Clemson Items

-- I'll be liveblogging the Clemson game this weekend. I think it might help me keep my sanity. So whaddya say you put away the sharp objects for a few hours and have a sit?

-- Danny Ford Is God takes a look at Clemson's gameplan against Maryland:

What did Bud Foster show us up there in Blacksburg on a Thursday night? Well, it was pretty simple, if you take away the running game and the short passes, you kill Clemson's offense. He walked his safeties up, played his cornerbacks tight, and said "Rob Spence, you go right ahead and throw the ball vertically, we're only worried about the runs, swings, and screens." So what did Rob Spence do? Well, he ran the runs, swings, and screens, and got shutdown. Predictably, the Fridge (UMD's head coach) watched that tape and thought to himself: "That's a pretty good plan, and Spence sure is hardheaded. I think we'll do the same thing, now somebody go get me some bear claws."

-- Much like the Wolfpack, the Tigers are fighting through a losing streak:

Coleman has felt the mood around campus sour the past two games. But he says the players can't worry about much else than this week's game with North Carolina State (3-6, 2-4).

"We knew going in that people will jump on the ship just as quick as they'll jump off," he said. "We're really just doing it for each other and we want to finish strong."

How to turn things around? Bench Proctor! Don't bench Proctor! Says the don't-bench-Proctor guy:

If redshirt freshman Cullen Harper was good enough, he would be playing.

Normally I'd agree that's a safe assumption, but... witness Marcus Stone and Daniel Evans.

-- In his weekly press conference, Tommy Bowden said he's not thinking about replacing Proctor, and nor should he be. Outside of the Virginia Tech game where the Tigers were totally shut down, their lowest yardage output this season is 345 yards (against FSU). They piled up almost 400 yards on Maryland but just kept stalling in the red zone. Anyway, the Tigers' running backs will prolly find a lot of success against NC State's sub-par run defense, making the guy under center rather less-than-crucial.

-- CJ Spiller: frightening. (HT: rob's place)