2012 Wrap Up.

A little late on the post here, but it's about time I got back into the groove of things.  So for football season and the beginning of basketball season and all other topics relevant here is my 2012 wrap up.

1. Clemson's win over LSU is an enormous victory for the program.
No, Clemson didn't beat South Carolina or Alabama, or any of the rest of the SEC besides LSU.  However, Clemson did find their way over a hump that they have been attempting to overcome since Dabo Swinney became the leader of the program.  It's no secret that the Tigers have struggled against the likes of the SEC in recent years, which is why this win proves so important.  LSU was a team that was one defensive stop away from playing for a National Championship.  Do I think they should have? Of course not.  Their offense is too inconsistent to play for a title, but regardless, had they beat Bama and proceeded to win the SEC they would've been in.  Tajh Boyd took part in 79 of Clemson's 102 plays.  I saw a boy grow into a man in a span of three hours.  Combined with his receiveing counterpart DeAndre Hopkins the Tigers handled the LSU secondary.

Two other notable factors in this game are 1. How the Tigers handled adversity and 2. The edge Clemson played with.

               A.  On the second play of the game Clemson WR Sammy Watkins fumbled, injured his ankle and was immediately ruled out for the game.  The Tigers continued on as if he was never in the game plan.  Clemson trailed early and often against LSU, who scored on their first possession of each half.  Entering the 4th quarter, the Tigers trailed by 11.  The resiliency that Clemson showed to claw their way back into this game was one that the fans were not used to, but delightfully pleased with.

              B.  Whether the word be resilient, tough, edgy or a synonym of your choice, Clemson was it.  They had come to play.  The Clemson Tigers were even a bit over the edge at times, drawing a 15 yard penalty here and there.  It was great to see this Tiger team finally make a stand for themselves.

Clemson finished with 445 total yards to LSU's 219, 32 first downs to LSU's 9 and a 25-24 win.

Click here to view other stats from the game.

2.  The ACC came to play, and brought some unexpected friends.
The ACC finished their bowl season with 4 wins (Clemson, FSU, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech) and 2 losses (Duke and NC State).  As opposed to in the past, the ACC actually showed up to play football.  Along with the 4 wins future ACC member Louisville handed Florida a 33-23 defeat in the Sugar Bowl.  Impressive Bowl Season for the ACC.

3.  Johny Manziel
At this point Johny Manziel is the most popular player in college football and maybe the most popular player in the world.  Since he was awarded the Heisman he has been spotted courtside at a Mavericks Spurs game, in pictures with the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and James Harden.  He posted a picture of himself on twitter in a casino with wads of cash in his hand, which was quickly removed.  Alongside that he has played golf with the Jonas Brothers.  What Johny Manziel or "Johny Football" did this year was nothing short of impossible.  As a Freshman he led the SEC in rushing (as a quarterback I might add) and was the first ever Freshman to win the Heisman trophy (See Manziels Stats).  He returns a steady offensive line next year despite the loss of OL Luke Joeckel and Offensive Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.  The sky is the limit for Johny Manziel.

5.  I Love Gonzaga
The Gonzaga Bulldogs are a team I pointed out at the beginning of the year to make an impact this year.  Ranked #9 in the nation the Zags have done just that.  Posting a 16-1 record with their only loss coming to a good Illinois team, the Bulldogs are a matchup nightmare.  The Bulldogs have depth, with 6 players averaging over 7 points a game.  Guard Kevin Pangos has the green light to shoot whenever he wants, which has proven to be deadly in games such as Baylor where he finished with 31 points (21 from beyond the arc).  Freshman 7-footer Kevin Olynyk is evolving into a monster in the post.  Olynyk is the team's leading scorer and has scored 30+ in their last two outings.  David Stockton only averages 3 points per game but is crucial in making the offense flow.  He averages 3.3 assists per game.  Sophomore Gary Bell is another 3 point threat and 7-foot 305 pound center Przemek Karnowski is nothing short of a walking house on a basketball court.  if you ever wandered what JJ Watt might look like playing basketball, check out this large man.  The key for Gonzaga will be the play and motivation of Elias Harris.  When motivated Harris plays at the level of a first round NBA draft pick, but there are times when he mentally checks out and his teammates are forced to pick up the slack.  If Harris can keep the checkouts to a minimum, look for Gonzaga to make a deep run come tournament time.

6.  Duke is THAT GOOD.  
Despite losing at NC State in a very close ballgame yesterday, Duke is still the best team in the nation and has gone above and beyond expectations so far this year.  Mason Plumlee (Averaging 17.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per game) is playing like a man possessed.  Ryan Kelly has emerged into a versatile offensive presence that the Blue Devils so desperately needed.  Seth Curry has been consistent as usual and Quinn Cook has provided a very efficient fourth outlet for scoring.  Not to mention standout Freshman Rasheed Sulaimon has been known to fill it up at times.  Duke's downfall for this year could come down to health issues.  In the past week Ryan Kelly injured his foot and Seth Curry reinjured his leg.  But when healthy, Duke is nearly unbeatable.

That's it for my yearly wrap up.  Hope you enjoyed, post questions, opinions and comments below.  Follow me @KFISH0 on twitter.  Thanks.

Auburn vs Clemson Recap

70-33.  The numbers raced through the minds of all Clemson players, fans and coaches all offseason.  Receiving the common joke such as, "Oh, West Virginia just scored again." or "Drove home yesterday,  the speed limit was a high of 70 and a low of 33."  If you are related to Clemson in any way there is an extremely high chance you've heard one of those jokes this summer, due to the beatdown given by West Virginia to Clemson in the Orange Bowl last year.

The offseason didn't bode well for the Tigers either.  5 star running back and rising Sophomore, Mike Bellamy, was dismissed from the team after being ruled academic for the Spring semester. Only a few months later All-American Wide Receiver Sammy Watkins was arrested for possession of marijuana and suspended two games.  

For Clemson fans, the season couldn't have come any sooner.  They had been living a nightmare for the past 7 or 8 months.  Now came the actual football.  A chance to set aside last year, the speculation of the coming year, and play some football.  

The Tigers were ready to reestablish themselves to their early-season form of last year.  After the humiliating loss in the Orange Bowl, Clemson fired defensive coordinator Kevin Steele.  They then went and snatched defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who led the Oklahoma Sooners to the best defense in the Big 12 last year.  (Which isnt saying much cause it's the Big 12, but hey its gotta ount for something).  The Tigers returned most of their players, losing a few offensive and defensive linemen to the NFL.  Andre Ellington was coming off a nagging foot injury that had bothered him for the past two years.

Early on both teams tried to establish their offensive rhythms, while the defenses tried to disrupt it.  Auburn and Clemson both went 3 and out on their first two possessions.  On the ensuing possession Clemson drove down and ended up settling for a field goal.

About 2 plays later Auburn QB Frazier went play action and launched a bomb down the center of the field to wide receiver Emory Blake, who had not a defensive back anywhere in his zip code.  Yes. He was that wide open.  That made it 7-3 Auburn.  Slowly and surely it became a game of field goals.

Clemson running back Andre Ellington looked to be back in highest form, which was shown by an unbelievable run in the 2nd quarter.  Ellington was headed to the sideline and seemed to be tackled, when he spun over on his defender, put his hand on the ground and propelled himself up and on his feet, without his knee ever touching the ground.  The play went for 68 yards before Andre was forced out of bounds.  Ellington finished the night with 231 yards on 26 carries.  The drive was capped off by a 7 yard TD run by 3rd string running back Roderick McDowell (also known as "Hot Rod").

As a supporter of Clemson, it's so nice to know you have a kicker who is as consistent as Chandler "Catman" Catanzaro proved to be.  He was 4/4 on field goals, making kicks from distances of 40, 24, 37 and 18.
All Clemson fans can breathe a sigh of relief with me.  He's only a Sophomore and doesn't look to be going anywhere but up.

The star of the game was DeAndre "Nuk" Hopkins (Why he is called Nuke. http://clemson.greenvilleonline.com/content/story/7425/deandre-hopkins/).  DeAndre set the Clemson record for most receptions and one game catching 13 passes for 119 yards and an incredible over the shoulder catch on a fade route to give Clemson the go ahead touchdown.  Hopkins was a very adequate filler in the absence of Sammy Watkins.

With one final gasp down 26-19 in the fourth quarter Auburn lined up and QB Kiehl Frasier was sacked by DE Vic Beasley.

Game Over.

By winning this Clemson has erased an entire offseason of abysmal memories.  Clemson fans have a new team, new players, a new hope.

They still have a long ways to go, but I'm looking forward to watching them grow the rest of the season.

Clemson should look to improve in their defense under Brent Venables.  Improvement was obvious as the game progressed but there were still many instances where linebackers were nonexistent and defensive backs were burned.  The offensive line also has room for concern.  THey came out extremely passive early, but toughened up as the game wore on.

Biggest stat of the night:  Clemson had one 3 and out.

Next week Clemson hosts Ball St.

Oh, and just as a reminder.  Watkins watch=1 week