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Monday, October 13, 2008
Next up for Tech: Either a meltdown or a tornado
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wow. So, who had Oct. 13 in the “When does Tommy Bowden get fired?” pool?
Hard to initially decipher what this will mean for Tech (although that won’t stop us from trying!).
It’s not clear who’s going to be the starting quarterback, senior Cullen Harper, who was demoted Friday after Clemson’s Thursday night loss to Wake, or redshirt freshman Willy Korn, whom Bowden elevated in Harper’s place.
That’s one factor. Harper is the far more experienced player and has plenty of track record (although he was 17-for-39 with one interception against Tech last year in a 13-3 Jackets win). Korn is faster and might give a boost to the Tigers, reeling at 3-3.
Another is that, simply, this makes it harder for Clemson to prepare. It can’t be easy to practice when the coach who has been running practice for the last nine years is suddenly gone. Coaches’ responsibilities change, game planning changes, all sorts of stuff.
On the other hand, Tech has more variables. Will interim coach Dabo Swinney change the game plan significantly? The Jackets defense may have to prepare for both Korn and Harper.
Further, who knows what sort of effect this will have on Clemson’s collective psyche. You can bet that Death Valley will have way more volume than it would have had Bowden still been on the sideline.
One guy who isn’t sad to see Bowden going is Harper, who told ESPN “it’s what he deserved.”
Yikes. Will the rest of the team respond with newfound energy or will they be in a fog after a week of wondering what’s going to happen.
One thing I think - Tech had better brace for anything in the first quarter. It’s not hard to imagine Clemson going for it all on its first play from scrimmage and causing Death Valley to go absolutely bananas.
The best thing that could possibly happen, certainly in any game but definitely this one, is for the defense to hold Clemson to three-and-out and then the Tech offense come back with a 12-play touchdown drive.
What do you think this means for Tech?
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What to do about the O-line?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CPJ indicated he might change personnel on the offensive line after Saturday’s near-disaster. The Jackets gained 1.7 yards per carry.
If the line can’t open holes against Gardner-Webb, how will it fare against Clemson, UVA, FSU, etc.?
Left tackle Andrew Gardner is a stud, but none of the other starters — left guard Cord Howard, center Dan Voss, right guard Joseph Gilbert and right tackle David Brown — has really stood out.
These backups saw action Saturday: A.J. Smith, Nick Folkner, Jason Hill, Austin Barrick and Nick Claytor.
Who would you like to see get a shot? Or would you rather stick with the starters and hope they improve?
