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YOUR BALANCE
Most pivotal plays in Clemson football history, good or bad.
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Most pivotal plays in Clemson football history, good or bad.


Jul 23, 2020, 12:36 PM

I'll start with a few.

Puntrusky-1988:
I firmly believe that the 1988 Clemson team had the stuff to win another Natty. But, that play not only ended those dreams for that season, but led us down the path to Danny's eventual ouster. If we won a 2nd Natty in '88, I believe Danny would have been entrenched enough that the BOT would never have dared make that move.

Combo: 4th and 16 PLUS Catman's game winning FG.
4th and 16 wouldn't be remembered the way it is, if not for the continuation of that drive, and Catman nailing the game winner as the clock ran out. We were so close to turning the corner for so long, I shudder to think what would have happened to the total psyche of our program if that kick had missed.

Bonus: Entire game-Dabo deflates the Old Ball Sac, 2008.
As it turns out, Interim Coach Dabo Swinney's team defeating the Coots that day has to be the most pivotal point in all of Clemson football history. I don't think Dabo gets the job if we had lost, or especially if we had gotten embarrassed, that day. Now, we may have made another good hire, but anyone would have to be smoking some really good weed if they think that the results would have eclipsed what has actually come to pass since then. <img border=">

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Several come to mind


Jul 23, 2020, 12:46 PM

Gaines Adams at wake
West Virginia bowl game fumble return
Gardner’s catch against coots
Missed kick by nc state
4th down conversion by chase brice
Run by James Davis late at fsu

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Re: Several come to mind


Jul 24, 2020, 9:13 AM

I was going to say the WVU fumble return as well. Clemson was about to go up 24-21, but instead found themselves down 28-17. It's no secret to say that WVU wasn't 5 TDs better than Clemson that year. It was just a game that got out of hand. But if it hadn't gotten out of hand, Kevin Steele probably wouldn't have gotten fired, Venables probably goes somewhere else, we never have the defense we've had for the past 8 years, and likely still only have one championship.

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I've never seen a game change the way it did


Jul 24, 2020, 12:19 PM [ in reply to Several come to mind ]

when Gaines blocked that kick and returned it.

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null


Re: Most pivotal plays in Clemson football history, good or bad.


Jul 23, 2020, 12:57 PM

Tackle for safety against GaTech by Shuey after he shot the gap. It was a turning point in our defense's attitude and confidence.

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Re: so many


Jul 23, 2020, 1:06 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHar-vt1Xr0


https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/18442372


and obligatory



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Re: Most pivotal plays in Clemson football history, good or bad.


Jul 23, 2020, 1:22 PM

OH wow, all the one's I was going to say, have been picked. OK then: Brice 4th and 6

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I've got a "bad" one:


Jul 23, 2020, 1:26 PM

Aaron Kelly's dropped pass at the end of the BC Game in 2007.

If he makes that catch, Tigers likely win the game and thus win the Division. We surely would've lost to VT (again) since that was a really good Hokies team but I think if Bowden had the equity of finally getting over the ACCCG hurdle the year before, he probably would've survived the '08 season.

Obviously the next 12 years of Clemson Football would have been drastically different.

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I'm like a bad element (ambi-valent) about anything


Jul 23, 2020, 1:31 PM

during the Tommy Era, with the 20/20 hindsight historical lens to view it through. Anything good that happened in that era just forestalled what turned out to be the Platinum Age of Clemson football.

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I think as frustrating as the CTB Years were (and how


Jul 23, 2020, 1:46 PM

mediocre of a coach he was in hindsight), he needs due credit for upgrading the facilities drastically, getting the WEZ built, and actually plucking Dabo out of the real estate game and putting him on the staff.

Without Tommy, we don't have Dabo.

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I give him full credit for those things, and for being a


Jul 23, 2020, 6:20 PM

good Christian man. Demerits for being a mediocre overall coach, a TURRIBEL gameday coach, and a poor TV commentator. :(

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September 11, 2004


Jul 23, 2020, 1:31 PM

In the end it didn't turn out to be that important but I don't loose sleep over games but this night I did. A game that one play, one yard or one snap would have won but all failed and Georgia Tech beat the Tigers 28 - 24 after trailing by 10 with less than two minutes to go. If Whitehurst puts his head down and gains an extra yard on a scramble we win, if we gain a yard on the next two plays we win or if the snap reaches the punter and we get even a bad punt off we win, none of those happened and we lost.

The stupid Jackets have been a thorn late in other games but for some reason this one hurt.

The others mentioned I remember well but most were wins.

One of my most memorable plays in a win was October 11, 1992. Trailing 28-0 Hatfield puts in little ole Louise Solomon who goes 64 yards for a TD that sparks the biggest comeback in Clemson history. I had the pleasure of meeting Solomon while at Clemson, a great guy.

Go Tigers!!!

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"Heavyweight fights have their ring walks. CFB has Clemson's grandest entrance in sports."
Chris Fowler


yeah - that GT game really suc&ed...was painful***


Jul 23, 2020, 6:36 PM



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You nailed it with puntrooskie being first.***


Jul 23, 2020, 1:51 PM



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The Play of the Moment Has to be Refrow Catch


Jul 23, 2020, 1:56 PM

Two different discussions here it seems to me. Dramatic plays that actually were earth shattering and those dramatic plays that portended an upward trend in the program. So having prefaced, the Renfrow Catch has to be IT.

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You are right on, there. I picked moments that I think


Jul 23, 2020, 6:30 PM

dramatically changed the overall trajectory of the program. Times in history where we look back and say, this is where is started. Plenty of others have picked some of the moments that crowned the end of the successful path we were on. Nobody is right or wrong, it's a fun discussion to have. Even if some of the down moments (like Puntrusky or that 2004 Tech game) still hurt after all this time.

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Re: 1980, Clemson Tigers 27 s.carolina 6***


Jul 23, 2020, 1:55 PM



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Re: 1980, Clemson Tigers 27 s.carolina 6***


Jul 23, 2020, 1:58 PM

If you think bad, the w.va. Orange Bowl. I think that game made Dabo determined to never let that happen again.

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Re: Or 1977 The Tigers 7 bulldogs 6***


Jul 23, 2020, 4:09 PM [ in reply to Re: 1980, Clemson Tigers 27 s.carolina 6*** ]



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I always refer to that game as "The Day Danny saved


Jul 23, 2020, 6:32 PM [ in reply to Re: 1980, Clemson Tigers 27 s.carolina 6*** ]

his job." Some may want to poo poo that, but I remember what the climate was going into that game. It were not pretty.

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Re: I always refer to that game as "The Day Danny saved


Jul 24, 2020, 12:15 PM

Yup. I thought the chickens were gonna pound us and Danny was gone. What a game and how good it was to be wrong.

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Re: Most pivotal plays in Clemson football history, good or bad.


Jul 23, 2020, 1:56 PM

HR13’s TD saving tackle after the int in the CFP vs Bama.

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Pivotal play that I've never heard mentioned.


Jul 23, 2020, 2:08 PM

2014 game against the coots.

Coots on a 5 game win streak against us, and Watson playing on a hurt knee.

Coots take an early 7 point lead in the 1st quarter. We are pinned deep on the ensuing kickoff.

Watson under-throws a pass right into a coot defenders hands but he drops it. If he catches it, coots have the ball close to the red-zone with a 7 point lead.

Couple plays later, Watson hits Scott on a 50+ yard TD pass and we don't look back.

Not saying that we lose if that pass had been intercepted, but we all remember the Harper fumble 5 years earlier....

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We probably don't have that 2nd NC without this


Jul 23, 2020, 2:13 PM



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I believe you are 100% correct. So much had been made


Jul 23, 2020, 6:35 PM

of Bama scoring a defensive touchdown nearly every game, if they had housed that one, the whole game may have gone down the tubes. Hunter Renfrow should always have the words "Clemson Legend" associated with his name.

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One that came to mind was Jamie Harper’s fumble

1

Jul 23, 2020, 2:36 PM

on the first play against Alabama.

However, I’m not sure they wouldn’t have beat our butt that night anyway.

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Bama would've won that game regardless. That team was


Jul 23, 2020, 3:53 PM

young but loaded and finished 12-2.

They had 3 AAs on offensive line, Rolondo McClain, Terrance Cody, Javier Arenas, Donte Hightower, Julio Jones, Mark Ingram.

We ran into a buzzsaw, just didn't realize it at the time.

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Just Had To Put The Game Away With One Last Punt ---


Jul 23, 2020, 3:26 PM

Instead...........the snapper didn't snap it like he routinely does. He water skip rocks it to the punter and the punter can't handle it deep in our own territory. Next thing you know Georgia Tech lines up and hits Calvin Johnson in the endzone........Game Over.

Still has me SMH. ??

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Re: Just Had To Put The Game Away With One Last Punt ---


Jul 23, 2020, 3:43 PM

Jerry Butler's TD Catch in '77 and
Steve Godfey's shoe string tackle of George Rogers on the kick off after Butler's catch.

Kevin Butler's 61 yd FG in 1984 (last Clemson game I saw in the State of Georgia)

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Re: Most pivotal plays in Clemson football history, good or bad.


Jul 23, 2020, 4:56 PM

Kyle Parker’s dropped TD pass in OT against Auburn in 2010 - without it Auburn doesn’t win the Natty.

Every Single Play where Dechane Cameron didn’t hand off or pitch to the TB against FSU in 1992 thereby reducing all option plays to QB runs. Let FSU off the hook in an ACC game they should have lost but they went on a 10 year winning streak instead. Tigers spiraled down to 5-6 and we got rid of Hatfield.

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Re: Most pivotal plays in Clemson football history, good or bad.


Jul 23, 2020, 5:24 PM

Muse catching dobbins to prevent a TD

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What year was it when CTB pulled


Jul 23, 2020, 5:58 PM

Reggie Merriweather when we are going for the likely game winning drive against So Car? All because he wanted to go with the "hot hand"?

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Reggie! Reggie! Reggie! Reggie!***


Jul 23, 2020, 6:16 PM



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sang the entire Chorus***


Jul 23, 2020, 6:39 PM



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Yep, that is a prime example of the TURRIBEL gameday


Jul 23, 2020, 6:24 PM [ in reply to What year was it when CTB pulled ]

coaching of CTB I referred to in a reply above. :(

Not only did he seem to have bad plans some of the time, he seemed to have NO PLAN AT ALL some of the time. That was when he would be chewing on grass. Like Les Miles, only without the success.

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He was able to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory that


Jul 23, 2020, 7:49 PM

day for sure. Leave Reggie in, we probably win the game. SMH..............

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Stupidest thing T. Bowden ever did.


Jul 25, 2020, 5:21 PM [ in reply to What year was it when CTB pulled ]

That was when I knew he had to go. Davis was tired and gimpy. Reggie was rested and hot. Cost Clemson the game.

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4th and 16......


Jul 24, 2020, 7:02 AM

Beating that LSU team put us on the path to the National Championship...

Simply: that was the moment Dabo convinced the players, coaches, and fans to believe ...

“Rain sleet or snow... Tiger Nation, they show!!”

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Quote from ND


Jul 24, 2020, 7:04 AM

FYI I know he quote is from ND Noah’s Arc game ... I was there for that one too ??

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Aaron Kelly drop of pass in last minute vs. BC


Jul 24, 2020, 7:44 AM

After Matt Ryan gave BC lead, Kelly let the ball go through his hands on what would have been an easy field goal for win and Clemson would have went to ACC Championship.

It was good and bad.

Bad for that year.

Good in that Bowden could not get over the hump and, hence...Dabo was coming soon

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Charlie Bauman's interception...


Jul 24, 2020, 8:15 AM

... against Ohio State in the '78 Gator Bowl. Lots of repercussions, most notably the ouster of OSU coach Woody Hayes after infamously punching Bauman on the sideline. But it also solidified Danny Ford as the Clemson coach for at least the foreseeable future. And, it announced the Tigers' arrival on the national scene after two decades in the wilderness. It was, after all, Clemson's first bowl win since the '50s.

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1968 USuC


Jul 24, 2020, 9:30 AM

Buddy Gore almost runs back the opening kickoff, We go up 3-0. We stop USC several times on the goal line. We are headed to a 3-0 victory despite being outplayed. In the fourth quarter Tyler Hellams returns a punt for 79 ydtd.

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Re: Most pivotal plays in Clemson football history, good or bad.


Jul 24, 2020, 3:29 PM

Many great and pivotal plays but I gotta go with Tajh Boyd to Nuk Hopkins on 4 and 16 with 1:22 to go vs LSU in the 2012 Chick-Fil-A bowl. Not just a game changer but the start of a winning tradition.

https://youtu.be/QC7_54oBLWo

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Re: Most pivotal plays in Clemson football history, good or bad.


Jul 25, 2020, 11:32 AM

The Catch 1.
Really helped our brand by being on TV. And put us in a mid level bowl (Gator).

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"If a pig had a better personality, he would cease to be a filthy animal."


Don't forget about history.


Jul 25, 2020, 5:19 PM

Safety to win the 1951 Orange Bowl 15-14 over Miami.

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1985 Maryland Game


Jul 25, 2020, 5:24 PM

On Maryland's winning TD, the play clock expired, their tackle jumped, and the receiver didn't catch the ball. Worst ACC officiating of all time, and that is saying something.

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Re: Most pivotal plays in Clemson football history, good or bad.


Jul 25, 2020, 6:39 PM

Int for 6 early on vs Bama in the national title.game.

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