Tuesday November 17, 2009

Improvement

Improvement
Clemson had just lost to Maryland to drop to 2-3 overall and 1-2 in the ACC. There were reports of Dabo and Napier fighting. The natives were restless.

Saturday Clemson can clinch the Atlantic Division title and win its sixth consecutive game.

So how did this happen? Simple. The Tigers improved in a lot of areas.

I talked to a coach that played Clemson earlier this season and he said, “Clemson was very good on defense and special teams but they had a lot of improving to do on offense.”

Where did this improvement come from? Numbers tell us some stories.

Clemson scored 120 points in the first five games and 210 in the last five games. They averaged 24 points per game in the first five and 42 points per game in the final five contests.

The Tigers averaged 316.6 yards per game on offense in the first five games and 425.8 yards per game.

In the first five games the Tigers had one 200-yard rushing game. The Tigers have rushed for over 240 yards in each of the last five games.

In the first five contest, Clemson had one game where they completed over 50% of its passes. They have completed over 50% of the passes in the last five games.

In the first five games Clemson did not have a game where it had more than 20 first downs. They have had over 20 first downs in each of the last four contests.

The Tigers biggest statistical improvement came in the red zone. Clemson scored three touchdowns in the 13 times it reached the red zone in the first five games. In the last five the Tigers have scored touchdowns in 17 of their 25 trips into the red zone.

The improvement has shown up in several individuals. In the first five games Andre Ellington had 25 carries for 147 yards and no touchdowns. In the last five he has had 27 carries for 219 yards and two touchdowns.

Spiller had 85 carries for 360 yards and one rushing touchdown in the first five games of the year. Over the past five games he had 68 carries for 476 yards and five rushing touchdowns.

Kyle Parker has improved drastically. He completed 74 of 152 passes for 895 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions over the first five contests. Over the last five games Parker is 72 of 118 for132 for 821 yards with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Dwayne Allen has seen his productivity increase. In the first five games he had two catches for 17 yards and a touchdown. In the last five he has six catches for 63 yards and a touchdown.

Xavier Dye has had a bug jump too. In the first five he had four catches for 33 yards and no touchdowns. In the last five he has eight catches for 172 yards and three touchdowns.

The only real tangible change in the lineup on offense was when Dalton Freeman took over at center. He did not start the first five but has started each of the last five. Also Mason Cloy has played snaps at guard and David Smith has played well at tackle.

I may be way off base but I would say Napier has been the only cook in the kitchen over the past few weeks also. This offense has more flow. It has been in rhythm. It has an identity now.

The schedule has changed a little but though. Georgia Tech on the road and TCU at home were difficult games in the first five contests. Miami is the only ranked opponent in the last five games.

But the biggest difference seems to be attitude and for that you have to credit Dabo. When things were dark and bleak, Dabo stayed confident and positive. I have said it several times in these blogs that leadership is best seen when someone inspired others to follow. The best leaders can convince others to follow even in bad times. That is what separates the good ones from the great ones and that is exactly what Dabo did. He convinced this team to stay positive and keep the faith in what this staff was doing. The players bought in and the dividends are paying off.

This football team just keep working and practicing well each day. Dabo has changed the way this team practices from the past few seasons and practice is extremely important now. He believes the team plays like they practice so every practice rep is about competition.

So often over the past few weeks we have all heard about past Clemson teams falling apart at some point in the season. We all have heard how the shoe was about to drop and the season was about to crumble away. That was what has happened recently and that was what was supposed to happen this time. But Dabo did not get the message. He may have gotten it but he and the staff ignored it. Instead they pulled together even closer and turned a 2-3 football team into a 7-3 football team.

The past few Novembers have been spent looking around for help but this team did not need anyone else to do their job. Excuses were offered in the past. None are needed now.

So Saturday this football team and its fans will get a chance to celebrate a division title. It would be the first division title in school history. But first, this football team still believes it has some improving to do.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
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*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list

Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Kaitlyn L, Eric Boessneck, John Bowers, Jimmy Ness, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, John Petrey, Chalmers Carr, Drayton Melton, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy, Caleb Kennedy, Ann Fallaw, Bob Pollock, Teresa O'Connor, Matt Jacobs, Mike Kingsmore,Perrin Seigler, Carole White Begley, Candee Massee, Lindsey Jordan.