Wednesday September 13, 2006

The Dreaded Trip?

I did it and I know many of you did it as well. I am talking about packing up the car and heading to Tallahassee for the bi-annual blood letting in Doak Campbell.

From 1993 to 2000, I got in the car and tried to talk myself into thinking Clemson had a chance. However, we knew that the Tigers had no chance. FSU was on a roll and pounded Clemson 57-0, 17-0, 34-2, 48-0 and 54-7. None of the games were close and none were fun to watch. But still we made the trip every year.

I was in Doak Campbell in 1989 when Wayne Simmons and Terry Allen each turned in 73-yard touchdowns in a Clemson romp. It was the feeling of leaving that stadium that night that we were looking for throughout the 1990s. Instead, we all felt like the gap between the programs was not closing.

In 1989, Clemson was the better football team and football program. Since that time, each FSU team Clemson faced was ranked and only three of the fourteen games were the Seminoles not in the top ten. FSU is back in the top ten but don’t let that fool you. This is not the program of the 1990s.

FSU is good not great. The Noles are favored and they should be at home. However, this is a different match up. The gap has closed. Here is a great fact: THE CLEMSON SENIORS ARE TRYING TO BEAT FSU FOR THE THIRD TIME IN THEIR CAREERS. They are trying to go 3-1 against the Seminoles!

Clemson has won two out of three and neither game was close. The series has turned and I think the Noles should be underdogs when coming to Death Valley for the next several years.

The question is can Clemson win in Doak Campbell? The answer is yes they can. They might not but they can. In fact, if the Tigers had Waters, Billie, and Hamlin, I would have predicted a win.

This is not the same Clemson program that brought down inferior talent in the 1990s. This team has matched up with FSU the last few seasons. However, the main reason Clemson can compete is this is not the same FSU team.

This offensive line features Mario Henderson and David Overmeyer instead of Walter Jones and Alex Barron.

Drew Weatherford is not Chris Weinke or Charlie Ward. He is not even Danny Kanell, Thad Busby, Casey Weldon or Peter Tom Willis.

Greg Carr, Chris Davis and DeCody Fagg are good but they are not Tamarick Vanover, Peter Warwick, Kez McCorvey, E.G. Green, Andre Cooper or Lawrence Dawsey.

Is Lorenzo Booker close to Warwick Dunn, Greg Jones, Sammie Smith, Travis Minor, or Amp Lee?

On defense they are good at linebacker but Buster Davis is not Marvin Jones and Geno Hayes is not Derrick Brooks.

The secondary is good but I do not see Deion Sanders, Terrell Buckley, Leroy Butler, Corey Sawyer, Clifton Abraham or Tay Cody back there.

Upfront please show me where FSU is close to Derrick Alexander, Andre Wadsworth, Corey Simon, Peter Boulware, Reinard Wilson or Jamal Reynolds.

Even in a coaching sense it is not the same. Bobby Bowden used to be the riverboat gambler that had high-powered offense. Now they are 118th in the nation in rushing.

Which offensive coordinator scares you more Jeff Bowden or Mark Richt?

Heck even the schedule is not what it used to be. FSU used to go on the road and play LSU, Ohio State, Michigan and Nebraska. Even after they joined the ACC they still played Notre Dame out of conference. This season three of their out of conference games are against Troy, Rice and Western Michigan.

When Mike Tyson started out his career, he had the opponent beat before he stepped into the ring but Buster Douglas changed all of that. Tyson was not intimidating and his career took a dive. This is FSU football. No one is scared of FSU anymore.

Again, Clemson may get beat in Tallahassee and are under dogs for a reason. I may come back very disappointed in the outcome but at least when I pack up my car and head down to the Sunshine State I feel the Tigers have a chance. Even the most optimistic Tiger fan knew what was coming in the 1990s.

The spear is still on the gold helmets. Chief Osceola still puts a flame to the spear and slams it into the turf in the pre-game. The tomahawk chop chant still sounds the same. The band is still huge and the cheerleaders look as good as ever. However, the core of FSU football has changed. Unless they suit up Jones, Brooks, Vanover, Dunn, Ward, Boulware, Sanders and company, I will fell very comfortable packing up the car.

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