2023-11-26 18:30:00
Weitz said he might play some golf Sunday, but the “real celebration” was on the field with his teammates.
“There’s a lot of good things regarding football, but what I missed the most when I left the program last January was the guys and the smiles and locker room,” Weitz said. “Those are things I’m gonna remember forever.”
Coaching sick
It might be even more remarkable than you think that the Tigers dominated the trenches, holding the Gamecocks to 57 rushing yards and rolling out 219 yards on their own attempts.
Because defensive tackles coach Nick Eason and offensive line coach Thomas Austin were also sick during the week. Austin was among those receiving an IV drip, Swinney said.
In terms of game-planning, it wasn’t clear to the staff how the Gamecocks would line up defensively, because they were mixing up their fronts. The Tigers ended up facing a lot of “odd” fronts, presumably to limit big plays.
“And we put some drives together, finished with some field goals,” Swinney said.
Defensively, the Tigers not only minimized the Gamecocks’ running game but they also got following Rattler with some blitz pressures. Clemson had only two sacks but added eight quarterback hurries.
Another finish
It remains to be seen what this November finish means in the grand scheme, but it certainly beats the alternative.
Clemson was 4-4 following back-to-back losses at Miami and N.C. State. A bowl game, period, was going to be a challenge with matchups once morest ranked Notre Dame and UNC and rival South Carolina looming.
But the Tigers went 4-for-4. It’s reminiscent of two years ago when Clemson won six in a row and went on to win its first eight games in 2022.
“Having that (4-4) start, nobody expected that start,” Brown said. “Just having our leaders just lead, and keep everyone’s heads up is really key … We’re just trying to keep our heads up and keep going.”
Another month to continue building momentum will only help the Tigers, especially youngsters like Brown, Klubnik, Barnes, and Terrell, as they build for whatever the future holds.
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