Finebaum is correct - we "Clemsoned".

Oct 14, 2017, 1:26 PM

The more I think about last night, the more I'm reminded of 2011. Eerily similar. EERILY SIMILAR. Last night wasn't a loss...we "Clemsoned". We were unprepared, unmotivated, & outcoached/played by an inferior opponent. We SHAT the bed. & though nobody in the coaching staff will say "Clemsoned/Clemson-ing" directly, their assessment of last night's game delivers the exact same message w/o actually saying the word. I only hope this was a wake-up call like Pitt was last year, b/c if we don't pull our collective sh!t together, we're vulnerable in 3-4 of our last 5.

In 2011, nobody expected anything after a 6-7 season & a ton of top talent leaving. However, we had great talent left, & the new guys stepped up from day 1. We started 8-0, beating ranked AUB, FSU & VT in weeks 3-5. Then we went 1-3 the rest of the regular season, won the ACCCG, but got curb-stomped by WVU in the OB BCS game.

After we lost to GT in 2011, just like losing to 'Cuse last night, everyone said, "we outperformed our expectations -- did you really think we'd be in a BCS bowl w/all these inexperienced underclassmen?!?" The problem is, yes, the team was young/inexperienced that year, but when you win 8 straight, the way we did, against the teams we did, expectations necessarily change. No, nobody thought we would end up where we did that year, but after 2/3 of the season, they were no longer inexperienced underclassmen, they were national title contenders. Nobody thought we'd tank & solidify our name as an adjective describing unpreparedness, playing down to our opponents, & epic meltdowns.

Last night is deja vu. I thought we'd have 3-4 losses this year, but after starting 6-0 & setting the record for top 15 wins to start a season, my expectations necessarily changed. The only team that should've had a chance against us is NCST on our way to our 3rd straight CFB NC game. We haven't "Clemsoned" since GT in 2014, & SCAR/FSU in 2013, but last night was a classic Tommy Bowden "##### game" that begat the whole "Clemson-ing" phenomenon.

Last night wasn't a loss. I can handle a loss -- they happen. Last night the team looked lost & outclassed -- like they lost their identity. Yes, we did lose to Pitt 3 weeks later in the season last year & still made it to the Ship, & we could still do the same this year. However, if we don't (QUICKLY) correct the problems that led to last night's disaster, that's the type of game that can make the wheels fall off.