10 Miami things

THE FROZEN TUNDRA OF THE UPSTATE – Man, it’s amazing how frigid 60s in the Upstate feels after you’ve basked in the humid glory of the Florida sunshine for only two days.

For the record, went by Grandma’s house on Friday, and the place had been rather modernized. Went by Land Shark Stadium on Saturday, and Clemson had upgraded, too.

So much gets glossed over in a climactic victory like that. Let’s see what I can remember without looking at the film …

1. Junior safety DeAndre McDaniel now has seven interceptions, tied for the national lead with UCLA sophomore Rahim Moore.

McDaniel therefore is unofficially tied for fifth on the team in catches.

2. That’s two straight games now we’ve seen the Jamie Harper that was advertised.

Given the recent history of Clemson’s short-yardage running game in big ballgames, I’m not sure we haven’t understated the significance of his 2-yard gain on fourth-and-1 from the Miami 36 on the final regulation drive, plus the 6-yard gain on third-and-1 from the Clemson 49 four plays earlier.

And if not for Kyle Parker’s interception in the end zone, Harper’s 2-yard gain on third-and-1 from the Miami 6 sustained what was shaping into a potential go-ahead drive as well.

He claims nothing has changed, but he certainly appears to be running with more decisiveness. And his pass-blocking just might be the best among Clemson’s backs, too.

3. ABC/ESPN clocked C.J. Spiller at a max of 28 miles per hour on his kickoff return touchdown.

A quick Web search suggests that perhaps Reggie Bush was once clocked at 22 mph on a punt return, while Usain Bolt supposedly hit 23 mph during his 100m Olympics run.

Which tells me a few things. 1) The technology used by the network is as credible as some of its studio analysts; no way Spiller is as fast with pads on as Bolt sailing down the track. And 2) I can only hope that Miami Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland’s subtle trip over to shake Spiller’s hand before Saturday’s game is a draft harbinger to come.

Spiller is the most dynamic player in the college game, bar none. It’s a shame he has lacked the offensive line/running stats/team success required to stick on the national publicity radar.

4. All this said, I’m not sure I totally buy Dabo Swinney’s explanation that Spiller sat out lengthy stretches of Saturday’s game solely because of a predetermined rotation and coaches’ feel for the situations.

Sure, Spiller deserves to be gassed immediately after some of these long plays and returns. And I can understand that an increased role as a receiver further taps that energy reserve, and Clemson wants to keep him fresh in order to maximize his talents when in the game.

But it’s been a stunningly common occurrence for Spiller to be standing on the sideline, appearing as if nothing is wrong, while others are in the game during key stretches – and it’s not been exclusive to the Miami conclusion, either.

Swinney said his use (or non-use) has not been related to Spiller aggravating his turf toe, or suffering from a lack of conditioning because of how much he rests during weekly practices in order to help/not hurt the toe.

Maybe I should have stayed in a Holiday Inn Express while on this last trip …

5. Who’d have thought that, for varying reasons both within and beyond all their control, fullback Chad Diehl would emerge as the biggest contributor from the foursome of Byrnes High signees?

Diehl continues to be a bulldozer out of the I formation (and a work in progress as a pass-catcher). To think he played left tackle and linebacker in high school.

And to think how hard it must be, in this day and age of spread formations and gimmicky offenses at the high school level, how hard it must be for coaches to recruit for a real fullback these days.

Speaking of blocking, kudos to Jacoby Ford and Andre Ellington for nice seal blocks on Spiller’s kickoff return.

Plus veteran WRs Xavier Dye and Terrance Ashe might not be putting up eye-catching numbers, but they have come through when thrown to the last two games, as well as have provided solid run-blocking.

6. Speaking of blocking, pt. 2 – it will be worth monitoring how Swinney handles the personnel at right guard and right tackle these next two weeks.

From my vantage point and untrained eye, backup Mason Cloy gave them a much more reliable performance vs. Miami than starter Antoine McClain, who continues to have a few whiffs each game that jeopardize the existence of someone in the backfield.

McClain generates more push in run-blocking, so there’s a trade-off. But it should be noted Cloy was in on Clemson’s overtime series.

McClain also has more of that dangerous P word – potential, based on his mammoth frame and strength.

David Smith also logged a lot of snaps at right tackle, but Swinney said he several times compensated for technique blunders with his sheer athleticism. I’d speculate Landon Walker’s job is in less immediate jeopardy, perhaps only because the staff seemed to trust Walker more by having him in there on that final OT series, too.

7. Miami offensive coordinator Mark Whipple did nothing to loosen his foothold as the ACC’s pre-eminent play-caller and offensive orchestrator (don’t think that’s even a word).

But these last two games have shown that Clemson has the expertise to craft a diverse plan, utilize its talents and make adjustments, too.

There’s no way to surmise how much of what we see is a reflection of Swinney’s influence relative to that of coordinator Billy Napier, especially in the two-minute drill.

Judging by the philosophical principles involved, though, I think it’s safe to suggest Napier has shown the last two weeks that he can be awfully good at his job.

But Swinney deserves some credit for how those final drives against Miami were produced, too, because his fingerprint was on some of the decision-making for what was run.

8. I find war analogies distasteful in sports, but I’m struggling to find even another cliché to make this point – while Clemson defensive coordinator Kevin Steele “won the war” because of the team’s overtime stop (OK, and maybe McDaniel’s INT return TD in the 4^th), it felt like Whipple won most of the battles.

Swinney said Sunday that 282 of Miami’s 433 yards came via 10 plays – those “chunk” plays Clemson coaches were harping on throughout the week. And it surprises me Miami managed to average 5.1 yards per carry.

Don’t think Da’Quan Bowers (season-low two tackles) had his best game fulfilling his duties there, and it appeared live that Clemson’s inside linebackers and safeties had a lot of instances where they were out of position on Miami runs.

The Tigers did an OK job of “affecting” QB Jacory Harris from time to time, tallying three sacks and three interceptions (one a ball off his WR hands). But Steele suggested that Miami used max protection a lot more than it had ever shown – a nod of respect to Clemson’s four-man front.

Schematically, I thought Steele called a pretty doggone good game. But talent mismatches won out on several of Miami’s drives.

9. Coastal Carolina has been so awful this season, I’d put Spiller and TE Michael Palmer (concussion) on furlough this week. Not allowed to even come in the building to check the game plan.

10. But if they want to get a head start on Florida State preparations, then have at it.

The Tigers are in the driver’s seat in the Atlantic, and we know how that’s turned out in recent years.

But as dysfunctional and defensively deficient as the Seminoles (1-3 ACC) have been this season, I think they are a real threat to the Tigers in two weeks.

Theirs is a potent passing attack comparable to Miami’s, with the added dimension of QB Christian Ponder’s running ability. At this stage, Ponder would be in my final foursome for ACC player of the year along with Georgia Tech QB Josh Nesbitt, Spiller and Harris.

You know, I never thought I would be insinuating that the Tigers shouldn’t sleep on FSU.

If not for the Big 12 North, the Atlantic might stake claim to the meekest division in Division I. (Note that Kansas State leads that division, mainly because former Clemson coordinator Vic Koenning’s defense has held Texas A&M and Colorado to a combined 20 points the last two weeks).