you possibly have been upset about? That he didn't kick it out of bounds? If that's what you wanted, then JUST PUNT AND KICK IT OUT OF BOUNDS! Did you not want him to kick it to the GT return man? He didn't. The GT return man was working with a short field and simply ran to the ball. What exactly was the kicker supposed to do with a direct snap.
3. Furthermore, why didn't you, Coach Dabo, get in the grill of number 68, who blew his coverage by not staying in his lane. He overpursued and thusly, GT's return man blasted through THREE Clemson players on his way to TD glory. Why didn't you get in his face because if HE keeps his lane, there is no TD. Well...
4. Even if he had, as evidence by the three Tigers that did touch the return man, arm tackles wouldn't get it done anyway. I see that Clemson, perhaps in a vengeful act upon the Volunteers, nabbed the Tennessee's defensive line coach after Kiffin-gate. Yes, Tennessee's line coach - one of the guys that designed a defense that was, for the most part, abused like Ned Beatty in Deliverance over the last couple of years.

Now, let's move a little later in the quarter. GT has the ball AGAIN (thanks to Clemson's offensive plan which could easily be defined as "Let's sling the ball all over like Chris Rix era Florida State). GT is facing fourth down after a long delay - one of the many excruciatingly long reviews by the ACC officiating crew. Seems that Clemson's interception of a 3rd down endzone pass was not actually an interception. After the 5 minute review, during which Clemson apparently talked about the upcoming season of "Dances With The Stars", Georgia Tech brought in the offensive unit to try to conve....NO WAIT - they are going field goal! They JUST CHANGED THEIR MINDS!!! Gee whiz, they only had five minutes to decide - I wonder what made them change their min...NO WAIT - IT'S AN INCREDIBLY EASY AND EMBARRASSING FAKE! TOUCHDOWN YELLOW JACKETS!!!

How did that work? Because Debo is a moron. PS - THAT's a fake field goal attempt that makes sense. To wit...

Onto the trainwreck that is the ACC season...