Tigers In The NFL - Week 11

Offense

Charlie Whitehurst did not play in the Seahawk's 42-24 loss to the Cheifs.

	CMP	ATT	CMT%	YRDS	LNG	TD	INT
KC	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Season	16	29	55.2	166	36	1	3

James Davis made his debut for the Redskins in their 17-13 loss to the Vikings.  Davis had 6 carries for 11 yards and 1 catch for 4 yards in the game.

	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
MIN	6	11	1.8	0	1	4	N/A	0
Season	10	20	2.0	0	1	4	N/A	0

C.J. Spiller missed Buffalo's 19-16 OT loss against Pittsburgh with a hamstring injury. Spiller is doubtful for this weeks at the Vikings.

	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
PITT	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Season	41	164	4.0	0	18	81	4.5	1

Jacoby Ford had another big day in the Raider's 33-17 loss to the Dolphins.  Ford started off the game by returning the opening kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown and later added a 44 yard touchdown reception.  Ford caught 4 passes for 108 yards and 1 touchdown to go along with 1 rush for 13 yards in the game.

	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
MIA	4	108	27.0	52	1
Season	16	320	20.0	52	0

Chansi Stuckey caught 1 pass for 24 yards in Cleveland's 24-23 win over Carolina.

	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
CAR	1	24	26.0	24	0
Season	32	296	9.3	25	0

Michael Palmer didn't record any stats in the Falcon's 20-17 win over the Packers.  Palmer is back to third string after Justin Peelle returned from injury.

	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
GB	0	0	0	0	0
Season	5	29	5.8	11	1

Barry Richardson started at OT in the Kansas City Chiefs 42-24 win against the Seattle Seahawks. Richardson has started the Chiefs first 11 games on the season at tackle.

	GP	GS
SEA	1	1
Season	10	10

Defense

Kevin Alexander didn't record any stats in the Bronco's 36-33 loss to the Rams.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
STL	1	1	0	0	0	0
Season	3	3	0	0	0	0

Nick Eason recorded two solo tackleand three assists in the Steeler's 19-16 OT win against the Bills. Eason has 1.5 sacks on the season from his DT position. Eason is used primarily as a pass rushing specialist by the Steelers.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
@BUF	5	2	0	0	0	0
Season	14	6	1.5	0	0	0

Trevor Pryce has two solo tackles and his first sack of the season in the Jet's 26-10  victory over the Bengals.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
CIN	2	2	1	0	0	0
Season	4	3	1	0	0	0

Dorrell Scott had one solo tackle in the Ram's 36-33 win against the Broncos.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
STL	1	1	0	0	0	0
Season	7	4	0	0	0	0

Kavell Conner was in the starting line-up in the Colt's 36-14 loss to the Chargers. Conner had a career high 10 tackles including 7 solo tackles and 3 assists in the game.  Conner is seeing more playing time with Clint Session and Gary Brackett out with injuries.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
SD	10	7	0	0	0	0
Season	26	18	0	0	1	0

Anthony Waters had one solo tackle in the Saint's 30-27 win over the Cowboys.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
@DAL	1	1	0	0	0	0
Season	8	7	0	0	0	0

Crezdon Butler didn't record any stats in the Steelers' 19-16 OT win over the Bills. Butler is on the roster, but has been inactive for every game this season.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
@BUF	0	0	0	0	0	0
Season	0	0	0	0	0	0

Chris Clemons returned for a hamstring injury this week recording four solo tackles in a 33-17 win against the Raiders. Clemons miss one game due to the hamstring injury. Clemons also recorded his first career interception in the win.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
@OAK	4	4	0	1	0	0
Season	45	38	.5	1	2	0

Brain Dawkins recorded five solo tackles and one assist in the Bronco's 36-33 loss to the Rams.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
STL	6	5	0	0	1	0
Season	50	40	1.0	1	1	0

Notes:

-Leroy Hill, Phillip Merling, Ricky Sapp are injuried.
-Tyler Grisham (PITT) and Mike Hamlin (JAC) are on teams 8 man practive squad.

Quacking Like Ducks

Clemson vs. South Carolina - Sports Report Card

Clemson is currently 1-6 head-to-head in sports this academic year against South Carolina after an embarrasing 29-7 home loss to South Carolina on the football field.  The lone bright spot is a win by the women's volleyball team.  This poor performance against South Carolina comes on the heels of USC eliminating Clemson from the College World Series in June.  Clemson Basketball faces South Carolina on December 5th.

Sport	W/L	2010 Score	Streak
Football	Loss	7-29	Lost 2
Men's Soccer	Loss	0-2	Lost 4
Women's Soccer	Loss	0-2	Lost 3
Volleyball	Win	3-0	Won 1
Women's Basketball	Loss	59-73	Lost 1
Men's Swimming	Loss	13--163	Lost 1
Women's Swimming	Loss	125.5-169.5	Lost 1

Clemson University Board Of Trustees - Contact Information

If you are frustrated with the performance of the athletic program please make your voice heard by contacting the Clemson University Board of Trustees. If you want to resonate with the BOT please be respectful and have a well thought out letter that addresses the many problems with-in the AD.  There are a lot of rumors swirling around right now that TDP is on is way out, so continue to apply the pressure.  If you want to send an email all of the email address are together in copy and paste form on the bottom of this post.

Clemson University Board of Trustees

David H. Wilkins
Chairman of CU Board
Partner
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
Poinsett Plaza, Suite 900
104 South Main Street
Greenville, SC 29601
864-250-2231
david.wilkins@nelsonmullins.com

William C. Smith Jr.
Vice Chair of CU Board
CEO
Red Rock Developments
P.O. Box 11747
Columbia, SC 29211
803-779-3025
billsmith@redrockdevelopments.com

Bill L. Amick
CEO
The Amick Company
P.O. Box 2647
Batesburg-Leesville, SC 29070-2647
803-332-4001
tbrown@theamickcompany.com
BLA3535@aol.com

J.J. Britton
Sumter OB-GYN, P.A.
P.O. Box 1469
Sumter, SC 29151
803-775-8351 ext. 240
jjbritton36@gmail.com

Leon J. (Bill) Hendrix Jr.
340 Surfsong Road
Kiawah Island, SC 29455
843-243-8243
bill_hendrix@bellsouth.net

Ronald D. (Ronnie) Lee
Ronald D. Lee, DMD, P.C.
1316 Pine Log Rd.
Aiken, SC 29803
803-642-8678
drleesoffice@bellsouth.net
drlee1316@bellsouth.net

Louis B. Lynn
President
ENVIRO AgScience, Inc.
P.O. Box 23285
Columbia, SC 29224
803-714-7290
hortcola@aol.com

Patricia H. McAbee
101 Covey Hill Court
Greenville, SC 29615
864-271-1381
pmcabee@bellsouth.net

John N. (Nicky) McCarter Jr.
President, Defender Services, Inc.
P.O.Box 1775
Columbia, SC 29202
803-776-4220
nickym@defenderservices.com

E. Smyth McKissick III
CEO
Alice Manufacturing Company, Inc.
P. O. Box 369
Easley, SC 29641
864-859-6323
asmith@alicemsgco.com
esmckiss@aol.com

Thomas B. McTeer Jr.
President
McTeer Real Estate, Inc.
P.O. Box 11923
Columbia, SC 29211
803-254-6260
tbmcteerjr@aol.com

Robert L. Peeler
Manager, Community &
Municipal Relations
Waste Management Inc.
125 Scarlet Oak Way
Lexington, SC 29072
803-744-3361
bpeeler@wm.com

Joseph D. Swann
President
Retired
Rockwell Automation Power Systems
22 Craigwood Court
Greenville, SC 29607
864-277-1071
joedswann@bellsouth.net


david.wilkins@nelsonmullins.com
billsmith@redrockdevelopments.com
tbrown@theamickcompany.com
BLA3535@aol.com
jjbritton36@gmail.com
bill_hendrix@bellsouth.net
drleesoffice@bellsouth.net
drlee1316@bellsouth.net
hortcola@aol.com
pmcabee@bellsouth.net
nickym@defenderservices.com
asmith@alicemsgco.com
esmckiss@aol.com
tbmcteerjr@aol.com
bpeeler@wm.com
joedswann@bellsouth.net

Clemson Recruit Performance - 11/26/10

Mike Bellamy had 27 carries for 168 yards in Charlotte's 7-0 win over Cape Coral.  Bellamy scored the only touchdown on a 5 yard pitch and dash to the pylon.  Bellamy also broke a 48 yard run only to be stripped at the one yard line through the endzone for a touchback.  The fumble was one of two on the day for Bellamy.  Bellamy also had 2 interceptions on defense.  Bellamy is now 5th on the state all-time rushing list with 7,269 yards.

Marlin Lane and Mainland's season is over after a first round loss in the playoffs.

Charone Peake snaged 5 passes for 118 yards in Dorman's 30-19 victory over Irmo.  Peake and Dorman will face Byrnes for the state championship next week.

Adam Humphries returned from an injury to his lower spine that forced him to miss the last 3 games.  In the 30-19 win over Irmo, Humphries has 1 catch for 12 yards and a couple pass break-ups on defense.

Eric MaClain and Jack Britt's season is over after a loss in the second round of the playoffs.

Tony McNeal and Chester's season is over after a loss in the South Carolina Playoffs.

Cole Stoudt and Dublin-Coffman's season is over after a loss in the Ohio Playoffs.

Robert Smith and Woodland's season is over after a loss in the South Carolina Playoffs. Smith projects as a DB for Clemson.

Cortez Davis and Mainland's season is over after a first round loss in the playoffs.  Davis projects to play DB for Clemson.

Stanton Seckinger put up a ridiculous 9 catches for 332 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Oasis All-Star Shrine Classic.  South Carolina lost to North Carolina 31-24.  Seckinger had touchdowns of 20 and 95 yards in the loss.

Sammy Watkins had touchdown grabs of 32 yards,  9 yards and 72 yards in South Fort Myers 28-21 victory over Naples.  South Fort Myers will host Bradenton Southeast next week.

2010 - ACC Defensive Talent Ranking

2010 - ACC Offensive Talent Analysis

This piece digs a little deeper into the talent level on each Atlantic Coast Conference team by focusing on the offensive side on the ball. The raw data comes from Rival.com prospect ratings and is calculated as followed.

5.7 = 1.00 point
5.8 = 1.25 points
5.9 = 1.50 points
6.0 = 1.75 points
6.1 = 2.00 points

Players under 5.7 were not calculated into the raw data as a way to limit complexity.

The 2006, 2007, 2008 classes are weighted at 100% while the 2009 class is weighted at 75% and 2010 is weighted at 25% due to a lot of players redshirting. Important to note is that this data only includes current players on the roster, so attrition is factored into the equation in this data, but not factored in here.




There is more separation in the defensive analysis than the offensive analysis. Miami is still leading the pack and their is a gap and then Florida State who is transitioning under first year DC, Mark Stoops and then a gap and then Clemson and then a gap and Virginia Tech followed closely by Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech.



Miami has the most talent on paper along the DL lead by Allen Bailey and Marcus Fortson and Florida State is second although their talent along the DL is overrated lead by 5-Star bust Markus White. They are also really young with mostly SO and FR in the 2-Deep outside of White. Clemson is right their on the same tier as FSU, but gets better production than the Noles. North Carolina have the most productive DL in the ACC and comes in fourth in talent, but with studs Robert Quinn and Marvin Austin suspended their talent level takes a huge hit.




Miami is also the most talented on paper at LB lead by Collin McCarthy and Sean Spence followed by Virginia Tech although I don't see the same talent on the field as I do on paper especially after VT lost a bunch of defensive starters.

The best two LBing groups in the ACC are North Carolina and Boston College although neither cracks the Top 3 of talent on paper. Both teams were able to find and develop underrated stars in Bruce Carter, Quan Sturdivant, Luke Kuechly and Mark Herzlig.




Miami sweeps the positional rankings, but Clemson is right their on the same tier. Miami is lead by star corner Brandon Harris while Clemson is lead by star safety DeAndre McDaniel.

2010 - ACC Offensive Talent Ranking

This piece digs a little deeper into the talent level on each Atlantic Coast Conference team by focusing on the offensive side on the ball. The raw data comes from Rival.com prospect ratings and is calculated as followed.

5.7 = 1.00 point
5.8 = 1.25 points
5.9 = 1.50 points
6.0 = 1.75 points
6.1 = 2.00 points

Players under 5.7 were not calculated into the raw data as a way to limit complexity.

The 2006, 2007, 2008 classes are weighted at 100% while the 2009 class is weighted at 75% and 2010 is weighted at 25% due to a lot of players redshirting. Important to note is that this data only includes current players on the roster, so attrition is factored into the equation in this data, but not factored in here.




Miami has a decent edge is overall offensive talent and then their is a 2nd Tier that includes Clemson, Virginia Tech, Florida State and North Carolina that have pretty similar talent levels and then a 3rd Tier that includes North Carolina State, Virginia and Maryland that again have pretty similar raw talent.

Georgia Tech runs a variation of the Wing-T offense under Paul Johnson and recruits players that do not fit the mold of your traditional offensive recruit that recruiting analyst rank, so their ranking is pretty much irrelevant.




Quarterback talent is the most difficult to quantify statistically because unlike the OL and Backs & Receivers to suceed at QB a team only needs one player to step-up and it doesn't really matter if the player is a 5-Star prospect like Tyrod Taylor or a 4-Star player like Jacory Harris and Kyle Parker a 3-Star player like Christian Ponder or even a 2-Star player like Russell Wilson. Definitely take the QB data with a huge grain of salt.




Offensive line play is the most important factor in making an offense success in my opinion, but is also the most hard to scout, which puts a lot of weight on the offensive line coach to scout and develop the talent that they recruit.

Clemson, Virginia Tech and Miami have the most talent on paper in the ACC.




- Miami has the most talent at the skill positions (RB, WR, TE) lead by a star-studded wide receivers Travis Benjamen, Aldrius Johnson and Leonard Hankerson.

- UNC is second with another talented wide receiving group lead by the currently suspended Greg Little, Jheranie Boyd and Dwight Jones.

- Clemson is third with the tandem on Andre Ellington and Jamie Harper in the backfield.

Clemson vs. South Carolina - Fall 2010

Clemson needs to win this Saturday to reverse what has been tough 365 days for Tiger sports teams against South Carolina. It started last year with the football team suffering an embarrasing 34-17 loss in Columbia and culminated with Clemson being knocked out of the CWS by losing two straight games to the Gamecocks in Omaha. Clemson is still able to hang it's hat on a 72-61 win in Men's Basketball. As you can from the table below, Clemson is currently 1-5 head-to-head in fall sports against South Carolina.

Sport	W/L	2010 Score	Streak
Men's Soccer	Loss	0-2	Lost 4
Women's Soccer	Loss	0-2	Lost 3
Volleyball	Win	3-0	Won 1
Women's Basketball	Loss	59-73	Lost 1
Men's Swimming	Loss	163--133	Lost 1
Women's Swimming	Loss	169.5-125.5	Lost 1

Tigers In The NFL - Week 11

Offense

Charlie Whitehurst did not play in the Seahawk's 34-19 loss to the Saints.

	CMP	ATT	CMT%	YRDS	LNG	TD	INT
@NO	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Season	16	29	55.2	166	36	1	3

James Davis was not active in the Redskin's 19-16 OT win over the Titans.  Davis was signed to the 53 man roster from the Practice Squad on Monday, so there is a good shot Davis will see some action next week.

	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
PS	0	0	0	0	0	0	N/A	0
Season	4	9	2.3	0	0	0	N/A	0

C.J. Spiller missed Buffalo's 49-31 win against Cincinnati with a hamstring injury. Spiller is doubtful for this weeks again Pittsburgh.

	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
@CIN	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Season	41	164	4.0	0	18	81	4.5	1

Jacoby Ford hauled in 2 passes for 27 yards in the Raider's 35-3 loss to the Steelers.  Ford was target on 8 passes by the Raider's QBs.

	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
PIT	2	27	13.5	16	0
Season	12	212	17.7	47	0

Chansi Stuckey caught 4 passes for 26 yards in Cleveland's 24-20 loss to Jacksonville.

	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
JAC	4	26	6.5	10	0
Season	31	272	8.8	25	0

Michael Palmer didn't record any stats in the Falcon's 34-17 win over the Rams.  Palmer is back to third string after Justin Peelle returned from injury.

	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
@STL	0	0	0	0	0
Season	5	29	5.8	11	1

Barry Richardson started at OT in the Kansas City Chiefs 31-13 win against the Arizona Cardinals. Richardson has started the Chiefs first 10 games on the season at tackle.

	GP	GS
ARZ	1	1
Season	10	10

Defense

Kevin Alexander who was activated from the Broncos Practice Squad a couple weeks ago recorded one solo tackle and one pass deflection in the Bronco's 35-7 loss to the Chargers.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
@SD	1	1	0	0	0	0
Season	3	3	0	0	0	0

Nick Eason recorded one solo tackle in the Steeler's 35-3 loss win against the Raiders. Eason has 1.5 sacks on the season from his DT position. Eason is used primarily as a pass rushing specialist by the Steelers.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
OAK	1	1	0	0	0	0
Season	9	4	1.5	0	0	0

Trevor Pryce didn't record any stats in the Jet's 30-27  victory over the Texans.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
HOU	1	0	0	0	0	0
Season	2	1	0	0	0	0

Dorrell Scott didn't record any stats in the Ram's 34-17 loss against the Falcons.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
ATL	2	1	0	0	0	0
Season	6	3	0	0	0	0

Kavell Conner was in the starting line-up in the Colt's 31-28 loss to the Patriots. Conner who returned the last week after missed 5 weeks with the fractured foot had two solo tackles and two assists. Conner is seeing more playing time with Clint Session and Gary Brackett out with injuries.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
@NE	4	2	0	0	0	0
Season	16	11	0	0	1	0

Anthony Waters had one solo tackle in the Saint's 24-19 win over the Seahawks.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
SEA	1	1	0	0	0	0
Season	7	6	0	0	0	0

Crezdon Butler didn't record any stats in the Steelers' 35-3 win over the Raiders. Butler is on the roster, but has been inactive for every game this season.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
OAK	0	0	0	0	0	0
Season	0	0	0	0	0	0

Chris Clemons didn't play in the Dolphin's 16-0 loss to the Bears. Clemons was out of the line-up with a hamstring injury. Clemons is expected to play next week.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
TEN	2	2	0	0	0	0
Season	41	34	.5	0	2	0

Brain Dawkins recorded 3 solo tackles and two assist as well as a forced fumble in the Bronco's 35-14 loss to the Chargers

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
@SD	5	3	0	0	1	0
Season	44	35	1.0	1	1	0

Notes:

-Leroy Hill, Phillip Merling, Ricky Sapp are injuried.

-Tyler Grisham and Mike Hamlin are on teams 8 man practive squad.

Sammy Watkins Commits To Clemson

Sammy Watkins committed to Clemson today choosing the Tigers over a multitute of offer from around the country including Miami, Michigan, Florida and Florida State.  Watkins out of South Fort Myers High School in Fort Myers, FL is ranked as the #3 WR prospect and #25 overall prospect in the country by Rivals.com.  Watkins has 37 receptions for 885 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior to go with 46 catches for 1146 yards and 14 toudowns as a junior.

Pros:
- Explosive athlete
- Blistering top-end speed
- Dynamic playmaker capable of scoring on any touch
- Quickness in and out of breaks

Cons:
- Needs more polish as a WR
- Injury concerns after missing a few games in both his JR and SR season

Sammy Watkins in my opinion is the best wide receiver prospect that Clemson has signed since Roscoe Crosby back in 2001.  A solid comparison to Sammy Watkins is a cross between CJ Spiller and Jacoby Ford.  Watkins is extremely explosive and capable of breaking a big play for a touchdown with every touch similar to Spiller; however, Watkins doesn't posses quite the top-end speed as either Spiller or Ford.  In the 40 yard dash, Watkins has been timed in the upper 4.3 to low 4.4 range. Watkins is more explosive after the catch than Ford who mainly just relied on pure speed.  Physically, Watkins, is taller than both Spiller and Ford at 6'1", but will benefit from adding more bulk to his frame (190ish). 

Sammy Watkins adds another threat to an already loaded recruiting class at the skill position that features  Charone Peake (4-Star), Martavis Bryant (4-Star), Adam Humphries (3-Star) and Stanton Seckinger (2-Star) committed at WR to go with Mike Bellamy (5-Star) and Marlin Lane (4-Star) committed at RB.

Watkins will play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January in San Antonio

Clemson Recruit Performance - 11/18/10

Mike Bellamy Erupts Against Gulf Coast

Marlin Lane had 13 carries for 83 yards in Mainland's 29-28 defeat to Orange Park.  Lane also had 4 catches for 55 yards in the loss.  The defeat ends Mainland's season with a 5-6 record.

Charone Peake snaged 8 passes for 118 yards and two scored in Dorman's 49-28 victory over Fort Dorchester.  Peake also added a punt return for a touchdown.  Peake caught a 21 yard touchdown reception then returned a punt 70 yards for touchdown and then caught a 35 yards touchdown pass all in the opening 15 minutes of the game.  Peake went over 2,500 yards receiving on his career in the victory.

Adam Humphries missed Dorman's 49-21 win over Fort Dorchester with a injury to his lower spine. It was the third game in a row that Humpries has missed due to the injury. His status for next Saturday is questionable.

Eric MaClain and Jack Britt lost 54-36  to Seventy-First. Jack Britt ended the season 10-2 with their only two losses of the season to Seventy-First.  No stats were available for MaClain who will play TE for Clemson.

Tony McNeal and Chester's season is over after a loss in the South Carolina Playoffs.
Cole Stoudt and Dublin-Coffman's season is over after a loss in the Ohio Playoffs.

Robert Smith and Woodland's season is over after a loss in the South Carolina Playoffs. Smith projects as a DB for Clemson.

Cortez Davis had 5 catches for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns in Mainland's 29-28 loss to Orange Park. Davis hauled in touchdown receptions of  25 and 30 yards.  Davis projects to play defensive back for the Tiger's next fall

Stanton Seckinger leads Porter-Gaud into the SCISA Championship game today against Hammond.  Hammond has won four straight SCISA crowns and 7 in a row against Porter-Gaud.  Seckinger has 83 receptions for 1,643 yards and 24 touchdowns on the year.

Mike Bellamy erupts against Gulf Coast

Charlotte (11-0) runningback, Mike Bellamy exploded for 241 yards on only 15 carries and 4 touchdowns in a 49-11 win of Naples Gulf Coast (3-8).  Bellamy, a Clemson committment, only played in the first half of the victory.

Bellamy got the scoring started with a 17 yards sprint to the left corner of the endzone.  Bellamy took over in the second quarter with touchdown runs of 67, 1 and 65 yards.  Bellamy averaged 16.1 yards per carry on the game.

Bellamy now has 2,165 yards and 40 touchdowns on the season on the season.  Bellamy also went over the 7,000 yard mark for his career, the 7th player in Florida history to do so, finshing the game with 7,101 yards.  Emmitt Smith is the leading rusher in Florida history with 8,304 yards.

Mike Bellamy	Rushing Yards	TDs
Season	2,165	40
Career	7,101

Charlotte with host Cape Coral next week in the second round of the state playoffs.

Clemson Soccer - Report Card

Below is a line graph of  Soccer Win Percentage" for both Men's and Women's Soccer since President Barker was named President in 2000.  The blue line is overall win percentage and the red line is the win percentage against ACC opponents (not including the ACC Tournament).  Win percentage was used to equal out the variability of games played in a season, which varied by as many as 6 games.  Terry Don Phillips took over as Athletic Director in 2002.




Notes: 
- Clemson reached the NCAA Tournament in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006. 
- Clemson was ranked in the final Top 25 poll in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2006. 
- Clemson won the ACC Tournament in 2001. 
- Trevor Adair was fored to resign just prior to the 2009 season. 
- Phil Hindson was named interm coach for the 2009 season. 
- Mike Noonan is the curret head coach of the Clemson Soccer team.




Notes: 
- Clemson went to the NCAA Tournament in every season except 2008, 2009 and 2000. 
- Clemson won the ACC in 2000 and finished with a 19-3-1 record. 
- Todd Bramble left for the University of Alabama after the 2007 season. 
- Hersey Strosberg was fired after the 2010 season. 
- No replacement for Strosberg has been named yet.

On Paper BCS Talent Rankings - Scout.com

On Paper BCS Talent Rankings - Rivals.com

The data below is the "Team Recruiting Rankings" from 2006 - 2010 from Scout.com.

The classes are then weighted and averaged (WA) as followed to give more weight to upperclassmen over underclassmen. Obviously the weighting isn't one size fits all. The list includes all BCS schools and some relevent mid-majors like Boise State, BYU, TCU and Utah.

2006 - .15% - rSR
2007 - .35% - SR and rJR
2008 - .30% - JR and rSO
2009 - .15% - SO and rFR
2010 - .05% - FR









A few biases to consider when looking at the data.

1)  Scouting services tend to focus more heavily on scouting the Southeast compared to the Northeast and the Midwest. Recruits for the Midwest and Northeast;have a much better chance of falling through the cracks than prospects from the Southeast, Texas, California.  I doubt any scouting service has ever stepped foot in places like Wisconsin or Connecticut.

2)  Schools with larger fanbases have a tendency to to have committed recruits get a "bump" in the rankings.

Compare to Rivals.com - On Paper BCS Talent Rankings - Rivals.com

Porter-Gaud, WR, Stanton Seckinger To Clemson

Stanton Seckinger committed to Clemson last night after mulling over an offer from NC State and strong interest from Virginia, Vanderbilt and Memphis. Seckinger out of Porter-Gaud in Charleston has been one of the most talked about players in the Charleston area this year along with Goose Creek’s Brandon Shell from Summerville’s De’Angelo Henderson. The 6’5” 200 pound Seckinger plays WR and DE for the Cyclones, but was recruited as a WR for Clemson. Seckinger has racked up 90 catches for 1660 yards and 24 touchdowns on the year heading into the SCISA Championship game this weekend against Hammond. Seckinger currently has a 5.4 2-Star rating on Rivals.com.


Pros:
- Really good hands, high points the football,
- Good frame and big body with growth potential
- Solid athleticism
- Excellent leaper

Cons:
- Average top-end speed
- Average quickness and foot speed
- Extremely weak competition in HS


I view Stanton Seckinger as a similar prospect to Brandon Ford. Seckinger like Ford was recruited as a WR by Clemson, but ultimately looks like a better fit at TE due to their body type and lack of top-end speed. Both have really good hands and leaping ability as well. Seckinger will have a lot of competition at WR with so many young talented WR currently in the program, so long-term a move to TE similar to the move Ford made this year might be Seckinger’s best option to get on the field. I think this is a bit of a questionable take by Clemson. I actually like Seckinger as a prospect a lot and think Rivals has him slightly underrated at 2-Stars, but Clemson already has Charone Peake (4-Star), Martavis Bryant (4-Star) and Adam Humphries (3-Star) committed at WR. We are in a great position for another WR in Sammy Watkins (5-Star). I just don’t see WR as a position of need at this time. I think adding another DT or another LB would be a better use of this scholarship.

Seckinger will either wait to enroll in January of 2012 or pay his own way for the first semester before going on scholarship in January of 2012. In football vernacular this is called a grayshirt, which enables Clemson to count Seckinger towards the 2012 class as opposed to the 2011 class. Seckinger is the first player to get a Division I scholarship from Porter-Gaud since Ovie Mughelli who committed to Wake Forest in 1998 and now plays FB for the Atlanta Falcons.

Tigers In The NFL - Week 10

Offense

Charlie Whitehurst replaced Matt Hassellbeck for two series in the second quarter of Seattle's 36-18 win over Arizona.  Whitehurst competed 4 of 6 passes for 53 yards and one interception in relieft.  Hassellbeck who fractured his left wrist returned to the game and is not expected to miss any time due to the injury.

	CMP	ATT	CMT%	YRDS	LNG	TD	INT
@ARI	4	6	66.7	53	0	0	1
Season	16	29	55.2	166	36	1	3

James Davis was cut by the Browns.  Davis was later picked up by the Washington Redskins and signed to their Practice Squad.  Davis was not active on Monday against the Eagles.

	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
PS	0	0	2.3	0	0	0	N/A	0
Season	4	9	2.3	0	0	0	N/A	0

C.J. Spiller had 2 carries for 14 yards in Buffalo's 14-12 win against Detroit.  Spiller injuried his hamstring in the second quarter and missed the rest of the game.  Spiller is doubtful for this weeks again at Cincinnati.

	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
DET	2	14	7	0	0	0	0	0
Season	41	164	4.0	0	18	81	4.5	1

Jacoby Ford and the Raiders had a bye in Week 9

	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
BYE	0	0	0	0	0
Season	10	185	18.8	47	0

Chansi Stuckey hauled in four passes for 27 yards in Cleveland's 26-20 OT loss to the Jets.  Stuckey made a critical catch for a first down to get the Brown's into field goal range only to put the ball on the turf fighting for extra yards.

	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
NYJ	4	27	6.8	10	0
Season	27	246	9.1	25	0

Michael Palmer had one catch for 6 yards in the Falcon's 26-20 win over the Ravens.

	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
BAL	1	6	5.5	6	0
Season	5	29	5.8	11	1

Barry Richardson started at OT in the Kansas City Chiefs 49-29 loss to the Denver Broncos. Richardson has started the Chiefs first 9 games on the season at tackle. 

	GP	GS
@DEV	1	1
Season	9	9

Defense

Nick Eason recorded one tackle and two assists in the Steeler's 39-26 loss to the Patriots.  Eason has 1.5 sacks on the season from his DT position.  Eason is used primarily as a pass rushing specialist by the Steelers.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
NE	3	1	0	0	0	0
Season	8	3	1.5	0	0	0

Trevor Pryce didn't record any stats in the Jet's 26-20 OT victory over the Browns.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
@CLE	1	0	0	0	0	0
Season	2	1	0	0	0	0

Dorrell Scott had one tackle and one assist in the Ram's 23-20 OT loss against the 49ers.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
SF	2	1	0	0	0	0
Season	6	3	0	0	0	0

Kavell Conner saw a lot of action in the Colt's 23-17 win against the Bengals.  Conner who returned the previous week after missed 5 weeks with the fractured foot had five solo tackles and two assists as well as a forced fumble.  Conner is seeing more playing time with Clint Session and Gary Brackett out with injuries.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
CIN	7	5	0	0	1	0
Season	12	9	0	0	1	0

Anthony Waters and the Saints has a bye in Week 9.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
BYE	0	0	0	0	0	0
Season	7	6	0	0	0	0

Crezdon Butler didn't record any stats in the Steelers' 39-26 loss to the Patriots.  Butler is on the roster, but has been inactive for every game this season.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
@CIN	0	0	0	0	0	0
Season	0	0	0	0	0	0

Chris Clemons recorded two solo tackle in the Dolphin's 29-17 win against the Titans.  Clemons left the game with a knee injury.  The severity of the injury is not known at this time.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
TEN	2	2	0	0	0	0
Season	41	34	.5	0	2	0

Brain Dawkins recorded 5 solo tackles and one assist in the Bronco's 49-26 win over the Cheifs.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
BYE	6	5	0	0	0	0
Season	339	32	0	1	0	0

Notes:
-Leroy Hill, Phillip Merling, Ricky Sapp are injuried. 
-Tyler Grisham, Mike Hamlin and Kevin Alexander are on teams 8 man practive squad.

On Paper BCS Talent Rankings - Rivals.com

On Paper BCS Rankings - Scout.com

The data below is the "Team Recruiting Rankings" from 2006 - 2010 from Rivals.com  The enrolled rankings are used to weed out non-qualifiers.  Mississippi State shouldn't get extra credit for signing 33 in 2007 when a class can enroll a max of 25.

The classes are then weighted and averaged (WA) as followed to give more weight to upperclassmen over underclassmen.  Obviously the weighting isn't one size fits all.  Rivals only ranked a Top 50 in 2010, so any team outside of 50 received a ranking of 51 in 2010.

2006 - .15% - rSR
2007 - .35% - SR and rJR
2008 - .30% - JR and rSO
2009 - .15% - SO and rFR
2010 - .05% - FR









TCU, Boise State, Utah and BYU were included in the data, but didn't make the Top 60.

A few biases to consider when looking at the data.

1) Scouting services tend to focus more heavily on scouting the Southeast compared to the Northeast and the Midwest. Recruits for the Midwest and Northeast have a much better chance of falling through the cracks than prospects from the Southeast, Texas, California.  I doubt any scouting service has ever stepped foot in places like Wisconsin or Connecticut.

2) Schools with larger fanbases have a tendency to to have committed recruits get a "bump" in the rankings.

Compare to Scount.com - On Paper BCS Rankings - Scout.com

Current Clemson Fall Sports Scorecard

Current Clemson Fall Sports Scorecard

Sport	Overall Record	ACC Record
Football	5-5	3-4
Men's Soccer	5-9-4	2-4-2
Women's Soccer	6-13	0-10
Volleyball	16-11	7-9
Men's Tennis	17-10	3-8

All of Clemson's fall sports currently have a losing record against ACC competition.

Clemson Offensive Touchdown Drive Summary

This breakdown is only for games against a BCS opponent

Auburn

76 yards in 12 plays
10 rushes and 2 passes
8 yards pass to Jamie Harper

61 yards is 5 plays
0 rushes and 5 passes
24 yard pass to Jamie Harper

77 yards in 8 plays
5 rushes and 3 passes
2 yard run by Andre Ellington

Miami

77 yards in 1 play
1 rush and 0 passes
77 yard run by Andre Ellington

63 yards in 10 plays
6 rushes and 4 passes
14 yard run by Andre Ellington

56 yards in 8 plays
4 rushes and 0 passes
3 yard run by Andre Ellington

UNC

21 yards in 3 plays
2 rushes and 1 pass
10 yard run by Jamie Harper

86 yards in 5 plays
0 rushes and 5 passes
74 yard pass to Jaron Brown

Maryland

80 yards in 13 plays
9 rushes and 4 passes
1 yard run by Jamie Harper

21 yards in 5 plays
3 rushes and 2 passes
1 yard rush by Andre Ellington

Georgia Tech

70 yards in 4 plays
1 rush and 3 passes
55 yard run by Andre Ellington

74 yards in 6 plays
5 rushes and 1 pass
42 yards run by Andre Ellington

69 yards in 8 plays
1 rush and 7 passes
10 yard pass to Andre Ellington

Boston College

No offensive TDs

North Carolina State

22 yards in 5 plays
2 rushes and 3 passes
12 yard pass to Nuke Hopkins

39 yards in 8 plays
2 rushes and 4 passes
4 yard run by Jamie Harper

Florida State

82 yards in 12 plays
7 rushes and 5 passes
26 yard run by Jamie Harper

Breakdown

- 16 offensive TDs in 8 BCS games
- 10 TDs in first 4 games and 6 TDs in last 4 games
- 8 drives of 70 yards or longer
- 4 drives of 50 yards or shorter
- 11 rushing TDs and 5 passing TDs
- 4 TDs on plays over 40 yards
- 6 TDs from outside the redzone
- 4 TD drives of over 10 plays
- 8  TD drives of over 8 plays

Clemson - FSU Thoughts

The Curse Of The Road Rock Strikes Again

Clemson vs. Western Carolina Men's Basketball Thoughts

By OrangeBandit. 

OrangeBandit is a former college basketball player and has been involved with coaching on the high school level for year.

Offseason Predictions:
A couple things I stated that I thought would occur this offseason.

* Devin Booker would likely be a 12 ppg and rpg.

* Demontez Stitt is our best all around player

* Kids who would benefit the most out of Brownell's hiring are guys like AY, Tanner Smith, Noel Johnson, and Milton Jennings because of the styles of game they played in during HS. Not as much Noel in that but I'll expound upon that later time.

* Our 1/2 court defense was going to be improved and in my opinion could conceivably be on of the best defenses in the ACC from a numbers perspective as long as we didn't turn the ball over too much. The athletes and the hustle is there. Our kids only needed better direction.

* Better 1/2 court offense would be the biggest upgrade Brownell would bring. (Don't make a mistake and think that I mean average PPG in this comment)

* Player development would arguably be the biggest single component Brownell and his staff would do better than the previous regime.

* There would actually be coaching going on during the game, which will allow for adjustments when we're not playing well. This gives you a chance to win sometimes on nights when you're not playing your best.

Thoughs on Western Carolina Game:
* I think you saw a glimpse of what I'm talking about Devin Booker and why I've been raving about him since he stepped on the court last year. If Booker wants to work hard, and wants to be great, he could be a top 15 NBA pick without question in my opinion. He has a LONG way to go before he gets there, but he showed you big time athleticism last night tip dunking 2-3 times, showed you a back to the basket game with a drop step middle and finished a nice LEFT-handed baby hook shot, he showed you the ability to board, and he has the "Booker Family" ability to time blocks and dunks that you just can't coach. You either have it or you don't and Booker definitely has it. He's also physically a legit Werewolf. Strong as an oxen, runs as fast as an ostrich, and is agile like a mongoose. Kid has it all. Not only that, but he's competent from outside shooting the rock and solid from the line.

* Good God where has Milton Jennings been. If you can't see the 100% turnaround in Milton Jennings then you simply don't know shit about basketball. The previous staff couldn't get crap out of him and this staff spends only a partial offseason with him and he's all the sudden playing like the kid we all hoped we were signing. Granted, it's only Western Carolina and I'm not at all expecting the kid to average 14 ppg, but the point is he flashed every skill you wanted him to show last night except he didn't knock down a 3 pointer. He rebounded tough, he backside sealed(post up) tough and finished, he took one ball coast to coast and finished in transition over 2 chihuahuas nipping at his ankles, he picked and popped/ ripped through and attacked baseline and then found the open man and delivered it smoothly, and was an overall nightmare for WC to defend as he should be. Kid shot 4-5 from inside the arc, 0-2 outside the arc, had 4 rebounds (2 offensive), showed some handles, showed some defense (2 blocks), showed the ability to distribute the basketball (4 assists), and was a team best 6-6 from the line. Anything else you need with that order their captain? Brownell's staff developing kids >>> OP's staff

* Tanner Smith being the glue player he can be. What I liked about Tanner last night is he didn't try to do too much. Bronwell clearly loves what the guy brings to the table because how else do you explain the fact he led ALL players last night with 34 minutes? Wanna know why? Because the kid does everything you ask him to do. He played defense like a wild Banchee (2 steals that led to 2 run outs and 4 points), kid was tied with Booker for most rebounds (7 reb from your SF, um hell yeah!), knocked down and outside tre', created opportunities for others (4 assists), and overall was nothing but E.F.F.E.C.T.I.V.E. His only knock was he was 1-6 from the FT line. Kid shot 74% last year. Don't think we have anything to worry about. He also was second on the team last year to only T.Book to the most trips to the FT line. A VERY underrated stat I assure you.

* AY was just AY. Totally in control and uber solid.

* Brownell's staff has actually found a way to make use of their 7'2'' jolly Euro Giant. Brownell's X's and O's >>>>> OP's JV scheme. Bobo was actually competent last night and I now at least have hope that he can secure some light backup minutes and not totally suck which is a huge improvement.

Summation:
We have no idea how good we are yet but I still contend this team is going to challenge probably for a 9-7 ACC record which would be good enough for them to get into the NCAA's.

Things are VASTLY improved from a fundamentals standpoint though Brownell hasn't shown 1/2 of what he will show by the completion of next year.

We'll know more after we play Wofford who legitimately is a quality team and will test our guys for 2 complete halves so more analysis can be done after that game but you've got to like what you see so far.

Clemson Recruit Performance - 11/12/10

Mike Bellamy had 24 carries for 116 yards and 4 touchdowns in Charlotte's 35-14 win over Sarasota. Bellamy had TD runs of 8, 1, 5 and 2 yards. Bellamy has 1,924 yards and 36 total touchdowns in 10 games this season. Bellamy is slated to take a trip to Tennessee for their game against Ole Miss.

Marlin Lane played QB again for the first 18 minutes for Shelton Willis. Lane finished with 10 carries for 41 yards in Mainland's 7-3 loss to Seabreeze. Lane also had 4 catches for 48 yards.  Mainland finished the season with a 5-5 record.

Charone Peake hauled in a 5 yard TD reception in Dorman's 31-0 route over White Knoll.

Adam Humphries missed Dorman's 31-0 rout over White Knoll with a injury to his lower spine.  It was the secord game in a row that Humpries has missed due to the injury.  His status for next Saturday is questionable.

Eric MaClain hauled in a touchdown pass in Jack Britt's 28-13 win over Lumberton. Maclain also had a strong game on the defensive side of the football. MaClain will play TE for Clemson.   Jack Britt looks to avenge their only loss of the season next week against Seventy-First.

Tony McNeal went 11-20 for 121 yards and 2 interceptions in Chester's 35-7 playoff loss to BHP.  McNeal played with a high ankle sprain the last couple weeks and is still not fully recovered from an torn ACL that occured last season.

Cole Stoudt and Dublin-Coffman season is over after a loss last week in the Ohio Playoffs.

Robert Smith and Woodland lost 37-13 to Timberland. Smith did connect on a 48 yard touchdown pass, but was also intercepted three times. The loss ends Woodland's season. Smith projects as a DB for Clemson.

Cortez Davis had 2 catches for 16 yards in Mainland's 7-3 loss to Seabreeze. Davis projects to play defensive back for the Tiger's next fall

NFL Draft Big Board - Top 64

By Neal Olsen - NFL Draft Analyis For The-Mainboard.com

NFL Draft Big Board

1. QB Andrew Luck, Stanford
2. DE Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson
3. CB Prince Amukamara, Nebraska
4. CB Patrick Peterson, LSU
5. WR A.J. Green, Georgia
6. DT Nick Fairley, Auburn
7. DE Adrian Clayborn, Iowa
8. DE Robert Quinn, North Carolina
9. OLB Akeem Ayers, UCLA
10. OLB Travis Lewis, Oklahoma
11. RB Mark Ingram, Alabama
12. DE/DT Allen Bailey, Miami
13. DE Marcell Dareus, Alabama
14. CB Brandon Harris, Miami
15. OT Joseph Barksdale, LSU
16. OLB Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue
17. DT Drake Nevis, LSU
18. WR Jonathan Baldwin, Pittsburgh
19. CB Aaron Williams, Texas
20. OT Derrek Sherrod, Mississippi State
21. RB DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma
22. OLB Von Miller, Texas A&M
23. WR Julio Jones, Alabama
24. DT Corey Liuget, Illinois
25. DE Cameron Jordan, California
26. QB Jake Locker, Washington
27. WR Michael Floyd, Notre Dame
28. S DeAndre McDaniel, Clemson
29. DE Cameron Heyward, Ohio State
30. OT Anthony Castonzo, Boston College
31. CB Brandon Burton, Utah
32. RB LaMichael James, Oregon

33. CB Janoris Jenkins, Florida
34. WR Titus Young, Boise State
35. OLB Bruce Carter, North Carolina
36. S Deunta Williams, North Carolina
37. OG/OT Nate Potter, Boise State
38. WR Jeff Fuller, Texas A&M
39. CB Curtis Brown, Texas
40. DT Jurrell Casey, Southern California
41. CB Ras-I Dowling, Virginia
42. DE Justin Houston, Georgia
43. S Rahim Moore, UCLA
44. OC Stefan Wisniewski, Penn State
45. WR Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma
46. RB Mikel Leshoure, Illinois
47. DE Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma
48. DE Jabaal Sheard, Pittsburgh
49. TE Kyle Rudolph, Notre Dame
50. RB Shane Vereen, California
51. OC Kristofer O'Dowd, Southern California
52. CB Alfonzo Dennard, Nebraska
53. DE Sam Acho, Texas
54. S Mark Barron, Alabama
55. OT Matt Reynolds, BYU
56. QB Nathan Enderle, Idaho
57. DT Jerrell Powe, Mississippi
58. RB Daniel Thomas, Kansas State
59. WR Austin Pettis, Boise State
60. QB Ryan Mallett, Arkansas
61. OT Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin
62. QB Christian Ponder, Florida State
63. ILB Greg Jones, Michigan State
64. DT Stephan Paea, Oregon State

Clemson vs. Florida State - By The Numbers

Florida State sits at 6-3 (4-2) record on the season, but are looking to rebound from two heartbreaking ACC losses in a row.

The Seminole offense has transformed from a more pass heavy offense last season to an offense that is more dependent on the run. The offense in turn is averaging almost 50 more yards on the ground and 50 less yards through the air compared to last season. This is no surprise as the inconsistency of the wide receivers coupled with a veteran offensive line has Head Coach, Jimbo Fisher, playing to his strengths and away from his weaknesses. The bad news (or perhaps the good news from some Seminole Fans perspective) is quarterback, Christian Ponder, has an injured elbow and is not expected to play on Saturday. EJ Manuel is expected to start in place of Ponder. Manuel filled in for Ponder last year after DeAndre McDaniel’s hit sidelined Ponder and played pretty well. Manuel showed solid accuracy throwing the football along with plus running skills, but did have a tendency to throw interceptions. Manuel is definitely a capable back-up and isn’t a big step down from Ponder, especially an injured Ponder.

Florida State	2009	2010	NET +/-	'10 NCAA Rank	10' ACC Rank
Rushing Offense	149.54	196.54	47.00	24	8
Passing Offense	271.85	214.00	-57.85	65	1
Total Offense	421.38	410.54	44.79	41	1
Scoring Offense	30.08	33.67	3.59	27	2
TOP	30:46	30:11	-0:35	57	5
TO Per Game	2.00	1.78	.22

The Tigers looked a little better offensively last week against NC State. The game plan and was better. The short throws were able to pick-up yards consistently and allowed Parker to get into a better rhythm. The offense was less predictable than in previous weeks and managed to control the clock and keep NCSU potent offense off the field. Despite a number of positives the offense still was far from being great. They only put up 14 points on TD drives of 21 and 39 yards and less than 300 yards of offense against a defense that is pretty average. Lots of sloppiness with the football including five fumbles and a terrible interception.

Starting tailback and ACC Player of the Year candidate, Andre Ellington, is out again this week. Jaron Brown one of the Tiger's two primary WR is questionable. Jamie Harper will get the bulk of the carries and Rod McDowell will provide relief in place of Ellington.

The offense has to play better this week against a defense that is one of the better units in the ACC. They simple can’t afford to cough up the football like they did against NCSU on Saturday.

Clemson	2009	2010	NET +/-	'10 NCAA Rank	10' ACC Rank
Rushing Offense	170.36	151.33	-19.03	64	7
Passing Offense	192.00	181.89	-10.11	87	8
Total Offense	362.36	333.22	-29.14	89	9
Scoring Offense	31.14	26.22	-4.92	70	10
TOP	28:04	28:32	0:28	91	10
TO Per Game	1.71	1.56	-0.15

The Seminole defense is playing much better this year after looking completely lost last season. The Noles are allowing over 10 fewer points and over a 100 fewer yards this season and the biggest reason for the improvement is switch from Mickey Andrew’s stale man-to-man cover 2 to a more dynamic multiple formations primarily zone coverage attack under Mark Stoops. They have really squelched the opposing teams running attacks, but have struggled on occasion putting the clamps on opponents passing game. No better example than last week when FSU limited UNC to 34 yards on the ground only to give up 439 through the air.

FSU’s defense definitely matches up well with Clemson’s offense who passing game has been weak all season.

Florida State	2009	2010	NET +/-	'10 NCAA Rank	10' ACC Rank
Rushing Defense	204.62	106.33	-98.29	12	2
Passing Defense	230.00	226.67	-3.33	78	11
Total Defense	434.62	333.00	-101.62	31	3
Scoring Defense	30.00	19.78	-10.22	27	3
TO Per Game	2.08	1.33	-0.75

The Tigers continued to trend in the right direction after their best overall defensive performance against NC State.  The Tiger’s  limited the State offense to only 13 points despite being put in a number of tough situation due to turnovers.  They completely shut down the run and limited the Pack’s passing game.  The Tiger’s didn’t give up a single big play in the passing game, which was an area the Tigers struggled in earlier this year.  Da’Quan Bowers was a beast notching two sacks bringing his season total to 12.5.   The defense has been the most consistent unit on the team and has been playing at a high level the last few weeks.  In order for Clemson to have a chance this week this unit is going to have to play another game like last weekend.

Clemson	2009	2010	NET +/-	'10 NCAA Rank	10' ACC Rank
Rushing Defense	151.50	148.22	-3.38	58	6
Passing Defense	162.79	190.78	27.22	28	5
Total Defense	314.29	339.00	24.71	35	4
Scoring Defense	20.43	17.56	-2.87	12	1
TO Per Game	2.14	1.77	-0.37

Positional Breakdown

Offense
QB – Push
RB – Advantage FSU (with Ellington on the shelf)
WR – Push (Neither unit is any good really)
OL – Advantage FSU

Defense
DL – Advantage Clemson
LB – Advantage FSU
DB – Advantage Clemson

Special Teams - FSU

This is a huge game for both programs. The loser will be eliminated from contention in the ACC Atlantic Division, which would definitely be considered a disappointing season for both programs. Swinney has a chance to really quiet some of the fans with a big win on the road and reverse The Curse Of The Road Rock.

On paper, FSU is the better team right now especially with Ellington out. The fact the Clemson has played poorly on the road is not encouraging news for the Tigers. On the other hand, FSU has had a couple of heartbreaking defeats the last couple of weeks so the potential is there for the Noles to come out a bit flat. Manuel likely making his first start of the year also works in the Tiger's favor.

Ultimately, I can't see Clemson mustering enough offense against a solid FSU defense, so it will take a killer defensive performance for the Tiger's to pull off the upset. I do think the defense will continue their run of strong play, but it will not be enough to overcome the lack of offense again.

Da'Quan Bowers - Draft Stock

By Neal Olsen - NFL Draft Analyis for The-Mainboard.com

Neal's Big Board

DeAndre McDaniel - Draft Stock

Strengths:
The biggest thing that stands out when watching Bowers is how well he is built. In what is becoming one of the toughest positions to draft for, Bowers is your picture perfect 4-3 defensive end. He has a great built and combines that with outstanding athleticism similar to Mario Williams and Julius Peppers. Bowers shows outstanding burst off of the line and uses his hands well. This year he has fought throughout the play and doesn't just rely on his speed off of the edge. This has allowed him to finally start to live up to the tremendous hype he had coming into Clemson. When he is able to maintain proper leverage and use his hands effectively,  there is no other pass rusher like him playing college football this year. Finally I referenced it a bit but the speed off of the edge is very impressive for his size. You don't see to many 280 pound lineman able to have the straight line speed that he has which he has demonstrated multiple times during the 2010 campaign.

Weaknesses:
Easily the most concerning aspect of Bowers overall resume is simply the lack of consistency. I valued him as a third to fourth round prospect coming into the 2010 season and based on this season he has vaulted up my rankings based on his play. He has always had the ability to breakout like he has and this year it seems the loss of his father is a motivational tool for him. I would be weary of getting burnt by a player who just had a monster year in what is considered a money year. In addition to the consistency questions, Bowers has similar lapses that all college linemen have coming into the NFL. When he fails to stay low, he can be driven out of a play. In addition to the lapse in leverage at times, if he just tries to get by with his natural ability and lets technique go out of the window offensive linemen have had no problems bottling him up. Both of these were demonstrated in his first two years at Clemson.

Overall Analysis:
Bowers has been one of the biggest risers throughout this college football season. He has finally started to live up to the billing that most had of him coming into college. Without Robert Quinn playing, Bowers has certainly made himself the number one 4-3 end out of draft eligible prospects. There will probably be many questions that will hit him with the spike of his play this year, as general managers decide whether to risk a top five draft pick on getting the guy of this year or potentially getting the guy that was heading towards bust territory after his first two years.  I think the potential is to big to ignore and he will find himself at worst the second true defensive end off of the board in April's draft and I would certainly imagine he is scooped up in the first ten selections.

DeAndre McDaniel - Draft Stock

By Neal Olsen - NFL Draft Analysis For The-Mainboard.com

Neal's Big Board

Da'Quan Bowers - Draft Stock

Strengths

McDaniel's biggest strength to me is his ability to attack the ball from the safety position. Last season he broke onto the scene with his ballhawk tendencies and although he could have come out after a successful Junior campaign, he chose to return to Clemson for a senior season. He is outstanding at reading the quarterback's eyes and this allows him to get a great jump on routes before the ball gets to the receiver. Unlike other safeties, McDaniel attacks the ball at the highest point when he has a chance and plays the ball more like a receiver than a safety. Thus explaining the numerous interceptions he had last season. In addition to the ability to play the ball, McDaniel has the size and speed that most general managers drool over. He is similar to Taylor Mays from last season, but to me he seems more fluid which is certainly a good thing. He also doesn't shy away from contact. He is a hard hitter and is able to make sound hits on opposing players.

Weaknesses
The biggest concern affecting McDaniel heading into April's draft would be the character concern. He hasn't been an outstanding citizen during his time at Clemson and with the NFL's crack down on character concerns, this may cost McDaniel a few dollars by the time of the draft. On the field, McDaniel still doesn't have a ton of experience overall. He has been moved around at Clemson and still learning the safety position which shows on film. At times he has lapses in which he takes poor angles at ball carriers. This allows for missed tackles and plays to be bigger than what they should be. McDaniel also has the tendancy to go for the big hit over making a sound tackle.  McDaniel also doesn't have great ability to cover edges. He doesn't have outstanding quickness, he is more deceptively fast, but doesn't seem to have the ability to stay with quicker tight ends and running backs. This isn't a huge problem as you don't find many 210 pound safeties that can make those type of plays.

Overall Analysis
Overall McDaniel is certainly one of the best playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. McDaniel posses both size and speed, while not being to stiff in coverage. There is no reason to believe that McDaniel shouldn't be one of the first safeties off of the board.  I personally view him as a late first or early second selection much like Nate Allen from the University of South Florida this past draft class. However it is possible that the character concerns will scare off some teams and could make him fall to the later parts of the second round. If he does last that long, there is a good chance a team gets a steal if he can keep his head on straight.

The Curse Of The Road Rock

Clemson Fans have always taken solace in the Chicken Curse. Ever since Ben Tillman “cursed” the University by slamming his pitchfork into the earth on South Carolina’s campus the Gamecock athletic programs have suffered years of futility and routinely snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The football program lost games to The Citadel, Furman and Pacific at home, had their best season of the era foiled by a mediocre Navy program, lost 21 consecutive games and managed to go 100 years without a bowl victory. The Gamecocks were rolling again in 2010 until the long pitchfork of Tillman aided in a miraculous touchdown and subsequent interception against Kentucky.

Up until this year, Clemson always had the occult department working in their favor, but thanks to the road rock meddling with tradition, South Carolina has evened the score with “The Curse Of The Road Rock.” The Football God’s have always frowned and dealt harshly with those that mess with tradition, so it is no surprise that Clemson is 0-3 on the road after being presented with the Road Rock. The curse has already reared its ugly head with a double clutch penalty and subsequent missed FG in OT against Auburn, the mysterious amounts of passing plays in Chapel Hill, and telepathically transmitting our plays to the Boston College defense prior to the ball being snapped in Chesnutt Hill.

Hopefully the University has hired a shaman to reverse the curse prior to this weekend’s game in Tallahassee. The last thing Clemson needs is its voodoo powers couple with the cryptic negative power of the “Woo Hoo” to hold us back any longer.

Tigers In The NFL - Week 9

Offense

Charlie Whitehurst Struggles Against The Giants

	CMP	ATT	CMT%	YRDS	LNG	TD	INT
NYG	12	23	52.2	112	36	1	2
Season	12	23	52.2	112	36	1	2

James Davis was cut by the Browns.  Davis was later picked up by the Washington Redskins and signed to their Practice Squad.  Redskins had a bye in Week 9.

	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
PS	0	0	2.3	0	0	0	N/A	0
Season	4	9	2.3	0	0	0	N/A	0

C.J. Spiller had 7 carries for 20 yards in Buffalo's 22-19 loss against Chicago.  Spiller also hauled in 1 catch for 5 yards.  The Bills who traded Marshawn Lynch to Seattle on October 5th gave the bulk of the carries to Fred Jackson.

	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
CHI	7	20	2.9	0	1	5	5	0
Season	39	150	3.8	0	18	81	4.5	1

Jacoby Ford Explodes Against The Chiefs

	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
KC	6	148	24.3	47	0
Season	10	185	18.8	47	0

Chansi Stuckey hauled in two passes for 6 yards in Cleveland's 34-14 victory over the Patriots.  Stuckey also scored a touchdown on a trick play taking the ball in on a 11 yard rush.

	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
NE	2	6	3	4	0
Season	21	213	10.1	25	0

Michael Palmer Catches First Career TD

	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
TB	2	11	5.5	5	0
Season	4	23	5.75	11	0

Barry Richardson started at OT in the Kansas City Chiefs 23-20 OT loss to the Oakland Raiders. Richardson has started the Chiefs first 8 games on the season at tackle. 

	GP	GS
@OAK	1	1
Season	8	8

Defense

Nick Eason didn't record any stats in the Steeler's 27-21 win against the Bengles.  Eason has 1.5 sacks on the season from his DT position.  Eason is used primarily as a pass rushing specialist by the Steelers.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
@CIN	0	0	0	0	0	0
Season	5	2	1.5	0	0	0

Trevor Pryce assisted on a tackle in the Jet's 23-20 OT victory at the Lions.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
DET	1	0	0	0	0	0
Season	2	1	0	0	0	0

Dorrell Scott and the Rams had a bye in Week 9.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
BYE	0	0	0	0	0	0
Season	4	2	0	0	0	0

Kavell Conner saw limited action coming back from fracture left foot in the Colt's 26-24 loss to at the Eagles.  Conner missed 5 weeks with the fractured foot.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
@PHI	0	0	0	0	0	0
Season	5	4	0	0	0	0

Anthony Waters had one tackle and one assist in the Saint's 34-3 shalacking on the Panthers.  Waters is primarily a special teams player for the Saints.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
@CAR	2	1	0	0	0	0
Season	7	6	0	0	0	0

Crezdon Butler didn't record any stats in the Steelers' 27-21 win against the Bengles.  Butler is on the roster, but has been inactive for every game this season.

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
@CIN	0	0	0	0	0	0
Season	0	0	0	0	0	0

Chris Clemons recorded eight solo tackle in the Dolphin's 26-10 loss to the Ravens. 

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
@BAL	8	8	0	0	0	0
Season	39	32	.5	0	2	0

Brain Dawkins and the Broncos had a bye in Week 9

	TOT	SOLO	SACK	INT	FF	FR
BYE	0	0	0	0	0	0
Season	33	27	0	1	0	0

Notes:
-Leroy Hill, Phillip Merling, Ricky Sapp are injuried. 
-Tyler Grisham, Mike Hamlin and Kevin Alexander are on teams 8 man practive squad.

Michael Palmer Catches His First Career NFL TD

Michael Palmer caught his first career touchdown hooking up with Matt Ryan on a five yard strike early in the third quarter in Atlanta's 27-21 win over the visiting Bucaneers. Palmer who is filling in for the injuried, Justin Peele, hauled in 2 catches for 11 yards in the game and now has 4 catches for 23 yards on the season.