Sept. 3–Clemson at Auburn - L (0-1)
Hate to concede anything to some faux tigers with a crack-addled mascot, but even given their losses on the defensive side of the ball I think Clemson is playing at a much higher level than Auburn early in the season. No shame, really, in losing to a Nat'l Champ contender.
Let's dive deeper, game-by-game:
Clemson returns half of its starting 22 this season.
Notable losses:
OL - Eric McLain, Joe Gore
WR - Charone Peake
Not much missing from an offense that rang up points and yards early and often.
But...they lost a ton of their starting defense:
DT - DJ Reader
DE - Shaq Lawson, Kevin Dodd
LB - BJ Goodson, Travis Blanks
DB - Mackensie Alexander, Jayron Kearse and TJ Green
The good news, is that super-freak Lawson (theirs) is gone while super-super-freak Lawson (ours) is back and purportedly as healthy as he's ever been. With Davidson/Cowart on the other end and Adams/Russell/Lawrence/Swain plugging the middle, the line should be disruptive enough to create opportunities for negative plays.
The improved linebacker play (presuming it continues into the actual season) will be crucial in containing Watson on the edges. Looking for Neal, Davis and Williams to have big years, but don't forget about Darrel Williams, Jeff Holland and Richard McBryde looking for the opportunity to get noticed.
The most proven/battle-tested defensive unit for the (real) Tigers is the secondary, despite the losses of Jon Jones and Blake Countess. Star-in-the-making, Carlton Davis will have his side of the field locked down (if he can stay out of the doghouse) and transfer Jamel Dean provides extensive experience on the other side of the field. Tre Matthews, Rudy Ford and the return of Josh Holsey should give plenty of leadership in the middle of the backfield.
There are mountains of potential, and some flashes of true brilliance, on Steele's side of the field and they will be tested mightily on September 3. If this version of the Auburn defense can hold Clemson under 30 on the first outing of the year, I'd be inclined to call that a success.
Now, that Auburn offense...
There is a ton of potential...stars across the board...but it will all start with the play of the QB, of course. Barring a miraculous turnaround by Johnson, I'd say this is White's team on day 1. And I'm ok with that. With a bum wheel, some extremely suspect playcalling and a cast of stone-handed receivers, White managed to look fiercely competitive in his outings last season. He has some shiny new toys to play with in the WR corps and a punishing running committee to take the heat off him, now it's time to see if Gus has truly worked the kinks out of his coaching/delegation debacles.
The running backs should provide the foundation for the offensive plan. Pound the middle of the defense with Robinson, get the LBs and Safeties chasing the boundaries when Kerryon and Roc run sweeps and wheel routes, and just when the green secondary of Clemson is creeping up to provide support, drop one over the top and take a shot at the endzone. So simple a dummy with a laptop can do it.
The OL has plenty of depth, but we're in the process of finding a combination that will play well together. Hand will prove his worth if he can field 5 on opening day that play as a cohesive unit and provide White time to execute the gameplan.
Who knows how the H-Backs/TEs will be utilized, but Pettway and Cox showed some excellent stuff at ADay and their involvement in the offense can only help...especially if we can get some Prosch-style lead-blocking from them.
Gus has the horses to score at will...this season will show if he has the coaching bona fides to get the job done. This is his team, with his staff and he's gotta produce.
I think we stumble a bit out of the gate offensively and come up just short in this one.
31-24
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