It’s the end of your work week and the beginning of week 3 of the college football season. Which means it’s time for our weekly addition of “Bless Your Heart” looking at the Bulldogs from Louisiana Tech who travel to take on Clemson football this week.
Man, it’s been a week.
On a more somber note, I hope that everyone who can make it to the game this weekend does. Not just to support the Tigers, but to show support for the Breese family. The whole situation is absolutely gut wrenching, and I would tell anyone to wear gray on Saturday evening. Even though gray may not normally be the color scheme in these parts, it’s a simple way to support not only the honorable cause of brain cancer awareness but also a family that has dealt with so much, especially this week.
For the game itself, here’s to hoping for a proverbial “reset button” for this team, specifically the defense this week.
It’s odd to see the amount of uneasiness around Clemson when people talk about Tech coming to town this week. 3 weeks ago, people acted like this would be a lay-up, and despite winning (rather convincingly) the first 2 games, there seems to still be a nagging stench of uncertainty and (I hate this word so much from fans) “concern”.
I’m not here to say last week was sunshine and pancakes for everyone, but it almost feels like the aura around Clemson, particularly by its fans, is that Clemson lost last week. That this team is set in its ways and cannot improve. You think I’m crazy? Go read any piece on your favorite Clemson website or Twitter and tell me that you haven’t seen at least 1 to 5 different articles or tweets saying, “people are beginning to question if is this who Clemson is”.
Maybe I’m missing something here. At this point last year, even after a 49-3 win over SC State, there were some MAJOR issues with offense that came into view. This year, I don’t feel that same way. While last season it felt like Clemson was going to have to win in spite of its offense, this year it seems like this team keeps taking incremental steps to improvement. I mean, for heaven’s sakes, look at the points per game from where Clemson was last year to this year. It’s a small sample size either way, but I tend to feel a lot better about it this year.
Defensively, Clemson got struck in the mouth last weekend because of a combination of things. Unfocused, undisciplined play was paired with a vanilla scheme going against a team that had made a major switch in its offense in the offseason and was treating this game as a “Super Bowl.”
Naturally people have begun to weep, wail, and gnash their teeth in the streets, what with Clemson’s next 4 of 5 opponents running variations of up-tempo attacks.
Maybe I’m just someone who looks at each game week to week or maybe I’m too optimistic, but I would be surprised to see an exact performance from the Clemson defense this week. People are quick to forget the week 1 dominance in Atlanta.
When I take a look at Louisiana Tech’s potential strengths and weaknesses, it is obvious that they have a couple of very dynamic wide receivers who can stretch the field. And they did force a couple of turnovers against SEC competition in Missouri.
Clemson football hosts the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Saturday night in Death Valley in a game the Tigers are favored by almost 5 touchdowns in
But there are 2 things that REALLY jump out to me from their game against Mizzou. #1: Their starting QB has a tendency to turn the ball over. This is the perfect time for this Tiger D to reassert themselves by getting a few turnovers, especially if they can get them early in this game. #2: Mizzou ran for a staggering 323 on the ground against Tech. Clemson’s OL should be licking their chops to get ahold of this team and give what has looked like a meager ground game a boost heading in to conference play.
But to me, the ultimate X factor going into this game, and potentially going forward all season, is how the team rallies around a teammate facing personal hardship and pain. I wouldn’t expect for Bresee to play this week, he has something far more important going on right now. But hardship and challenge like this, as tragic as it is, can unite a team. Not just for an entire game but an entire season because it’s about more than football.
And if this team is united, and gives Louisiana Tech it’s full attention, I just have one thing to say to bulldog fans:
Bless your heart.