The Bad
We're still turning the ball over way too much. Three fumbles overall, lost two of them. We can't continue to put the ball on the ground and expect to win. That being said, it says a lot about a team who can overcome turnovers (and a fourth-quarter deficit) and still find a way to win.
Tough luck for starting CB Jahi Word-Daniels. He pulled up on Clemson's first TD with a pulled hamstring, which unfortunately happened during the play and left him unable to make a play on the ball and possibly prevent the TD. JWD left the game and didn't return.
Dropped passes. The biggest one obviously was Thomas' dropped pass in the end zone. He made up for it though. IMO, the bigger drop was by Earls (#15) on a 3rd and long in the 3rd quarter. You can't afford to drop passes in big games like this, they'll come back to bite you eventually.
The Good
Defense was outstanding...again. Only 249 total yards allowed and they forced SIX turnovers, including two picks by Morgan Burnett and a pick-six by Dominique Reese for Tech's first TD. Can't say enough about the great job our d has been doin all year.
We finally caught a break w/ the penalties. Clemson had two questionable calls go against them at critical points in the game. The first was a running into the kicker call on a Scott Blair punt right before halftime. With what happened, the call had to be made, but it was probably just a good acting job. Nesbitt later scored on a QB keeper for Tech's 2nd TD. The second penalty was a holding call on 4th-and-13 late in the 4th quarter. Cullen Harper had just completed a 30-yard pass to give the Tigers a first down, but it was called back for the holding. Looking at the replay, it looks like Derrick Morgan just fell down, but from where the ref was standing it probably looked to him like a holding. Not that either of these penalties won the game for us, but they probably made a difference. Keep in mind that a game is not won or lost on two plays.
Great job by the whole team to make another 4th quarter comeback on the road. It's no easy task, especially at a place like Clemson. This team has a whole new attitude, and I gotta believe we woulda lost this one had Chan been at the helm.
Also can't say enough about HC Paul Johnson. It's clear that this team has a do-or-die, never-gonna-give-up attitude. He expects to win every game and so does this team.
MVP - K/P Scott Blair
Outstanding game by our kicker Scott Blair. He made two tackles on kickoffs, the second one being the biggest. With Clemson's Gilchrist running down the sideline on his way to an apparent return TD, Blair chases him down and gets the tackle around our 40. He put on the afterburners (if kickers have them) to make what might have been the game-saving tackle. Not to mention getting four of his seven punts inside the Clemson 20. His only mishap was a missed 50-yard FG; can't really blame him for that one.
Rankings & New Expectations
Yesterday was a day of firsts for this season. First time the Jackets enter the polls (#21 Coaches and AP). First BCS ratings of this season, in which the Jackets are a respectable #18.
My only issue with all of this is too-high expectations. At the beginning of the season, most people would have told you that we would win 4 or 5 games, or 6 at the absolute most. Now that we are 6-1 (some consider us the best in the ACC), a lot of our fan base is expecting us to win every game. Not that we shouldn't hope that we'll win out, but we need to face reality. We have an incredibly tough remaining schedule (UVA, FSU, @UNC, Miami, and @UGAy along with a possible ACCCG appearance), and it might be too much to ask of a young team w/ a new offense to win them all. The players should absolutely believe and expect to win every game, but we as fans cannot. If we do, when/if we lose we get upset and start to think "we shoula won this game". Well you know, you can't win em all. CPJ and the team will do all they can to win each game, but sometimes, the other team is just better.
Side Notes
Huge game for Calvin "the Freak" Johnson yesterday for the Lions in a losing effort to the Vikings. He had two catches--one for 58 yards and the other for a 96-yard TD. No, that wasn't a typo. NFL.com has a video of the catch, but it's not working for me (maybe it will for you). Maybe they should just line him up at QB, I'm sure he has a respectable arm. If not, then just trade him to a team that will allow him to flourish.
The boys in Chestnut Hill got a big win for us Saturday of VPI, 28-23 despite having a -4 TO margin for the game. That loss by VPI puts us in a much better situation to win the Coastal division. Assuming we win our remaining conference games, VPI only has to lose one more conference game for us to lock up our spot at Tampa. Just like us, VPI's road isn't easy at all, with remaining games @FSU, Maryland, @Duke, @Miami, and UVA.
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