Only 40 days separate us from the much anticipated showdown between the Tigers and Dawgs on August 31st in Death Valley. But while we wait, today I want take a look back at some of the highlights of last season. The Tigers went 10-2 on the year and both of their losses came to top 25 competition in Florida State and South Carolina. The 2012 season provided Clemson fans with many reasons to celebrate and be proud and today I'm going to look back at some of those moments and rank the ones that stood out the most to me. Here we go!
5. High Scoring Frenzy- At times, this game had all the makings of a nightmare for Tigers fans. Late in the season the Wolf Pack of North Carolina State came calling and came into Memorial Stadium with a mission and they nearly accomplished their goal. In one of the most exciting (at least from an offensive standpoint) Clemson games I've seen in a while, the Tigers and Pack went punch for punch en route to a basketball-style score. However, the Tigers made a few more big plays and escaped with a 62-48 win. And although the Tigers gave up 597 yards of total offense, they posted a impressive 754 of their own en route to a critical division victory over their rivals from Raleigh.
4. A Sign of What Was To Come- Anyone who has been around the Clemson area knew of Hopkins well before he stepped foot on Clemson as a student-athlete and we all knew just how special of a player he was. However, his junior season put him among the best ever to play at Clemson. He showed us a glimpse of just how ready he was for the 2012 season from the start when he broke the single game reception record against Auburn in week 1. He hauled in 13 catches, none bigger than the fade pass from Boyd from 4 yards away that he secured in a over-the-shoulder catch that ultimately gave the Clemson Tigers victory over the Auburn Tigers for the second straight season. Hopkins would go on to make big-time play after big-time play all season long.
3. Army Strong-Clemson has a long and respected military history that dates back to the days from its establishment in 1889 through 1955. It was only fitting that we had our very own Army hero and Purple Heart recipient lead us down the hill on Military Appreciation Day-- a day Clemson fans and players look forward to every year. Daniel Rodriguez will be a sophomore for the 2013 season and has already given a great deal to this University and community, although you won't find his contributions popping off the page of the stat book. The WR is a class act and was featured on ESPN's College Gameday and is bound to only become more popular this season. Rodriguez was honored by the Orange Bowl with its FWAA Courage Award, won the USAA Athletic Inspiration Award and was a finalist for the ESPY's Jim Valvano Perseverance Award. I hope and pray we get to see #83 in the end zone at some point this season...what a moment that would be!
2. "The Kick"- This should be #1 on the list but without my top pick, this one not only doesn't make the list, but doesn't even exist at all. After rallying from being down 24-13 in the fourth quarter, Clemson made one last defensive stop and moved the ball down field and capped off an thrilling comeback victory with a textbook two minute drill. The Clemson offense put kicker Chandler Catanzaro aka "CatMan" into perfect position and with ice cold water running in his veins he booted it right down the middle and gave Clemson the stunning 25-24 victory over LSU.
1. 4th and 16- A play that instantly went down in Clemson football history. I saw it unfold live in the Georgia Dome and still to this day can't believe it actually happened. With the game on the line and the LSU faithful making their presence felt, Tajh Boyd remained poised in the pocket and delivered a perfectly thrown ball to none other than Deandre Hopkins to move the sticks and keep Clemson's dreams alive. After I saw Hopkins stand up with the ball in his hands, I knew there was no way the football gods were going to let us walk out of that stadium with a loss. It was just our night and meant to be. 4th and 16 will be talked about when I'm an old man and I will tell my kids and grandchildren about the day the Clemson offense beat all the odds on 4th and 16 and proved all the nay-sayers wrong.
4. A Sign of What Was To Come- Anyone who has been around the Clemson area knew of Hopkins well before he stepped foot on Clemson as a student-athlete and we all knew just how special of a player he was. However, his junior season put him among the best ever to play at Clemson. He showed us a glimpse of just how ready he was for the 2012 season from the start when he broke the single game reception record against Auburn in week 1. He hauled in 13 catches, none bigger than the fade pass from Boyd from 4 yards away that he secured in a over-the-shoulder catch that ultimately gave the Clemson Tigers victory over the Auburn Tigers for the second straight season. Hopkins would go on to make big-time play after big-time play all season long.
3. Army Strong-Clemson has a long and respected military history that dates back to the days from its establishment in 1889 through 1955. It was only fitting that we had our very own Army hero and Purple Heart recipient lead us down the hill on Military Appreciation Day-- a day Clemson fans and players look forward to every year. Daniel Rodriguez will be a sophomore for the 2013 season and has already given a great deal to this University and community, although you won't find his contributions popping off the page of the stat book. The WR is a class act and was featured on ESPN's College Gameday and is bound to only become more popular this season. Rodriguez was honored by the Orange Bowl with its FWAA Courage Award, won the USAA Athletic Inspiration Award and was a finalist for the ESPY's Jim Valvano Perseverance Award. I hope and pray we get to see #83 in the end zone at some point this season...what a moment that would be!
2. "The Kick"- This should be #1 on the list but without my top pick, this one not only doesn't make the list, but doesn't even exist at all. After rallying from being down 24-13 in the fourth quarter, Clemson made one last defensive stop and moved the ball down field and capped off an thrilling comeback victory with a textbook two minute drill. The Clemson offense put kicker Chandler Catanzaro aka "CatMan" into perfect position and with ice cold water running in his veins he booted it right down the middle and gave Clemson the stunning 25-24 victory over LSU.
1. 4th and 16- A play that instantly went down in Clemson football history. I saw it unfold live in the Georgia Dome and still to this day can't believe it actually happened. With the game on the line and the LSU faithful making their presence felt, Tajh Boyd remained poised in the pocket and delivered a perfectly thrown ball to none other than Deandre Hopkins to move the sticks and keep Clemson's dreams alive. After I saw Hopkins stand up with the ball in his hands, I knew there was no way the football gods were going to let us walk out of that stadium with a loss. It was just our night and meant to be. 4th and 16 will be talked about when I'm an old man and I will tell my kids and grandchildren about the day the Clemson offense beat all the odds on 4th and 16 and proved all the nay-sayers wrong.
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