Thursday November 08, 2007

Trust

Trust
A few times this year I have written about the upcoming opponent and said I was not sure why we would be scared of FSU, NCSU, Maryland or Duke. Honestly I thought Clemson was better than those teams and they would prove it on the field.

This week is a different story. I understand why some would be fearful of this game. Wake Forest deserves that kind of attention. Riley Skinner is the best quarterback Clemson has faced to date. He is not having a great year but he is dangerous. Skinner is elusive and can make plays with his arm and feet. He is a playmaker and a winner. I have a ton of respect for the Deacon signal caller.

Josh Adams is a terrific speed back. He is a true burner that can take it the distance on any carry. Adams is only a freshman but he is the best back Wake has had since James McDougle.

Kenneth Moore is the best receiver Clemson has faced to date. He is a complete receiver who can make defenses pay. Moore is a threat on the underneath ball and the deep ball. The Tigers could have their hands full with this star.

Kevin Marion is the best kick returner the Tigers have played to date. With all due respect to N. C. State’s Darrell Blackmon, Marion might be the best in the ACC. He is a big play waiting to happen.

Sam Swank is the best kicker Clemson will face this season. I know he missed the game-winner last week but he is special. Swank has great range and is a threat from inside 55-yards.

Finally, Jim Grobe and his staff are the best staff the Tigers have faced to date. The Deacs will be extremely prepared and their game plans will be solid. Grobe is an excellent motivator and the Deacons will be ready to play Saturday.

The defending champions don’t have outstanding numbers this season. The Deacons are 65th in the country in rushing, 90th in passing, 93rd in total offense and 52nd in scoring offense.

I thought they would struggled a little more on defense but they are 27th against the run, 24th against the pass, 39th in total defense and 38th in scoring defense.

They have not really beaten anyone this season with the exception of the Thursday night win over Florida State. Their first two losses were understandable with Skinner getting hurt at Boston College which caused him to miss the Nebraska game. Last week’s loss at Virginia was the biggest setback of the season for Wake Forest.

With all that said I still think Clemson is more talented than Wake and playing at home will be huge. Maybe I put too much in the power of Death Valley but think the atmosphere can be a huge factor Saturday.

Wake Forest will come into this game with the plan to shutdown James Davis and C.J. Spiller. Their plan is to make Cullen Harper, Aaron Kelly, Rendrick Taylor and Tyler Grisham beat them. If the line protects and Harper plays like he has so far this season then big plays may be available.

Even though Wake plans on putting all of their efforts into shutting down the Tigers’ running game I think Clemson will still have to run the football well Saturday. I think they will have to impose their will upon the Deacons. Davis has to be a big part of the game plan. He is the best the Tigers have and he needs to play big this weekend.

Defensively Clemson will have to be disciplined. Wake still runs misdirection and their play action game is a threat. The Deacs use the tight ends as a weapon as well. The big play also is a factor for Wake.

And special teams will be an advantage for Wake so the Tigers need to play close to even in that department.

In the end I am hoping the atmosphere will be the biggest factor. I just think Wake Forest will have a hard time coming into this type of environment and beat the Tigers. We have witnessed it time and time again. Clemson seems to come up with a tremendous amount of energy and has given great efforts on big games in this venue.

I can see a scenario where the defense will be jacked with energy. I can see a scenario where Wake will have a hard time communicating on offense. I can almost feel the energy as I type this. I have said it before but few stadiums are like ours because it is where sounds turns into feel. You can hear crowd noise at Maryland, North Carolina, N.C. State and Georgia Tech but you feel the noise at Clemson.

Can Wake beat Clemson in Death Valley? Yes. Can they beat the Tigers in Death Valley with this much riding on the game? I am not sure. If this game was in Winston-Salem I would be more worried but I trust this team in this stadium with this at stake. I trust James Davis. I trust Howard’s Rock. I trust The Hill. I trust the student section. I trust the power of Death Valley.

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