Clemson football: The double edged sword of rain games

Writer’s block can be tough, but who knew I’d find the answers in Alabama, Death Valley and the soggy high school football fields of Union, South Carolina.

I mean from the billions of dollars I’ve made off the last 2 articles (right, Marty?), I have really been trying to hammer down and find a good angle for my 3rd entry into the Rubbing the Rock “universe”. So, how about we go play in the rain, shall we?

In the midst of all this, for some reason I had the SEC network on. I mean, since John Swoffor….I mean, the ACC decided to have their baseball tournament play its round robin games on National Geographic’s PPV service, it was easier for me to just put on SEC propaganda while I was working in the office today.

I noticed that for the quintillionth year in a row, Hoover (the site of the SEC baseball tournament) was having substantial rains and thus, were facing a scheduling conundrum in getting the tournament in this week. I don’t understand the stubbornness of that conference to insist on having the “premiere” college baseball tournament take place in a spot where you are likely to have a ton of rain in May. And honestly, you could have it in New Orleans, Birmingham, heck even Tampa. But I digress.

I got on a tangent thinking about how the weather can wreak havoc on a baseball game, but can be a double edged sword when it comes to a football game. Which brings me to this week’s question:

What was the craziest weather you sat through for a game? Win or loss. 

Before we dive in, I have to acknowledge what the obvious answer for most people will be. 2015 Notre Dame, right? A driving hurricane, an epic win, a star was born in Deshaun Watson. BYOG. I, however, wasn’t there. I had pre-planned to go to Charleston that weekend with my future in-laws to propose to my now wife on the beach in Isle of Palms. Only problem was there was no beach to propose on during the storm, so yours truly had to improvise. And the rest was history.

Now back to my original point. The reason I say it’s a double edged sword is that some of the best game experiences I’ve ever had have come in monsoons.  As a high school football player, I was in a game during a complete downpour between Chapman and Chesnee High school back in 2007. I was literally covered head to toe in the muck and mire of what was then Henry H. Smith Field. It was a blast. We needed a win to clinch a playoff berth and were able to jump out to a 47-9 lead before the visiting team scored a few late TD’s to make it 47-31. I recorded my 1st tackle as a high school sophomore and I felt like a mud- covered All American doing so.

While at Clemson, I sat through 2 separate weather delays, 6 hours in total to watch the Tigers slog through the elements to knock off Boston College 25-7. As an adult, a week after the aforementioned Charleston trip, a friend who wanted to celebrate the engagement threw an epic tailgate and we had amazing seats to boot. Even though I had to wear work boots and carharts to walk around, it was still some of the most fun I had ever had. Ironically enough (especially referring to Georgia Tech like we did last time), 2 years later, my wife and I nearly froze after a downpour started the game and gusty winds took over at half time. It is, to this day, the only times she’s voluntarily worn orange in Death Valley courtesy of a poncho.

But to every point, there is a counterpoint; like I said, a double edged sword.

As a high school senior, I ran around in the ice cold rain in the middle of Union, South Carolina in the midst of a 26-0 loss as part of a 1-9 senior campaign. The driving rain paired with an empty county fair next door felt like a scene in a horror movie, a true microcosm of that season.

The one game as a student that I vividly remember was standing in the middle of the hill my freshman year, soaked to the bone and wondering how in the world TCU lucked out a win. Don’t get me wrong, that was a good team, but the weather almost had to be a contributing factor in Clemson’s 14-10 loss that day. 

Sometimes it makes a win that much more memorable, but it can also make a loss devastating. Weather giveth and taketh away.

What is the craziest weather you’ve endured for a game?