Spring Practice Primer: Clemson Tigers
2011 was a banner year for the Clemson Tigers as Dabo Swinney got the folks in Tiger Town their first ACC title since Ken Hatfield’s 1991 championship. To add to it the Tigers were back in the Orange Bowl on the 30 year anniversary of Danny Ford’s national championship. However, for as great as 2011 was for the Tigers, 2012 started out disastrous to end the season. Dana Holgorsen and the WVU Mountaineers 70-33 beating of the Tigers left a lot of questions to be answered in Pickens County.
With a new defensive coordinator in town ad an offensive coordinator they just broke the bank to keep the pressure on Dabo Swinney to rebound well from the throttling is quite real.
Stability Factor (1 = chaos; 5 = rock solid): 4
After the Orange Bowl you’d perhaps expect a bit lower designation of stability for Clemson as a program but remember folks, it is only one game. They have locked up their offensive coordinator for the foreseeable future and Brent Venables comes in on the defensive side of the ball to fix the mess that got the Tigers embarassed a year ago.
On the field defense will be in transition but as teams have proven throughout college football; if you’ve got stability at the quarterback position and some pieces to move the ball your defense can mature during the season.
Under the Microscope: Sammy Watkins
Most folks would not expect the ACC Rookie of the Year and a first team All-American to be under the microscope but that’s what Sammy Watkins will be in so many ways for 2012. There’s the always prevalent “sophomore slump” issue Watkins will be battling as he looks to use spring to refine his game and add to his repertoire. However, the real reason Watkins gets the mircroscope treatment is because now the spotlight is squarely on him. He is the face of this Clemson Tigers team, starting this spring and how he responds will be interesting.
Locked and Loaded: Running Back
Andre Ellington is the man in Tiger Town and while guys like Dwayne Allen and DeAndre Hopkins have left from the perimeter expect the senior running back to tote the rock even more than he did a year ago. Ellington proved himself capable as the feature back last season and with (fingers crossed) Mike Bellamy there to back him up the senior should help take the pressure off Tajh Boyd and give this offense time to grow some experience at the receiver position.
Jockeying for Position: Defensive Line
Ordinarily I’d pick defensive tackle or defensive end but in the case of the Clemson Tigers they are losing so much on the defensive front that the entire gang needs to find new starters. Four of the Tigers top five defensive linemen are gone and that includes Andre Branch, their sack and tackles for loss leader.
Name to Know: Corey Crawford
Crawford looked good in spots as a true freshman, logging time at defensive end behind Andre Branch and Kourtnei Brown. Those guys are both gone and Crawford has a shot to step up opposite Malliciah Goodman, so expect the rising sophomore to make a move as Brent Venables looks to find some players for that front four.
Spring will be a success if…: The defense can come together
No, after spring ball we will not know what this defense really is for the Tigers. It won’t be until the season where we see them adjust on the fly and how guys grasp the concepts of the scheme in live situations. However, in the spring we can see them transition and grow as a unit. What folks down in Tiger Town should be looking for throughout the spring is a decrease in mental errors, a firmed up depth chart, players emerging in scrimmages and, goodness me, some defensive backs that understand zone concepts.
