The Road to Charlotte

Last season Dabo Swinney and the Tigers were able to get the 20 year old monkey off its back and finally capture an ACC Championship. Not many saw it coming heading into the season, but Clemson quickly proved that with their new high speed offense, led by new offensive coordinator Chad Morris, was a force to be reckoned with not only in conference play, but on the national stage as well. Now everyone knows how dangerous the offense can be and with Brent Venables taking over the reins of the defense, the Tigers should again be in the hunt for a conference title this season. However, the road to Charlotte will be significantly more difficult this time. I've composed a short, but detailed list of keys Clemson needs to successfully defend their ACC title. Here they are:

1. Line Play

One of the biggest question marks heading into this season is the play of both the offensive and defensive line. With some rebuilding on both sides, it is unclear what exactly to expect. Everyone who knows football knows that being successful starts up front. Games are won in the trenches. Clemson has one of the most talented offenses in the nation but if the offensive line doesn't gel together and pretty quickly, I may add, (with early season test against Auburn and Florida State,) they could be in trouble. The play of the offensive line could be the difference in returning to Charlotte for the ACC Championship or for the Meineke Car Care Bowl. (remember Clemson playing there against USF in 2011....yeah. How quickly things have changed!) It will be crucial for Tajh Boyd's success. At times it seemed he was on his way to be a surprise contender for the Heisman. But later in the season he got rattled and looked out of sync completely at Georgia Tech, North Carolina State, First half at Maryland AND against arch-rival South Carolina. Notice that all of these games were played on the road. I have a hunch that this may not be a coincidence. If Boyd has time in the pocket to throw the ball down field, Clemson will become nearly unstoppable. If the passing game opens up, it will help set up the run and we could see some lovely play action business with the long ball to Hopkins, Watkins, Bryant, Brown, etc. A solid offensive line will make Clemson a complete nightmare for defenses. Conversely, one that struggles and forces Clemson to throw the ball will hurt greatly and make us one dimensional and more predictable. This is not what we want with all the weapons hanging in our arsenal. On the defensive side, we are left with questions but have cautious optimism. After last season, the defense as a whole almost HAS to improve. We were atrocious at times last year and I'm positive 70-33 is still fresh on their minds and frankly, it should be. If I'm Dabo and Brent Venables, I have that score blown up and put on the locker room wall as a reminder. I'm tired of hearing it as a fan, but this can be used as motivation. We were embarrassed on the national stage and need redemption. We have to get that taste our of our mouths. And as Roy Philpott said on his show a few days ago, an improved defense could be a heavy factor. We gave up way too many points last season and cutting 7-10 points off that average, which is possible, would put us in great position for another 10 win season. Our offense, when its clicking, isn't going to be outplayed by many teams on its schedule, if any. So improvement on defense and consistency on offense is the winning combo. 

2. Tajh Boyd

I already touched on this to a degree in #1 but I think that Boyd is more important to Clemson than Sammy Watkins. We have the play makers, but without Boyd to get them the ball, who is going to do it? Cole Stoudt is a good QB but this offense works better with Boyd under center and Morris created it that way to fit Tajh's style of play. Freshmen Chad Kelly may be an even better fit for the offense but he is young and according to Morris, is not ready for the pace and speed of play and needs to learn the system more before he can take that next step. Boyd smashed records all year long last season and at times he seemed like the best QB in the nation but he also struggled down the stretch. He needs to gain more confidence which I believe will come, IF the offensive line comes together. Decision making also needs to progress as many of Boyd's turnovers were just flat out bad throws and decisions. With another year in the system I expect him to play smarter and better. He must know when to take the sack and move on to the next play and not force things. But also have the knowledge to know when its appropriate to take the risk and go for the home run play in a sticky situation. We know the guy is tough and can take a beating but I think we would all agree seeing a clam and composed Boyd in the pocket is much more appealing that one who has to make things happen with his feet and roll out of the pocket frequently to make plays. 

3. Protect the Valley 

Clemson went undefeated at home last season for the first time since 1991....the last time it had won the ACC before last season. With tricky road games against Florida State, Wake Forest (on a Thursday night following Virginia Tech at home five days prior) and Boston College (all of which are not only conference games, but games within the divison) it will be of the utmost importance to handle their business when they are at home. Anytime you lose a game within your division, it's essentially two losses because you now lose the potential tie breaker. However, the ACC is improving (see Virginia 2011) and this year should be even better as a whole (NC State, Wake Forest, possibly Miami on the rise) but at the same time it means more upsets. That being said, its possible for Clemson to lose to FSU ( as the "experts" are predicting but still win the Atlantic Division. Clemson has Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Maryland and NC State at home this year. All of those should be good match-ups and games the Tigers will need to come out of victorious if they want to return to Charlotte early in December and not late in December (Car Care Bowl)