Talent abounds but can Tigers maintain title focus?
Clemson is the early favorite to win the ACC title, a target it'll have to wear until it loses its first game, if it loses its first game. While there are a few issues, the defense should be a killer, the skill players are the best in the ACC, and the time will never be better to finally turn the corner and become a premier power again. And that's where the pressure kicks in.
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This shapes up as a pivotal year for Bowden, who hasn't quite been able to nudge the program over the hump, failing to win 10 games or qualify for a major bowl game in his nine years at the helm. Close to being fired several times, he managed to save his job with late-year rallies, but now it's win it all or bust. If he can't get to the BCS this year, when is going to happen?
This is Bowden's most talented team to date, adding an extra layer of pressure for a coach who's no stranger to must-win situations. While there are certainly question marks at linebacker and problems on the offensive line, it's not like Clemson is playing in the SEC. Every ACC team has issues, and no one has the upside the Tigers do.
The big question will be whether or not the team can keep up the intensity for a full season. A world-beater when the lights are on, Bowden's teams have had problems with the out-of-the-blue lull. The offense blew up against NC State, and a week later managed three points against Georgia Tech. Two years ago the team was red hot with a 7-1 start only to lose four of the last five. Every year there's one puzzling performance to throw things off, and that has to be avoided to finally win an ACC title for the first time in 17 years.
The Tigers open the season against Alabama in the Georgia Dome, so the tone for the season will be set right away. Everyone will know right away whether Clemson is a championship contender or again a pretender. Exorcising a few late-season demons will be a must to survive a November schedule that includes trips to Atlantic Division rivals Boston College and Florida State, but the team is good enough to navigate its way through. At least those are the expectations. One way or another, it's not going to be just another year.
What to watch for on offense: The development of the offensive line. More than any other unit, the line will hold the key to the team's season. Four players with starting experience are gone, including all-stars Chris McDuffie and Barry Richardson. In their place, the program has a bunch of talented blockers, but not many with extensive game experience and it all showed this spring with an awful all-around performance. By 2009, this group will be hailed as one of the best in the ACC, but now it's a source of much anxiety for an offense loaded everywhere else.
What to watch for on defense: Bowers power. Okay, so it's unfair to start cranking up the hype machine for a true freshman, but 6-5, 265-pound DE Da'Quan Bowers actually warrants all of the attention. A next-level talent, he already has an NFL body and a monster spring camp in the books. At times, he was unblockable in April, finishing with seven tackles, four tackles for loss, and three sacks in the spring game. If he keeps working, he'll be a force up front as early as this fall.
This team will be far better if ... the rebuilt offensive line gels in time for the opener. There are new faces at guard and tackle from a unit that underachieved a year ago. If the fuses are going to be lit on all of that explosive talent in the backfield and at wide receiver, it's a must for the linemen to hold their blocks a little longer and give QB Cullen Harper more time to throw than he had in 2007.
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The Schedule: It's Clemson, so there's always going to be a brain cramp or two along the way, but if Bowden's club can pull off a season-opening neutral site win over Alabama, there's no real reason for a team this loaded to not be 7-0 — even though a trip to Wake Forest could be a bear trap — before Nov. 1. Then things get interesting with three road trips in four weeks facing Boston College, Florida State and Virginia before the yearly showdown against South Carolina. Even if everything goes right for the Tigers, it's too tough a schedule to get through unbeaten, but it's not nasty enough to prevent an Atlantic Division title.
Best Offensive Player: Senior RB James Davis. Feel free to insert QB Cullen Harper, RB C.J. Spiller or WR Aaron Kelly, who are all near the top of their positions on a national level. A true workhorse, Davis is a downhill runner, who hits the hole in a flash and is always pumping his legs for extra yardage. The school's top ground-gainer the last three years, he's on target to leave Clemson as the school's all-time leading rusher and scorer.
Best Defensive Player: Senior NG Dorell Scott. While his stats will never measure up with the other high-profile Tiger defenders, Scott means as much to the defense as any other player. A 6-4, 320-pound boulder in the center of the line, he occupies multiple blockers and is quick enough to shoot the gap and make plays behind the line. Entering his third season as a starter, he's poised to become one of the best run-stuffing tackles in the country.
Key player to a successful season: Sophomore OT Chris Hairston. The Tigers are pining for an anchor to build the line around, a role Hairston has shown signs he's capable of handling. Blessed with great size and the athletic ability of a future left tackle, he kept Auburn's rush ends in check in last December's Chick-fil-A Bowl. If he's as talented as the coaches believe, he and center Thomas Austin will be a solid foundation for a line in transition.
The season will be a success if ... Clemson wins the ACC crown. The Tigers enter the 2008 season with as much talent as any team in the league, so anything less than a BCS bowl game will be labeled a lost opportunity for Bowden and the program. Navigating trips to Wake Forest, Boston College, and Florida State, three tough Atlantic Division opponents, will be challenging, but the Tigers have the stars on both sides of the ball to survive that gauntlet.
OFFENSE
The All-ACC trio of QB Cullen Harper, RB James Davis, and WR Aaron Kelly resisted the temptation of testing NFL waters, giving Clemson the key parts of one of the league's top offenses. Add in Davis' dynamic running mate, C.J. Spiller, and the Tigers have the ingredients to be balanced and downright combustible. The key to the success, however, lies with an offensive line that'll be breaking in three new starters, including both tackles. Chris Hairston and Cory Lambert are being counted on to win the tackle jobs on a front wall that could dictate whether or not the Tigers reach their goals this season.
Quarterbacks: In his first year as the starter, 6-4, 220-pound senior Cullen Harper went from a complete unknown to the first Clemson quarterback in almost a quarter-century to lead the ACC in passing efficiency. In under a year, Clemson has turned a blinking question mark into an ideal situation. In Harper, the Tigers now have a steady veteran with a future in the pros. In star-in-waiting Willie Korn, last year's top recruit, they've got a brilliant young talent who can use the next five months as a stepping stone before taking over the job in 2009.
Running Backs: Folks in places such as Los Angeles, College Station and Miami may believe otherwise, but no one in the country has a better backfield tandem than Clemson. The front man is senior James Davis, who returned to school after strongly considering early entry into the NFL Draft. In three productive seasons, the All-ACC first teamer has rushed for 3,130 yards and 36 touchdowns. Davis' partner in the backfield will again be junior C.J. Spiller, the home run hitter of the ground game and the Tigers' leader in all-purpose yards. At 5-11 and 190 pounds, he has a lethal combination of blazing speed and shake-and-bake moves. The only possible shortcoming is that Spiller will join Davis and be off to the NFL after this year, which can sometimes mess with the focus of young athletes in November and December. It's a reach, but there isn't much these guys do poorly.
Receivers: Of the 15 players who caught a pass last season, 14 are back on campus forming one of the deepest corps in the country. The headliner is 6-5, 190-pound senior Aaron Kelly, another Tiger who seriously considered going pro before deciding to return to school. In his first season as the go-to receiver, he responded with 88 catches for 1,081 yards and 11 touchdowns, earning First Team All-ACC honors and pulling within 52 receptions of the league's all-time mark. More than just talented, the Clemson receivers also complement each other very well. Kelly and Xavier Dye are the skyscrapers, Jacoby Ford is the gamebreaker, and Tyler Grisham is the possession guy and the most polished receiver of the group. It's a minor detail, but after Dye, the receivers become pedestrian in a hurry. Although the redshirt and incoming freshmen have high ceilings, it's unreasonable to expect too much from them at this early stage.
Offensive Line: If the offense stumbles at all, it'll probably have something to do with the play of the line. Three starters need to be replaced, including All-ACC first teamers Barry Richardson and Chris McDuffie. While change and uncertainty are the themes of this year's line, C Thomas Austin brings a much-needed element of stability. He played well after moving from guard, and should be even better in his second season making the snaps. There are plenty of talented linemen on the roster, but precious few with extensive résumés. For this unit to gel and even excel, it'll need multiple blockers to overcome a shortage of game experience ... preferably before the opener versus Alabama.
DEFENSE
While there are openings and uncertainty at linebacker, the rest of the defense is in good shape with size and speed up front and depth and experience in the secondary. CAT safety Michael Hamlin heads a backfield that boasts four returning starters and a slew of letterwinners. Even without DE Phillip Merling, the Tigers have recruited well enough in recent years to dominate in the trenches and create outside pressure. Mega-recruit DaQuan Bowers has an ACC body and 15 spring practices behind him. One of the most heralded recruits to ever sign with Clemson, he'll join Ricky Sapp to give the defense a scary and speedy pass-rushing tandem.
Defensive Line: The line boasts an ideal blend of outside explosiveness and inside power, giving the program one of the best front fours in the ACC. Although a tackle or two needs to step up and provide support in the rotation, the Tigers have little to worry about with this group. With Ricky Sapp and DaQuan Bowers on the outside and Dorell Scott and Rashaad Jackson on the inside, the Tigers have four linemen who might someday play in the pros. Minimum. There's also a host of top-tier youngsters buried on the three-deep who'll help bolster depth.
Linebackers: When opposing offenses draw up a plan of attack, this is the group they'll look to expose. The linebackers will make lots of plays, but not the game-changers Tiger fans have grown accustomed to over the years. By design they're small, fast, and capable of covering a lot of ground in a hurry. They're not maulers, but they're the type of athletes who can be used on the blitz or as pass defenders. Brandon Maye has the potential to be the breakout star as the new man in the middle.
Secondary: With all four starters returning to the nation's 13th-ranked pass defense, good luck throwing on the Tigers this season. The corners, juniors Chris Chancellor and Crezdon Butler, are solid, but it's the safety tandem of Michael Hamlin and Chris Clemons that stands out. Hamlin is an All-America candidate, a 6-3, 205-pound enforcer who hits like a linebacker and has been top three in stops the last two years, racking up 94 tackles, two tackles for loss, and two interceptions as a junior.
Special Teams: Most of the pieces are in place for Clemson to have one of the best special teams units in the ACC. The fly in the ointment, however, could be senior PK Mark Buchholz, an ace in close who has hit just 6-of-17 career field goal attempts from beyond 40 yards. Senior P Jimmy Maners returns after earning All-ACC recognition. In his first season handling the job he averaged 42.8 yards per kick. The healthy return of Jacoby Ford, who missed part of last year with a broken ankle, along with C.J. Spiller gives Clemson two of the most exciting and explosive return specialists in the country.
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