The Day After: OL tweaking forthcoming
A few quick notes from Tommy Bowden’s teleconference Sunday in the aftermath of Clemson’s 34-10 drubbing by Alabama:
After reviewing the game film, Bowden reiterated the main thing that stuck out was how Alabama dominated the point of attack.
With the offensive line’s struggles, coaches will consider some personnel shuffling. Redshirt frosh G Wilson Norris could get a longer look opposite fellow redshirt frosh Mason Cloy, who played extensively. Bobby Hutchinson, who hung up his cleats during the summer to serve as a student coach, still has a season of eligibility and probably will now be asked to suit up, Bowden said. Another, more distant option would be pulling the redshirt off freshman Matt Sanders.
Will any of those changes help? There probably won’t be a discernable difference in the short term. But I doubt Bowden wants to wait as long as he did last year before rebuilding the line’s core.
On the defensive side, it doesn’t sound like major changes are forthcoming because Bowden said it was “uncharacteristic” of Vic Koenning’s defensive front to be manhandled like it was.
In other words, expect some serious rear-end chewing to be the course of action here.
As for the psyche of the team, Bowden’s cupboard is predictably stocked with examples of how teams have recovered from comparable defeats. His favorites: Virginia Tech won the ACC last year after getting beaten down at LSU in the second game, and Southern Cal regrouping after losing to 40-point underdog Stanford a year ago.
“It’s never acceptable. You wouldn’t want this first year, last year, middle year of a contract,” Bowden said. “But again, there are a lot of teams that will have performances like this.â€
“If you look at our track record the last three years, we haven’t been kicked around like that. … I’ll be surprised if we don’t respond.”
True, Bowden’s teams have typically responded when the sky has fallen. But the more pertinent issue is why his teams (coaches and players, both) have not seemed to be emotionally or physically ready for the majority (not all, but the majority) of big games to prevent the sky from falling in the first place.
For a team with as many experienced upperclassmen as Clemson has, it certainly did not react with any anger or passion when Alabama punched the Tigers in the gut in Saturday’s first quarter. From their perspective, has to be the most disappointing part of the outcome at all.
43 Comments to “The Day After: OL tweaking forthcoming”
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Clemson Beat writer Paul Strelow blogs about Clemson University athletics.
They don’t need to rebuild, they need to come out and play ball. Never did they look like a team. they looked like a lot of players with personal interest. Bowden has his hands full.
I have been around various sports for 40+ years- as player (walk-on at CU), coach and fan (was in Miami in 1981). This was far-and-awaythe worst experience I have ever seen. This team looks completely UNPREPARED and the game plan either uncommunicated, to complicated or unachievable. This coaching staff (particularly the OL and DL) should take a hard look in the mirror… they performed VERY POORLY. Some coach or coaches should be looking for other opportunites.
If you OL issoooo inexperienced … simplify the gameplan. If you DL and LB’s are being “manhanlded” — change the point of attack. Change someting …. personnel, approach – something. Don’t just stay there and continue to give up 5, 6, and 7 yards on every run up the middle. Does iut really take “Mad Science” to understand that?
As a long time Clemson supporter, I have heard the “We can recover!” bit far too many times. Clemson has asked every fan and alumni to fork over the cash for entertainment that has yet to live up to it’s hype. I do not believe the team was prepared for the game and when things went wrong the coaches did not know what to do to turn the TIDE. Coaching in the line-of-fire is what true coaching is all about. You have to modivate, adjust and kick a TEAM into high gear. With the next 3 games on our schedule, it does not matter what we do, Clemson or the ACC will not get any respect this year.
This loss was not the fault of the players. They were totally unprepared for Alabama. I honestly believe they will be lucky to win half their games. There was no emotion on the sidelines, and this is because Bowden doesn’t show any emotion. He just walked up and down the sidelines with a smirk on his face and not once showed any emotion. The atheletic director should make a coaching change now, not after the season. Bowden should not expect to continue. The alumni is going to be all over his A_____.
This game was a total embarrassment, note:
1. TB talks (again) about a doggone contract when he is talking about the results of a game or season. Why does he do that when he already got paid a king’s ransome to deliever a great season? He’s getting paid really well and has a long term deal so he should shut up about the contract and get the TEAM ready for the season…note to coach…the dadgum season has started already…get your head in the game and OUT of your checking account.
2. The offensive line was dominated by a young bama line…brad scott should be sent to fsu or some other school. he looked like he didn’t know how to the the line kick started. I saw him talking to the line and seemed to be smiliing while he was doing it…WTF was that all about?
3. Koening DL was sorry too…why is it that the line fails us in big games? How many big games do we have to see failure like this before we figure it out? All Clemson faithful who made the trek to the dome were humiliated…just like the defense was out on the field. Awful crap describes it.
4. Add up the money we pay and look at the results we are getting? I don’t get it. TB recruits great but look at the big game results? I don’t get it. Ole Miss dumped their recruiter because he couldn’t coach…I say they have the right idea…we need a recruiter and a coach not just one or the other.
5. Can Clemson recover? Anything is possible but right now I don’t believe it will happen. I waited almost a year for this glorious season only to witness a complete lack of effective preparation for a big game that everyone knew was coming…doesn’t give me confidence about the immediate future even though the next few games will be won…look at who we will feast on…nobody of any stature. What a complete bummer for all of us.
6. usc had their problems but I’ll say this…they looked like they wanted that game and they looked like they improved from last year…yeah November is gonna be interesting.
Okay, I’m out of here.
Mulkey, you are quite the representative of the education afforded to Clemmons’ athletes. Not an English major though, eh?
It’s one thing to lose 14-10 or 31-28, but to be literally blown off the field is embarrassing! Tommy B. has more lives than a cat! His “smoke and mirrors” game plans has allowed him to keep his job over the years but he may need to tweak his resume because the Tigers were toothless yesterday! Clemson needs to get a Jim Tressel, Pete Carroll or Danny Ford type coach in here to get the Tigers back on the map! I don’t know if Tommy B. can pull it off! Being a deadpan coach on the sidelines is not going to cut it! Sometimes fear can make players perform at the highest level! Just ask alumni who played for Danny!!!!
i can handle being beat. but clemson has always been known as a team that is very physical. if we don’t do something about this now, our tradition will be changed forever. tigers don’t back down, when they get smacked they smack back harder. make them play in solid uniforms with no school logos or names, make them earn the logos back!
It just goes to show sometimes how the Almighty dollar can motivate people. You can bet that Nick Saban had his Alabama squad motivated and ready to play given the incredible amount of money the fans and alumni have bestowed upon him to turn things around at Bama and get them back to the winning ways of the Bear Bryant era. It’s sad to say, but maybe that’s what it takes in this day of stratospheric salaries for coaches and their staffs. It would be tough for any team to compete with the money Saban is getting but if it translates into being able to put a prepared team on the field as opposed to an ill-prepared one as Clemson obviously was, maybe it’s worth it.
I live in Northern California and fell victim to the local Cal game taking precedence over the Clemson game being broadcast on TV. Sadly, I did get to listen to the game on the internet. It’s safe to say that hearing it saved me from having to assault my eyes, too. I send my condolences to the players who opted out of the draft this year for a shot at the national championship. It looks like #9 might have been the crest of the wave. With the blocking you got last night, I hope you can make it thru the season and stay healthy for next years’ draft.
Maybe the coaches should take some of that big money they’re making and buy the front line Rolexes for inspiration, as it didn’t sound like they knew how to motivate them as coaches.
The players had no fire. They looked like they expected to be owned. If this is how they handle adversity, we will not win the ACC or get to a bowl. They looked like little boys against men in the ALABAMA game. You won’t be able to recruit much after such a dismal performance. And the recruits that have committed will be going else where. I see this being a long season for us CLEMSON fans. They might consider playing powder puff football.
Get a new coach NOWWW this one never was the real coach it was Rodregez all alone – Stuids! – Stop hoping on all that hype. I been a Clemson fan for 30 years – Lately I’m more excited about Carolina at least it’s entertaining and not so daggon dissappointing. Thr rest of the schedule should have no more than two losses to Carolina and one other slip up that Clemson usually will have. That means they might get a Good chance to play in the Championship game and then go and get thrahed by that team. Hope on hype is dope – we all need it to pull for Tommy. These great players deserve more!!! Sorry tommy you are not a legend. Make it easy on Clemson and Just steo down. You have a lot of money use it and retire early. Then Clemson fans can pau for a coach who can use this talent and get a national title right away.
Paul…you & you Clemson beat writer brotheren need to hold the coaching staff accountable. Bowden got a big raise and for what? Clemson has become Obama-nation with the local press …all good never any objectivity. Please change that for the betterment of our football program……tiger Gil
“Bowden respond when sky falling”…think that has anything to do with the schedule???? Playing in ACC make “responding” pretty easy…no? Give me a break…we are just not a very good team in a very, very bad conference.
Alabama identied four week spots (2 linebackers and both offensive guards) and picked on them all night. Clemson was weak in the on core of their offense and defense. This was not being unprepared, but rather Alabama picking on Clemson’s well known weaknesses. Did it look like Clemson spends as much time in the weight room as Alabama? Clemson is built for the speed game and always struggles against power teams like BC and Alabama. Linebacker and O-line are not recruiting focus for Clemson, Clemson has a poor o-line coach (which will never change under Coach Bowden), and does not work hard enough in the off season. Clemson reaped what they sowed.
I think it is more important to have a coach that sets a good example rather that getting caught up in wins and losses. Too many Clemson fans get caught up in the score of the game rather than the example that the coaches and players set in the community. I hope Tommy gets to retire at Clemson just like his Dad will at Florida State. We should thank our lucky stars that we have a coach as good as Tommy. The team will be just fine and we will have a good year.. so lets get behind our team and support them.
Clemson will finish the regular season 10-2.
I had a very dear friend that played football for Clemson during the Frank Howard years. If a player for knocked on his rear early in the game and never seemed to recover from it (during the game), he was considered a “front runner”. Coach didn’t like “Front Runners”.
Clemson football teams under Tommy Bowden are Front Runners. Plain and simple.
So..Clemson lost? They were pick to have a 9 – 3 record. They were playing a SEC team. They beat the Gamecocks just about every year, and they are a SEC team.
They still have a chance to win the ACC.
The Day After: OL tweaking forthcoming… how about TWEAKING the OL Coach… we had MONTHS to prep the line ad team.. Coaches failed teh players, the fans and the league. It was pure embarrassment.
I was terribly disappointed to see another Bowden team unprepared for a big game. He and is coaching staff continue to seem soft and cannot inspire an athletically gifted and talented group to want anything bad enough to fight for it and to respond well when someone plays them physically. Clemson alumni, fans, and fans of the ACC deserve better than a bunch of excuses from this coaching staff. We need someone who can coach with some passion.
Clemson MO – exceptional talent; mediocre coaching. Always has been with Bowden at the helm, always will be with Bowden at the helm.
ITS BEEN TEN YEARS FOR BABY BOWDEN AT CLEMSON TO WIN AND NICK SABAN DOSE IT IN 2 YEARS WITH FRESHMAN.THE MAN IS NO COACH.THE TEAM IS SOFT AND TERRY DON SHOULD GIVE BABY BOWDEN THE BUS FAIR TO ARKANSAW.I INCREASED MY IPTAY PAYMENT 2 THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR THIS?.TIGER FANS HAVE HAD ENOUGHT OF BABY BOWDEN AND HES EXCUSES.IF HES ANY WERE NEAR CLEMSON AFTER THIS YEAR MY MONEY WON,T BE.TIGER FANS DESERVE BETTER FOR WHAT WE PAY.FANS SHOULD STAY AWAY FORM THE NEXT GAME IN PROTEST.THIS TEAM SHOULD KEEP THERE HANDS OFF HOWARDS ROCK AND ENTER THE FIELD FROM THE LOCKER ROOM UNTIL THEY EARN THE RIGHT TO COME DOWN THE HILL……….
WE HAVE TALENT WE NEED A DEFENSIVE COACH AND A HEAD COACH IT IS NO EXCUSE FOR THEM TO PLAY LIKE THEY DID NO EMOTION NO EXTRA EFFORT ON ANYONES PART WE NEED TO RE GROUP AND KICK BUTT CHANGE SOME PLAYERS AND QUIT PAYING COACHES SO MUCH AND LOCKING THEM IN LIKE THEY ARE THEY KNOW THEY HAVE A JOB AND PLENTY OF MONEY REGARDLESS THE OUTCOME UNLESS BIG BIG THINGS HAPPEN CLEMSON WILL ALWAYS BE A FAIR TEAM ONLY NOT BEING ABLE TO WIN BIG GAMES ACC CHAMPIONSHIPS OR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS COACHES TAKE NOTICE IT IS TIME TO RESPOND/
Clempson players are way over rated. Pure and simple. The recruiting rankings are not accurate.
I Am Not A Clemson Hater, Have been to many games at Clemson and enjoy the experience of being on the campus and in Death Valley, But I am not a hardcore fan, this being said.
Why would Bowden not start Davis or Spiller rather than a Freshman in the backfield? Is he this stupid or is it arrogance? I really think it was stupid arrogance. I believe that he wanted to show how much better the tigers were and that he could beat the TIDE without his best team playing.
AGAIN STUPID ARROGANCE!!!!
I can’t believe so many so called “TIGER FANS” can give up on a season that still has 11 or 12 more remaining games to play. I’ve seen a great deal of teams that lost their first game of the season come back and play for the “National Championship!” Not saying that Clemson will be one of them; I’m saying the season needs to be evaluated once its completed. I still have faith in Clemson having a very productive football season. I’m sure the players didn’t like the way they were handled by Alabama either. Lets see how the coaches and players can/ will adjust to this embarassing first game. As coaches you can furnish your players everything except GUTS!!! Where will that personal PRIDE come from? Who’s willing to step their game up to make sure something like this never happens again? GO TIGERS!!!
Purchased a program at the game. Tide player portraits looked like a unified group with a common indentity. Tiger player portraits looked like a bunch of individuals forced to wear a coat and tie, and most not very happy about it. Mean anything? Don’t know, but it sure was a striking difference, just like what happened on the field.
Seriously, CU had maybe three tough opponents on the entire schdule.
All the stars were lining up, but things went south quickly. I would like to see the Tigers play a full year in the SEC. Think about this CU fans. Instead of Maryland, Virginia, Florida State and Wake Forest; you play Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Arkansas. I wonder how things would shape up when you stumble into the last game of the season. Please keep Tommy and all his groupies! See you in November!
alabama beat clemson’s ass because they were better prepared. it doesn”t matter who gets paid what. the end result is alabama has one of the best coaches in america. period. when you line up and you get the snot knocked out of you, in most cases you tuck and run. that’s what happened. clemson has a good team that isn’t tough. sometimes during training camp the saying” no pain, no gain” means something. anyway, keep your heads up and we will be rooting for you guys next week. AND AS ALWAYS…..ROLL TIDE BABY!
Well, Well, Well, one game, one loss, and it’s how many years of Clemson FootBall history shot stright to the sewer. Look not everyone can ride the top, look at last year, how many teams were #1, week in and week out. Ok, Clemson looked rediculous, they looked like they did even care. To me that is not exceptable, and these players need the fear of GOD put into them. Time to threaten to take away their scholarships if they don’t get it together, stop the individual bull, stop with the excuses of an inexperiance OL, that to me is bull, your line is only as good as you coach. hint. No, time to put these players back into a blood and guts realm of football. No more babing, no more calm talking, on more ah it will be ok pep talks, no, it’s time to insult, degrade, and mentally break, and rebuild these punk kids that think we have to be nice to them, BULL, this is FOOTBALL, my GOD, you HIGHSCHOOL kids had better thank GOD, that the Paul Bear Bryants are around right now, cause after saturday, your butts would have been in full gear, running back to Clemson behind the buses, this method should have been used, this would have tought them to value your rewards with more honor, and respect, because if you give effort like that, then you don’t deserve to have anything nice, and the facilities, I would lock all the players out, no locker room access, no wieght room access either. Stright up old school, dress out side behind a wall, push-ups, sit ups, running, and weightlifting done with old school techniques and equipment, no modern pieces of junk. And the Coachs, treat these players like the should be, break them, destroy them, make them into real men, take them back to the days of old school disapline, be these kids worst nightmare. You want to win, go back to what works for the Military, hard core disapline, and mental disapline, and make these punks earn thier scholar ships. CLEMSON shouls be ASHAMED!!!!!
Solution: TD Phillips needs to call a meeting with the entire team including coaches. In his hand he should have all scholarships and contracts and he needs to say only one thing…”These are up for renewal!” If I were to do my job like the coaches and players, I would have been gone a long time ago.
I Loved the game, keep up the same pace CU….
Watch out Clemson Citadel is next then NC State….
I am a Bama fans, so I don’t have a dog in SC. I can tell all of you in Clemson one thing for certain – you need a new coach. I am sure that Bowden is a great guy. He is not a great coach, however. The Tide put 10 true freshmmen on that field the other night, and completely manhandled Clemson. Alabama’s guys might be good, but they didn’t match up that one sided against Clemson. With 19-21 year old kids, a great deal of it is attitude, emotion, mindset and motivation. That comes from the top. Saban has that. Bowden does not. Deep down in his heart, he doesn’t believe that he is a champion. He may thik that he is a winner, but not a CHAMPION. His dad is the same way. Daddy Bowden may be the winningest coach in NCAA history, but he only has one undefeated season in 42 years as a head coach. Shula didn’t get it either, and that is why he was fired. You would all do well to remember that Shula went 10-2 the year before he was fired. 10-2 gets you fired at Alabama, and a contract extension at Clemson. Thats the reason that Alabama will win more Championships, and Clemson won’t. Danny Ford understood it. He tutored under the Master, and learned the lesson well. Get a coach, Clemson, or enjoy the perpetuation of your mediocrity.
wow. just plain…wow. I never thought Clemson would have looked that unprepared. I am currently watching the UCLA/Tenn game. Rick N. of UCLA is using a pieced together O-Line and a 3rd string QB….just took the lead over Tenn….that’s what i call prepared. Hey Clemson…pay Norm Chow. I wish i hadn’t been on the east coast and had to watch the Clemson game. at least the Cal/Mich St. game was a game.
Plain and simple we looked like a high school football team. The coaches can’t play the game for players, everyone needs to get there heads out of the clouds, and play ball like a team. Clemson is going to have a long, hard year if they don’t pull it together. Here’s some motivation, ACC Championship Game, they won’t play in it if there sitting at home!
Well, Clemson plays two teams ranked in the top 25, Alabama, and Wake Forrest. They lost to Bama, which means that the rest of their schedule is a cup-cake schedule. How can CU talk about National Championships when they play so few high caliber teams. I would love to see CU play Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, LSU, even Vandy every year. Beat some of those year in and year out, then you can talk about bigger and better things. Until then, be content with winning the Atlantic Cupcake Conference.
Difference between ‘Bama and Clemson — by the numbers
325: miles;
48: number of hours Clemfans spent blogging on every newspaper site in the state about the SC/NCS game instead of the slightest concern about my poor little ole pitiful Tide;
33: years since CU’s last regularly scheduled beatdown;
14: total yardage by Blunder and Frightened against a non-ACC defense;
12: untainted National Championships;
11: total number of CU players on the field at any given time who QUIT BY MID-WAY OF THE THIRD QUARTER;
7: the number of USA Today regular student Academic All American’s for Bama this year, edging out Yale for the 5th out of 6 years (How many did CU have?)
5: Bama’s likely final standing in the overall SEC;
3: the number of CU fans NOT dressed as empty seats by the 4th quarter;
1: the number of CU coaches who could get so much as an interview with Bama (Dabo Swinney);
O: the number of 105-pound females playing for the Tide for McDaniel to intimidate;
Snowball: the chance in H*** that the CU Chihuahuas (prance and bark loudly, shortly before encountering a bid dog, then they hide under the chair and whine) will actually win the All Cupcake Conference — even in this weakest football year ever;
Incalculable: the number of sports pundits and the general population who now recognize Clemson and ACC football for the fraud that it is;
Certainty: every mediocre to above average team schedules a patsy for its opener; if you CU/ACC lost — you were the patsy.
Roll Tide
I am a Clemson alum and Clemson IPTAY donor and have some inside into the coaching staff and can tell you that the COACH’S are the problem and it starts from the TOP. Tommy can not motivate, can not discipline, and straight up can not COACH! Unfortunately, with all the hype I still was certain that we would get manhandled like this because I have seen TB in action on the practice fields. Rob Spence is an idiot and frankly has no clue how to run an offense! You have to be completely idiotic to start a TRUE FRESHMAN BACK when you have the TWO BEST BACKS IN THE COUNTRY… and he thought that would “Trick BAMA?” WE FUMBLED! IDIOT! That’s all I have to say… I love Clemson more than anyone in the world, but I seriously hope we lose to the CItadel so that TD Phillips FIRES TB! We need him out- He can’t win championships- He can only beat lowsy teams and that’s why he schedules them- To get his bonus at the end of the year-
Also- recruiting is BOGUS- Rankings, five star junk- it’s BOGUS! #2 recruiting class means nothing if you can’t win with them! JIm Grobe at WFU can win with a bunch of Classy Character, because they are a team- Can’t we get back to recruiting that? We play like a bunch of individuals and that’s all TB’s fault!
I tell you guy this much, if there is one coach out there that could put the old mystic of Clemson Football back in Clemson, you know, the mystic that was around during Danny Ford’s era, the strike the fear of GOD into the program, one coach, I say get the contract now, sign him now, let Bowden Coach against Citadel, but that be his final game, and hire the Coach, Bill Cower. You want to win, give the job to this man, and I will bank you any amount of money he will have Clemson a National Championship team year in and year out, he wil have Clemson respected by all by the end of this season, and as for Bama, be glad Cower wasn’t our coach, he would have never alowed that crap. BILL COWER FOR CLEMSON HEAD COACHING JOB!!!!!!!!!
I just read that Bowden has reached out to several coaches, some in the ACC and potential competitors, for advice on how to improve the team. This seems like a strange move to me. HE is the head coach making a ton of money. HE should be able to evaluate HIS team’s talents and weaknesses. By this action, he is signalling that he does not know how to move the team forward. This alone should be enough for Clemson to say “enough is enough” and give Bowden his walking papers. I would not want to think that I am paying a coach a premium salary when he does not know how to build and motivate a high quality football team.