I got you on the ACC thing, and you're right..

By reading The State article, If Wake beats BC, Clemson still has a chance as long as they don't lose to NC St. or Maryland (which clemson shouldn't lose.) My bad.. clemson is more in it than I thought. Thanx for pointing that out.

On the "bottle that hit Bowden" subject, may be it wasn't a clemson fan. Regardless of what kind of fan it was, it was dumb, and I hope it doesn't happen again, to any coach, in any conference play..

About my Gamecocks, my confidence in them has nothing to do with the way clemson is playing, or the way clemson played last Thursday night.. It has to do with the way Carolina played against the last 3 teams we've played. We have gotten better every week, and I expect us to be better against Arky than we were against Tenn, and so on as the season goes on... It has nothing to do with the way Clemson is playing. I never specifically brought up clemson. I think we have a great chance with Arky, Florida, and Clemson. I agree with you and Ryan.. That Clemson and Arky are comparable, and good teams this year. Not chalking up wins.. If you read Brent's post, he said exactly what I mean, the only difference is that he specifically mentioned clemson I didn't.

In a nutshell, Clemson's performance last Thursday night has nothing to do with my high confidence in the Gamecocks, but the way my Gamecocks are improving every week does..

Thats what I thought too but.

This is the scenerio (out of The State Newspaper:

1) Boston College loses to Wake Forest next Saturday and all three finish with 6-2 ACC records. Boston College’s two losses would both be within the division, and Clemson would hold the head-to-head edge over Wake Forest.

or

2) Boston College, which owns the head-to-head tiebreaker against Clemson, loses two of its four remaining conference games (at Wake Forest, vs. Duke, vs. Maryland, at Miami). And Wake Forest loses to either Florida State or Virginia Tech, but not Maryland.

Basically it BC loses to Wake, both losses come from their division. This give the Tigers the advantage, especially considering Wake still has the meat of their schedule left to play. At least its possible. Maybe the Clemson Fan threw the bottle. It just doesn't make any sense, it happened in the first quarter and we were leading by seven. I wouldn't have much doubt if it was later, but the first quarter was pretty much all Tigers (and no other time all night). Who knows? We all have retarded fans. As for the Clemson and Carolina game, its good you have confidence in your team, as long as its not based on last Thursday night. After all, if we play like we did last Thursday, we most assuredly need to be worried about Maryland and NC State. I just don't see it happening again like that. I was talking to Ryan's big hairy but and he said Clemson was on the same level as Arkansas. That was a pretty good compliment because I think the Razorbacks are the best in the SEC this year, even though I'm sure he didn't mean it that way.

And The Posting Starts Back.

I just wanted to let ya'll know that Ryan apologized to me. It really wasn't that big a deal because we were all drinking, but I appreciate it anyway.

I know our offense is predictable right now, but Maryland does not have the talent to stop the run (unless Roman Fry's injury really is that big a loss) and Clemson should win by 3 touchdowns.

Boston College has to lose 2 games (they have Miami, Wake, and Maryland) and Wake Forest has to lose one. Wake has beat BC 2 out of the last 3 years and should have won last year. We gotta have some luck, but I think any of those 3 teams can beat BC and I know that Wake will lose to someone.

I wouldn't call it a flame, because I think ya'll have a shot at Clemson too. I was really impressed with Syvelle Newton against Tennessee. I will tell you this much, if our quarterback doesn't improve we will be in troublt against the Cocks. In a rivalry game big plays are important. I think one reason is that Spence hasn't let him throw enough in the other games. I know they were blow outs, but he couldn't have expected for Clemson to run against everyone.

The post below may look like a flame..

But realize that I'm a Carolina fan. I just started typing and thats what I came up with. I re-read it and it's not meant by me to be a flame at all, just my opinion.

Glad to be back on the site!! And go Cocks!

If I were you I wouldn't be worried about Maryland..

They barely beat Florida Int'l earlier in the season 14-10. They did beat FSU, but FSU isn't good this year. Clemson would have blew FSU out if it weren't for the special teams. Plus ya'll got the Terps at Clemson. Anything can happen, but I wouldn't worry to much about Maryland.

The only thing that could hold Clemson from having a 10 win season is my Gamecocks. I think Clemson will have there way with Maryland and NC St, Carolina is much better than those two teams... Carolina is the only game Clemson fans should be worrying about losing. I'm not chalking up any wins, or even saying that Carolina should beat Clemson, but I have alot of confidence in my Gamecocks now.. read below.

About the ACC champ thing, I think BC would have to lose at least 2 more ACC games unless Wake or Maryland was to win out for BC not to win the atlantic division, and if Wake orMaryland was to win out, one of those 2 would play for it. There my be a little nook for Clemson to still play for it, but I'm pretty sure BC would have to lose 2 more for the nook to be possible.

I will tell you that I feel better about Carolina's chances against Arky than I did at the begining of the season. Actually I feel better about our chances with the remainder of our schedule, especially after last Sat. I know we lost, and I won't say that Tenn. was lucky, but Carolina was very very unlucky, especially in the 1st quarter. Both teams played well for the most part, Carolina just didn't play well enough.

Back to Arky.. I think all we have to do on defense is stack the box and force the young QB to throw the ball. It's going to be in Carolina, a night game, and on ESPN1.. Thats alot of pressure on a freshman QB.

On offense, I don't care who we play It's going to be hard for them to stop Syvelle Newton. No team will be able to double cover Sydney, have coverage on Mckinley, Cory Boyd in the flats, and be able to contain Syvelle. Someone will be open, and if they're not Newton will get the yards on the ground. Arky is definatley not an easy game, but not unwinnable because of the facts I stated above. It's gonna be a good game, or either Carolina will put a spanking on them like Clemson did on GT, but if Arkansas wins it won't be by more than 7 points. Syvelle is like a speed RB that has a strong accurate arm and has seemed to settle down into Spurrier's system.. With the players he has surrounding him I think we have a chance with anyone remaining on our schedule as long as we don't make the stupid mistakes we did in the 1st quarter against Tenn. Not chalking up any wins (except for MTSU), but we will be a tough opponent for any team we have remaining on our schedule..

Huge OL commits to the Gamecocks!

Shrine Bowl OL Kyle Nunn (6-6 280) of Sumter committed Saturday night to USC while on an unofficial visit for the Tennessee game.

"Nothing like being woken up by Steve Spurrier," Nunn's mother said Sunday about a congratulations call she received from the Gamecocks' head coach. "Kyle sounds very happy and that's what I wanted. We sat down and did a chart on what five things are important, and last night he said mom this is right."

Nunn was at one time a Virginia Tech commitment before backing off that earlier this month. He also had offers from NC State, North Carolina and Georgia.

Bottle that hit coach was from Tigers fan..

Clemson football coach Tommy Bowden told ESPN that he was hit in the back of the head with a mini glass liquor bottle while on the sideline during the Tigers' loss at Virginia Tech on Thursday night.

Tech assistant athletic director Sharon McCloskey told The Roanoke Times on Friday that a Tech police officer in the stands saw a man "dressed in Clemson gear" throw the bottle. She said the man was ejected from the stadium; he was not arrested.

McCloskey said a Tech officer guarding Bowden on the sideline told her Thursday night that Bowden was hit by an "airline-type" bottle.

Police "said it was a Clemson person that did it," she said. "The policeman told me they didn't think he was trying to throw it at the coach; he was just trying to throw it out there. I don't know ... whether they thought they got a bad call or something."

"Had I turned and had it hit me in the eye, it would have killed me," Bowden told ESPN. "It was glass. That's what scared me."

http://www.tigernet.com/index.jsp

Speed WR commits to the Gamecocks!

WR Matt Clements (6-1 185) of Naples, Florida committed to USC Monday night. The commitment comes one day after Clements completed his official visit to USC. He picked the Gamecocks over Pittsburgh and West Virginia. Plus he had offers from traditional powers Clemson, Ohio State, Auburn and Nebraska.

"I wanted to end up in a place where I can be a part of something, the first to do something," Clements said. I wanted to go to a place where the coach and the players want to win. It was good fit. This is where I need to be. My heart was telling me this is where I need to be."

Clements is an excellent athlete who also played quarterback for his high school. He will strictly be a receiver with the Gamecocks.

"I just want to go there and play hard nose football," Clements said. "I have pretty good hands and good size. I really like to block a lot. I just want to go out there and make some plays and win an SEC championship."

I'm really glad to hear you say that.

I have felt about as bad as I could about that. I was pretty pissed off, I got a pretty bad temper at times. I learned my lesson and I will take a time out next time, lol. Ryan needs to go take a dookie in the woods and he will be OK. I guess it doesn't help the Tigers losing either. But oh well thats football.

Our only legitimate shot now at the ACC is Wake beating BC. But thats not likely. The Terps are kind of scaring me right now. If Proctor don't step up it could be another long weekend. What do you think about the Razorbacks this weekend?

It's kool man..

First of all I would like to say that the person that cussed Brent out was not me.. I was Ryan Richey. He was just drunk man, he didn't know what all he said to you. I do know that he felt awful about it. He called me the next day and apologized to me for cussing you at my house.

Vance don't worry about it. I tought you were really mad at me. The truth is, I hung up on you, and may be I shouldn't have, but I just didn't feel like arguing. If I got mad enough, I could have said the same things or may be worse.. Just hope you're not really "done with my fagedy ass" lol. May be if we get in a heated argument we should just say that thats enough on that subject and move on to something else to talk about.

Bottom line is, you guys are my brothers. We are gonna get mad at each other. We are all gonna get mad at each other and say stuff we don't mean, but we're stuck with each other, and it's probably not the last time one of us will get mad and say something we don't mean. It's all good on my side, just be willing to forgive me if I get mad. Hopefully we won't have to worry about it anymore, but you never know what will happen during football season.. lol.

Anyway, on to the site. I got some updates on the Gamecocks, and one on clemson also! Stay tuned!

I agree.

I lost my temper completely. I felt really bad about it. Unfortunately it was not untill the next day. I have been pretty mad about the whole not posting on the web site and needling me when Clemson losing and not talking when the Gamecocks lose or will likely lose. Its still no excuse for the things I said, but it happened. This is all coupled with the fact that we don't always get to talk during the football season, sometimes I am not around. I feel pretty cheated when some form of communication is gone as it is important to me. It was what I look forward to every day and I thought it was mutual. Doesn't matter now, but I do feel bad about it.

Its Only Football.

Year after year we argue the same arguments, with nothing changing either way. There is no sense in losing tempers over it anymore. I got cussed out last night and was told Clemson should be blown off the face of the map for stating my opinion. I know what I think, but it seems that it is getting hard to get along if we are all arguing about football..

LMAO!! The milk carton is funny..

Talked to him last night a bit.. He wasn't very happy. He's probably working tonight. He'll post something soon I bet.

LOL

I Hear You.

Any Brent Sightings? I am worried, I think he may be in hiding, LOL

LOL.. Just having a little fun! The pic is after the game.. Brad Scott finally found something to cheer about!

Just be ready Nov. 25 When the Gamecocks beat you worse than the Hokies could have ever dreamed of!!!

ONE MORE THING!!!

Frank Beamers neck is more attractive than your future.

I DON'T BLAME YOU!!!!

Riding on Beamers neck. If I were you I would buy 20 VT shirts, its the only way you will have a ever have a decent football team. After all, you will be the fashion statement of Butt Nellie!! LOL. I'm sure Syvelle Newton has quite a few, and he knows fashion. Thats the only thing his soon to be pulp wooding ass knows, cause he ain't worth a damn at QB. Sydney Rice is all you have, and he is mediocre at best this year. Not a single other decent athlete on the whole team.

24-7.. Brandon Ore - 203 Yds.. Clemson total offense - 166 Yds.. LMAO!

OUTSTANDING... LOOK UP ^^^^^^^^^

I guess that wasn't your last post after all!!! Shows me one thing, not the site or us that was bothering you, it was that you had nothing bad to say about the Tigers. Funny how the day after the loss you are posting. You will certainly get your ass beat in November. Your team is no better than last year and not as good as when Holtz was there. Bottom line, you suck. I'll say it again, we lost to Va Tech, but you will never and I mean never have a team as good as Clemson this year. You know whats funny about that, you know what I am saying is true. Your only tradition is basking in somebody elses win over the Tigers and it will always be like that. Wake Forest and Duke have a better record against Tommy than you will ever have. SEC Champions? What a joke, I used to pull for the Cocks when not playing Clemson, but no more. I hated seeing you guys get kicked over and over again, but no more. You deserve every ass whooping that you will recieve from here on out and they will come from every quality opponent that you play. Spurrier isn't good enough to hold Tommy's Jock Strap. Better than the Hokies defense? What a joke, the only thing worse in than your run defense in the SEC is your offense. Trick plays to beat Miss State and Kentucky. You should run the Hook and Ladder every other play. Its your only shot to score on offense..

Well, you were right.

Not much else to say. It was pretty funny listening to the GC fans, they are trully pathetic. Its kind of like making fun of a retarded kid, are the funny, yeah but its not right to make fun of them. They have been getting their ass kicked by the Tigers for so long, its definitely got to their head. Do you realize the Cocks have been rebuilding for over twenty years? Ever since Morrison died in fact. Hey, just so you know, you will never have anything to cheer about other than Clemson losing to another team, you will also never have a team as good as the Tigers this year. You will be a laughing stock to the entire nation when Spurrier fails and he will miserably, having not been successful under two legends in college football. You suck ass, its in your attitude, it contaminates your whole school and your whole program is nothing but thugs. So cheer Cock fans, but always remember November comes every year, and you will never have a successful program........I just planted the pitch fork in the ground, the curse is very real and alive, have fun getting your ass beat this weekend, but if Tenn slips up, your ass is grass in November.

Scary Game in Blacksburg.

I will go ahead and be honest. I think this is our scariest game the rest of the year. I know VT is down and not playing good football, but they are the Hokies and that defense is for real. I think Clemson having to travel on a short week is a factor as well. I am in the same boat as Mickey Plyler here, in that I think this game will be decided in the fourth quarter. This will be a hard fought contest, but I think Chansi Stuckey will have a big play off of an interception or fumble. Clemson 34 Virginia Tech 27

Brent, I don't know if you realize it or not....

We are about to clean house in recruiting. Expect the best year ever, in recruiting.

This article looks like I wrote it, its too long to post. Read it though...

Commentary: Seems Bowden Was Right All Along:

http://www.tigernet.com/view/story.do?id=6281

I know you don't keep up with recruiting.

But we picked up another one today, a reciever, Markish Jones. Recruiting is really starting to heat up. David Blackwell says we have only scratched the surface this year so expect some really big signings to come. 2008 is already looking good, we already have a real shot at two five stars, out of state I might add. We are really starting to take Georgia by surprise. That would be the best, because the Dogs sure have robbed us consistently.

Purple Uniforms, Predictions, Missing the Game.

I have to say I thought those uniforms looked good. I was under the influence of alcohol, but I am watching a replay of the game now on my TV and they were clearly purple (one of those cock fans were saying they looked like Boise State, and I said it was the TV). We could come out in hot pink against Carolina and win. I think this game will be a little closer in score, but I think the Tigers will never worry about losing. Koenning is finally blitzing and you saw how disruptive his blitzes were on Reggie Ball. Its great to have Stuckey back. Proctor will throw for 200 yards Thursday night. You gotta admit he looks a lot better when Stuckey's in the game. By the way, when I made my schedule this week I completely forgot about this game and I am going to miss my first game this year. Oh well, at least we have radio.

OK, I did pretty good last week, time for this weeks predictions:

This week is a little closer, but not much (Tigers are bound to be tired). The difference maker this week? Will Proctor. I predict he will have a big rebound game this week, with of course added confidence from the return of Stuckey and the need to prove himself. I also predict more screen passes this week than we saw Saturday. They know that this is a better way to get eight men out of the box than passing down the field. I say line Ford up a WR on one side and CJ on the other and pass it to either one, let them make a big play like they did with CJ Saturday, Ford would have been gone too if he got the chance. It would drive a defense crazy. This of course as always coupled with Davis and CJ running a train on VT up the middle. If CJ learns to run straight through the line and hold on to the cuts until he gets into the secondary he will be unstoppable and it is coming. He is getting better at it every week. Hence the big TD run.

I have a big suggestion to Tommy, I think he has already got the idea. We always had the orange pant tradition. If you saw Clemson wearing the orange pants, you knew you were done. Along with most everything, Hatfield ignored that tradition. Tommy has got it now. The all Purple. I say we use it against the Shamecocks next and really promote it. That is a real good motivational tool for the players, we don't lose in the all purple. What do you think?

Never been happier to say you are right, wait a minute, you said that before the game!!!

Way to call it, that did it. The Tigers have finally turned the corner. This game yesterday was totally dominated by the Tigers. Thats what was good about it, it marked the beginning of good things to come. The Tigers are trully back, you know what else shows they are here to stay? The injuries of all things, they are not good by any means but guess what, they are just as good with next years starting center as with this year. They have overcome adversity all year, refusing to lose. Even in the BC game, they had the mentallity, Jad Dean just had a bad year. But guess what? According to Bowden, the only reason Richard Jackson is not starting is because they don't want to waste a year of eligibility, that tells me he is going to be a good one. We have great things to look to this year no doubt. But it is nice to look to next year, not because we are having a disappointing year, because we have seen next years team all year. The Tigers are not going anywhere, we will be in the National spotlight this year.

As for the Shamecock fans, you listen to them way too much. They have nothing to dog on the Tigers with this year, your first clue is that they refuse to even post on this site. All they can do is dog on the ACC and they still have a beating of epic preportions to look forward to in November. I know you don't remember, it was the same thing when the Tigers won the National title, nobody in the country was any good that year. I saw them at an all time low this week, dogging on an 18 year old kid who is from our state and know to be a good kid. I admit I was down on him because I hate Notre Dame and I hate to see a player go out of state, but I have changed my opinion, Gray did the right thing not wanting to go to that program with the most obnoxious fan base in college football, my hat is off to him now.

Day of Days

Finally, Gameday comes to visit Death Valley. Finally, Clemson is playing an equally matched, ranked team in a high stakes game. Finally, Clemson is back.
Besides what the angry, envious Carolina fans say Clemson has arrived on the national scene. Bowden owns the state in recruiting, he has great coordinators, and we have all american talent. It is great to be a clemson fan on this Day of Days!
Clesmon will expose GT today in my opinion.

I agree.

I am glad they kept Tommy too. He is doing a great job managing the team and staying out of trouble. The head coach these days is the team manager, managing issues, recruiting, facilities, making sure the coordinators are doing their job. Most great head coaches have done this. He finally figured that out, the best part is he is perfectly OK with his role and gives credit where it is due. I think he is at Clemson to stay and I am OK with that. Some coaches don't admit when they have issues. He is making an all out effort to change the composure of the team this year and I think it is working. Thats why we are not playing down to our opponents. I think WF and BC have proved themselves. The kicking game got us, but oh well, who would have known. Nobody expected Dean to have this much trouble. I am certainly not dogging on him either. I am sure he is doing his best and he has won us quite a few games too. I am sure we will not make this mistake again and I hear the new redshirted kicker is amazing. They just don't want to waste him this year.

Great Coordinators

I think that is a direct reflection of Vic Koenning and Rob Spence, adding to the great recruiting classes we have had. These players believe in their schemes. Tommy has become a much better and less stressed coach now that he can worry about his position and not fixing past coordinator's problems (exception Rich Rodriguez). Outside of the Clemson fan base, I don't think there are a lot of believers in this squad, but I think the nation will know just how good the Tigers are come Saturday.

Not too shabby.

Fourth in total defense:

Rank Team G Pl Yds Avg TD Ydspg
1. LSU 7 408 1482 3.63 7 211.71
2. Rutgers 6 347 1328 3.83 7 221.33
3. Wyoming 7 427 1557 3.65 16 222.43
4. Clemson 7 439 1638 3.73 10 234.00
5. Miami (Fla.) 6 322 1424 4.42 8 237.33
6. Wisconsin 7 418 1680 4.02 10 240.00
7. Michigan 7 423 1689 3.99 12 241.29
8. Virginia Tech 6 361 1483 4.11 9 247.17
9. UCLA 6 357 1512 4.24 12 252.00
10. Western Mich. 6 338 1529 4.52 13 254.83

You knew it was only a matter of time!

The Tigers lead the nation in scoring. Heres the stats:

Rank/Team G Pts Avg TD Kxp Oxp FG S

1. Clemson 7 307 43.86 41 35 1 8 0
2. Texas 7 299 42.71 42 42 0 1 1
3. West Virginia 6 249 41.50 33 33 0 6 0
4. Hawaii 6 246 41.00 34 28 1 4 0
5. Louisville 6 243 40.50 30 30 0 11 0
6. Boise St. 6 236 39.33 30 28 1 8 0
7. Oklahoma St. 6 229 38.17 30 29 1 6 0
8. Pittsburgh 7 263 37.57 35 34 0 5 2
9. Nebraska 7 259 37.00 36 35 1 2 0
10. California 7 258 36.86 35 34 1 4 0

Out of Control!

Yeah....I saw a replay on ESPN.com. He has lost control of that group. They would rather fight than play (last year's Peach Bowl vs. LSU). I have decided not to go to the game, but to watch it on TV. I wanna be there, but finances are tight.

I guess I have to take back something too.

After yesterday, its about a 99.9% chance Coker is gone. I wonder who will replace him? Did you see the brawl? It was pretty bad.

Potential Blowout?

Saying that Clemson could blow this team out is a bold statement, but not a foolish one. I think the key to Clemson putting GT away early is for the offensive line to come out early and blow the GT defense up. No amount of scheming can stop great blocking and great talent. If Davis and Spiller (and Merriweather, but he is still gimpy) can get past the defensive line, they will run for 7-10 yards all day. If Spiller gets past the front 7 its TD baby. Clemson should come out on fire, playing primetime one ESPN national TV with Gameday likely there. I am not worried about Georgia Tech's offense or defense at all. Special teams scare me, but with very good reason. I hope we do blow this team out to silence all the doubters.

I agree.

Evidently Tommy has been reading The Sportaholic News. They had him on ESPN last night and he says the same thing I already said. They are probably not gonna shut down Calvin Johnson, but thats OK, they just need to keep him to a minimum. Special teams could beat us, you are right, I am interested to see how we take a big player away. We did it last year with him and Sydney Rice. I think we will.

I know everybody is expecting a tough game and a close one. I think we could potentially blow them out of the water. I mean its not as likely but in Tiger town and with our offense it is possible. If they can't shut down our running attack watch out, it could get ugly for the Jackets. It is a tall order to shut it down. If Merriwether comes back expect him to be out for blood. The Tigers win big this weekend, thats my prediction.

The Big Game.

I won't even get into the argument over the SEC conference, but yeah I think our money is safe. I am just ready for the biggest game to date for the Tigers coming up Saturday. I think both teams are going to find out which one is for real or not. I may end up going to the game and sitting in the same seat we had for the NC game. GT has beaten Clemson the last 2 years, with both of them being handed to the Jackets. In 2004 Clemson had the game won but let a punt sail over Cole Chason's head leading to the TD catch by Calvin Johnson that put him on the national scene. Last year, Clemson hadn't fumbled all year but Merriweather coughed it up inside the 5 on Clemson drove down the field methodically on their first possession. That led to 3 more turnovers and a Touchdown being called back as well.
Clemson is the more talented team overall. We have better playmakers and that great offensive line that should match up pretty well against one of the best defensive minds in the country (John Tenuta). Defensively, I think our speed will be able to neutralize the run pretty efficiently. I think we will definately give up some passing yards if Gaines Adams is not able to get pressure on Ball. If he and the DL can, watch for Reggie Ball to throw some bad passes that Clemson could intercept. I think this game will be close, but we really should win it at home. I think the one thing that could lose it for us is special teams. If we give up a big kick return or miss extra points or a field goal, GT is too good not to take advantage of it.

Prediction: Clemson 24 Georgia Tech 21

The SEC is looking worse every week.

Yesteday proved it, the SEC is just a bunch of mediocre teams this year.

The Deacs looked pretty good yesterday against NC State.

I don't see anybody in the SEC that would beat the Tigers right now. That ten dollars we bet Ryan is looking safer and safer every week. Pretty sure Ga Tech will beas Ga this year. It would be outstanding if Fla State beat Fla.

They are right, just look at them. They are so intelligent and we are so stupid. Why should they lower themselves to talking to us?

I saw most of it last night and it was truly pathetic.

I still think Beamer is a good coach and it is ashame he can't get a grip on that team. I'm afraid its too far gone. If I were him, I would send a message and suspend both of those guys for the year if not for good. The player dancing on the field while they were losing would get his too.

I really have never kept up with recruiting until this year and I have to admit, it made it more exciting. Not because we win battles, just knowing the players and what to expect. Its fun to see a player live up to expectations.

It is ashame, but I can't help it. We consistently catch hell no matter what. If we have a good team its because the ACC is bad. Our loses are still being talked about three years after they happen. We have not got one ounce of respect, we could win the national championship and it would be because everybody is no good. It gets old after a while. Its obvious Clemson has turned the corner, on the field and yes, even with recruiting. It would be nice to get just one compliment when we win, I mean, I think it is well deserved.

Actual Herby Quote

I found his actual quate on Bruce Feldman's (ESPN) mailbag:

All of the trouble prompted ESPN color analyst Kirk Herbstreit to rip into the Hokies, saying they've replaced their coveted lunch-pail attitude with a me-first bravado. This is something others have said before, but it matters more when it comes from Herbstreit. For the younger generation, he is one of the preeminent voices of college football, not some shock jock spewing hate for ratings. But one man's opinion -- influential as it is -- isn't the only problem. The game's result, coupled with the loss to Georgia Tech on Sept. 30, confirmed what many had feared early on -- that Tech is in serious trouble."

Well it's not an exact quote...but it is basically what he said....i didn't read the whole thing before I posted it.

Herbstriet said it....

I didn't get to see the entire scene, but some of the Virginia Tech players started pushing each other around when Boston College scored the game-clinching TD. I have believed that Virginia Tech was nothing but a bunch of thugs ever since Michal Vick was there. Kirk Herbstreit confirmed it with his words last night after seeing that incident. I don't have an exact quote, but he said that ever since Mikey Vick came to VT it seemed like they recruited a lot of talent.....individual talent that cared nothing for their team but only about themselves and getting to the NFL. He said this team is going to decline if they can't become team players. Basically he said that Virginia Tech needs to get rid of the thugs. I totally agree....once again the only guy with brains at ESPN gets it right.

Shame about Blake.....but it has become basically a Clemson fan site with occasional info about the Gamecocks....personally the blog space you guys wasted on a single player is just like VT. I barely read any of it because I only care about the game and the team...recruiting is only secondary in my love of football.

Hey thats fine, I mean I spent alot of work putting this together...

If you notice, me and Brent disagree at times and we are both Clemson fans, the difference is we don't act like you just acted, taking it personally and so on. Its just football, the truth is its just something to look forward too. The idea of this site, at least as I saw it was to have discussion on college football. That doesn't mean we should all be in agreement, I again go back to me and Brent. I don't really think Brent gets mad when I disagree with him, otherwise its not a discussion. For example, I gave some reasons why it was not a surprise to me, one being Sapp. You said Sapp hasn't done anything impressive and I brought up what he has done, hence the discussion and providing insight that you probably don't know not being a Clemson fan. I even brought up its the same reason we get good recruits at times, putting us in the same category as the Gamecocks, meaning it was not a hit on the program otherwise we are in the same boat.

I really don't think it warranted what you just wrote, I also agree if everything has to be taken personally as a reason to get upset, the site is done, as that certainly is not why it was created.

My last post..

I hate to be a sore loser..

Well wait a sec... I'm not the loser here with Cliff commiting to Carolina, but I am a little sore.

We just won a big recruit over Clemson and UGA, and I feel good about it. Now you're trying to tell me why he didn't pick the other two schools over Carolina?? I havn't said anything about clemson's commits besides congrats. Never gave any reason as to why they didn't pick another school over clemson.

Give me a break.. Clemson lost a good player in Cliff plain and simple.. Regardless of if it was because of Sapp or not (which it wasn't), but if it was, Clemson will have a big problem picking up any DE thats worth a shit or smart because Ricky Sapp is ALL-WORLD..LMAO.. So any that DE that commits to clemson is either dumb or sux because he will have to compete with Sapp for playing time. I hope you're right. Come on who will they have to back him up next year??? Hmmm, a thought to ponder on, but I'll tell you who it won't be. Thats right CLIFF MATTHEWS!!!!

There is no proof that Sapp is better than Cliff anyway. The downside on Ricky so far is he hasn't been physical enough yet. The main attribute of Cliff is he is very very aggresive and physical.. I guess 3 years will tell!

You were telling me the other day that we should get more involed with the site. This is why I don't. Carolina gets a big commit and you come with this..

I'm done fellows, change the name of the site to theclemsonaholicnews, cuz thats what it is. I'm not pissed, I just see it pointless for me to post anything else.

Good info on Norwood, but he plays weakside at times. He would have even better stats if we got to play UNC, LT, and Temple this early in the season!

By the way, good game for Sapp against 119th ranked TEMPLE.. Geez Vance come on.

Been a nice ride guys, but the replies I get after my posts are ridiculous. Involving me in this site was a retarted idea.. even though it was my idea to start a site. To bad my best buds aren't Gamecock fans.. lol.

Anyway, babble amongst yourselves.. I'm done.

Make that two before the game, now two more at half time.

I hate to do it, but I can't stand it. He now has four on the year, with a whole half of football to go. Norwood now leads him by a half a sack on the year as Eric Norwood has 4.5. I do believe he has quite a bit more playing time, just a thought.

Also, Sapp has a sack to his credit.

He needs to get a little bigger (not to play, just to decrease the injury factor) and lord knows we don't need another injury right now. Especially playing a player early in a position we are strong in. Expect to see him tonight, I feel pretty sure he will get another sack, unless the old whoot owls pull a fast one and keep it close, but thats not likely. Sapp will be at the top of his game next year, ideally from a team standpoint, you want them to learn the game before you throw them in their. Expect him to wow you and alot of teams next year, he will be a leader in the sack area for sure, he is almost unstoppable, according to reports from practice anyway, pretty good indication even though its practice, seeing as how he lines up against the Tigers O-line in practice.

Well we agree to disagree.

Certainly not trying to flame, but alot of what you said just doesn't hold water. First off, I believe Norwood is a Strongside DE, secondly, your run defense is bad. Also, unless he can't read I am quite sure he knows who Sapp is, he could have even played against him in highschool, I don't know. Its kind of hard not to know who the number one recruit in the State was last year.

You said you were surprised he was going to USC and I said it was not, I was also giving some reasons why it was not a surprise to me. I mean, you got to admit, if what you said is true, the kid is not very smart, not knowing who his competition is. I give him a little more credit than that, I also give him big props for not going out of state, especially to UGA. Every kid wants to start as soon as they can, I still say he had a better shot of starting early at USC over his other two choices. Thats not a knock either, I'll let you in on a little secret (I am not ashamed of it and its really not a secret) thats how we are getting most of our big recruits over the Florida's and Florida States, they want to play early. Whats wrong with that? Its the same for the Tigers. Do you disagree? Even Tommy said he promised CJ early play time, and he certainly lived up to his promise.

Thanx for the congrats..

But there was nothing that showed me that he was going to pick the Gamecocks over Clemson or especially UGA until today.. He's had UGA on top for months now.

That Spurrier quote sold him I believe. "Coach Spurrier told me that they were one defensive end from winning that game (against Auburn)." Not being scared of competing for the starting job.

Cliff Matthews isn't the kind of player that would be afraid of competition. If he was, he wouldn't have wanted to compete with the Carolina true freshman DE Eric Norwood. Norwood is tied for 3rd in the SEC in sacks, and God only knows how many QB hurries he's had. He also had a decent games against UGA and Auburn and Cliff was in attendance for both.

Cliff has not seen stats like that from Ricky Sapp.. Cliff may not even know who the kid is, some players don't even keep up with recruiting. If someone doesn't keep up with recruiting, they haven't heard much about Ricky Sapp, because he has barely seen the field.

Ricky Sapp may be good, don't get me wrong, but nothing he has did on the field in a real game (not practice) has shown it, because he hasn't had much playing time, and that isn't saying he's not a good player just that no one has seen it yet.. including Cliff. Anyway, what if Ricky gets hurt, and even if he didn't you have to have 2 good players at every position to be a good team. Thats what Carolina and Clemson are working towards, and Carolina made a huge step in doing that at the DE position today.

Don't think that the reason that Carolina got Matthews is because of Sapp though.. give our coaches some credit. Carolina just one this battle in recruiting.. over 2 good teams.

Who knows, like you've always said about good players attracting other good players (J. Davis and Spiller).. maybe Cliff saw how well Norwood played in the Auburn game.

Don't worry about Notre or Michigan.. they didn't offer him.. Clemson, UGA, Bama, Auburn, VT, GT, Florida, Tenn. did, but don't worry, this kid is absolutely nothing like Gray. Decommiting won't happen, but hey if it did.. we still have Eric Norwood and Casper Brinkley!

Its a great pick up for you no doubt, but it comes as no surprise to me.

Of course you can't go by what you hear, but I have heard nothing that would lead me to believe he was not leaning towards the Cocks all along. There is a little too much competition with the Tigers and UGA right now anyway, of course we would love to have him. I just don't think trying to beat out Ricky Sapp is very inviting and he probably does not want to move to strong defensive end. Anytime we keep players away from UGA it is good. Keep them in state. Now all you have to worry about is the looking glass of the Notre Dame's and Michigan's in college football. Hopefully, most likely in fact, he has more class than traitor Gray.

HUGE RECRUITING NEWS FOR THE GAMECOCKS!

DE Cliff Matthews (6-5 230) of Cheraw committed Wednesday to USC capping a complete turn around for the Gamecocks in this recruiting battle which saw them go from first to third and now back to first.

Matthews said, "I felt in my heart it was the best place for me. Coach Spurrier and I have a real tight relationship. Coach Spurrier told me that they were one defensive end from winning that game (against Auburn)."

Matthews had previously been heavily favoring the Georgia Bulldogs. When asked what changed his mind, he said, "I really swung Carolina's way when I went to the Carolina-Auburn game. The atmosphere was unbelievable, how loud the fans are, and the players get after it on the field."

Matthews had also been considering Clemson, but the premiere pass rushing specialist is firm in his commitment to the Gamecocks. He said, "My official visit (to South Carolina) will be to the Arkansas game. I will not I will not take any other visits, and I am firmly committed to South Carolina."

Matthews also had a shout out to the Carolina faithful that played an important factor in his decision to become a Gamecock: "You were the loudest crowd I have ever been to in my life. You definitely had an impact on my decision."

Blake's notes:
This is a huge accomplishment for the Carolina coaching staff. To beat out Clemson and UGA for a big recruit like this.. is HUGE. Cliff is 6' 5" 235 lbs. (with plenty of room for more weight). He is also the 3rd best weak-side DE in the nation and a 4 star recruit according to rivals.com.

Wonderful pickup for the Gamecocks.. and a complete shocker!!!

Bonus: Cliff is pictured above (#83) along with future Gamecock commit Carlos Dunlap (#8). Carlos is 6' 6" 240 lbs., the 13th best strong-side DE in the nation and a 4 star (he will likely grow into a DT at the next level).. He is favoring the Gamecocks heavily per reliable sources! It's turning out to be a great class for Carolina.. especially on the D-line!!

Oh by the way... Gary who?????

I am certainly not saying run it exclusively.

But a play or two would certainly work, can you imagine CJ or JD running the other way. How about a pass to either one, it would work and just add to our arsenal. I think Proctor is fine, I think his arm strength is OK too. He had a bad game, it is the first one this year. He made some outstanding throws at the end to win the game and got his composure back when it mattered. Thats impressive as any QB has a bad game, most don't recover as he did. I could be wrong, I don't think Ga Tech will be able to stop the run against us. Its simple, we don't have to completely stop Calvin Johnson, just keep him to a minimum. We will stop the run, thats a given. If we do that we win easily as I don't think anybody can shut down our offense. Also, the wind, rain and cold weather didn't help Proctor. I kind of doubt the conditions will be the same in Tiger Town next week.

The Orbit

They call that type of misdirection "the orbit." We could run some of it right now, but that shit takes a lot of discipline that these less athletic teams have more of. I don't like it myself, Vance. I like the style we play. You know whats coming....so try to stop it....and half the time you bring it....we put it over the top for a long pass. I tell you what though vance....Proctor is good man...he is, but I am not impressed with his long ball arm strength. He doesn't neccesarily need it though. Oh, the main reason I don't like their offense is because Wake Forest always makes clemson play like shit!

One more thing.

I have heard Wake Forest block dirty and all kinds of stuff. I havn't got to watch them play the Tigers in a while, I didn't see it. They continually got the defense to go one way and moved the ball the other way, we need to take a play or two out of their playbook. If we could fool a defense like that with our talent we would be gone every time just like the quick snap we do. I bet Spence picked up on it, wonder if we will ever try it?

Hopefully we can squeek into the top ten before the Ga Tech game.

With Fla and Auburn playing this weekend we should move up to 11th at least. If we can get to the top ten, all the teams that lose ahead of us will fall behind us and it becomes more unlikely we will get jumped. I think the pollsters are gonna give us a little credit because we lost by one point in overtime early in the season.

Granted, its still a long shot to make it to the big game, but I have learned that anything is possible in college football. At the very least if we win out we can get a damn good bowl game. Most of the teams ahead of us play each other, the faster we get into the top ten, the better. Evidently Ga Tech did not play well this past weekend. The next three weeks are crucial, the Tigers showed me and the rest of the country that they are not the same team, if they keep that refuse to lose attitude going we should be good to go.

Well, I don't know Brent.

I know four backs are alot, but each one of them brings something different to the table. I also think that James Davis having fresh legs adds to his running ability. He don't ever get tired. I can almost guarantee you one thing, he is far far more motivated when he gets the ball. He knows he needs a big play, that is what the Tiger want. It also helps to minimize injuries, if he gets hurt, what good is he?

About Stuckey, we are very, very deep at reciever. Nobody even knows how talented our recievers are. Why? Bowden takes care of his players, he has been setting Stuckey up for a early round pick in the NFL. I learned alot watching the recievers before the N. Carolina game. One thing is for sure, Jacoby Ford can catch the football. You will see this weekend. Why do you think they are going to Ford instead of Grisham or the other recievers this weekend? He is going to be a defensive nightmare. If you watch replays of the games, he is wide open on almost every play because the secondarys are not fast enough to cover him. Stuckey is a big loss, no doubt. But nothing much has changed, we still are a deep threat team. Thats not the problem for our opponents, you first have to stop the best running game in college football before you get a chance to stop the best passing game in college football. Nobody is more well rounded than we are.

Snakebitten Tigers!

Vance, I think 4 running backs is too many in a close game. I will tell you this much. The Tigers are a different team when James Davis in there, just like last year. The offense move a lot better as a whole when he is in there. I would rotate him and Merriweather now that Stuckey is out. Spiller would get his carries, but his fumbles scare me. I would try to get him in on some swing routes and screens. Honestly, I think Stuckey's injury is going to be tough to overcome against Georgia Tech. They are the best defensive team we play and unless one of these young recievers steps up to play, Tech will stack the box.

Not Good.

Just when you think things are almost perfect, Stuckey, broken foot out for 3-5 weeks. This is gonna hurt.

Stuckey out 3-5 weeks..

Tough blow for the tiggers..

Should still kill Wake. May hurt against GT and VT..

On a more serious note..

I'm going to be a daddy of two.

We'll find out for sure tomorrow..

Clemson ranks 6th in the nation in recruiting!

Heres the link:

http://clemson.rivals.com/teamrank.asp?Year=2007&Page=1&Type=0&Sort=0

Well, I can't agree with you this time.

I think four backs is great! I do believe you try and get Davis close to 100 yards, but other than that I would put in a different back every series. Of course if one is not performing you would cut it out. I believe one secret to our success is having a fresh set of legs on the field at all times. It also limits the threat of injury which is good for the player. It may sound crazy but it is looking more and more like we are going to that. I know I saw NC run the ball on VT with some success, I don't know about GT, but nobody can completely shut it down and we have the best recieving corps in the nation hands down. Best running back corps, no doubt. Best offensive line, very arguable, whats left on offense?

Running Back University

I agree that Demerick Chancellor is a stud, but I haven't seen him run over Top 25 caliber yet. I just think trying to get 4 running backs in is too much, when you're playing a quality opponent. The only solution is somehting I hate to even type: bench Reggie Merriweather. He is a good running back, but unfortunately the least talented. Personally though, I would keep him in the top trio, because he is a senior and has done a lot for the program. Demerick Chancellor is only a freshman, so he will have his chances in his career. Reason for not using 4 running backs is simple, James Davis is too good to average 50 yards a game. We will not be getting 350 yards rushing against VT or GT. Those games, the offensive statistics will have to be more balanced. I do think we will put up big numbers against Wake Forest this week. My prediction: 41-13

You are wasting your breath Brent.

I was trying to talk to him yesterday and he was reduced to complete babble. I finally had to hang up the phone on him. Its pretty sad.

One thing is for sure, the Tigers are not going anywhere for a long time. Take Demerick Chancellor for example, what do you think about him now? He is being deemed the best 4th string back in the Country and I would have to agree. I think he should see more playing time. I think we have a real good chance to win out and the statistics are gonna give us some big time respect in the polls. We should be getting real close to being the best offensive team in the Country and we still have a legitimate shot at finishing at the top.

I think we are gonna have a repeat of the past two games against the Deacons. After all, can you imagine if we had our first string in for the entire game in either game?