Wasn’t pretty, but No. 3 Clemson got the job done against Queens last week with a 4-2 victory. Were we happy? No, but certainly happier than the former No. 1 West Virginia after they fell 5-1 to Dayton (h/t @jbf1981).

So, any win is good for the soul. And the Tigers (8-2-2) have another non-conference game as they host USC Upstate (3-11-0) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Historic Riggs Field.

Coach Noonan became the 27th coach in NCAA history to reach 400 wins with the victory over Queens and is the fifth all-time winningest coach among active coaches. Kudos to the head man.

The last game and next game aren’t worth too much dissecting, as Queens was 175th in RPI and Upstate is 195th. Upstate is also dead last in the country in goal differential at -27 (17 goals for, 44 against).

What is more critical is looking at our health/suspensions (Gerbet, Richmond, Lundegard, Okunlola, etc), our defensive lapses and our finishing of opportunities. There could very well be some overlap of the Venn Diagram of these three, so let’s dive in.

First on health, @toby_corriston has been too kind to us in getting health updates for our players. We’ve discussed Nathan Richmond before and his back injuries – the hope being that the third-round pick in the MLS Super Draft (Hey, MLS, it’s just a normal draft – you aren’t special) can contribute as we get closer to postseason.

The big one is captain Joran Gerbet. He is the cog in the machine. Go back and watch the UNC game – Gerbet was the man that kept the Heels in constant sorrow.

While not an injury, we have missed our other captain Adam Lundegard for over 400 minutes this season because of red cards. After the straight red versus Notre Dame, Lundegard sat out the next 2 ½ games, coming back on at halftime against Queens last week.

Not to belabor the point, but with Lundegard on the field, our GAA is .654, which would rank ninth in the country. With him off the field, it balloons to a whopping 2.4 – good enough for 192nd out of 205 teams in the country.

As a whole, Clemson ranks 93rd at 1.27 GAA. With Lundegard AND Gerbet on the field at the same time, the Tigers GAA drops to .619, which would also be ninth-best in the country.

Certainly, those two aren’t the only reason for those numbers as Titus Sandy Jr., Lukas Magnason have been more than capable in the back. But the lapses are certainly less with them there.

Heading into the Notre Dame game, we were 143rd in the country in shot accuracy (SOG/Total Shots) at a paltry .400. Since then, we’ve put 26 of our 47 shots on goal, which results in a .553 percentage that would rank second in the entire country behind Incarnate Word.

A ninth-ranked defense in the country and the second-best team at putting its shots on goal would make for a great team, I’d think.

We are No. 7 in the country in scoring offense, averaging 2.42 goals per game. Oddly enough, the Palmetto State has Nos. 6-8 in that category (USC, Clemson, Presbyterian). Duke leads the country with a whopping 3.42 goals per game, but don’t let that fool you: 24 of those goals came against Howard and something called Averett. The Blue Devils, while still a good team, average 1.42 goals in their other 10 games.

One reason we are No. 7 in the country in scoring offense is because of graduate striker Alex Meinhard. He is in his sixth season, having spent his fist four at Tulsa and last two at Clemson. For the Tartu, Estonia native’s career, he has 40 goals in 74 games – 11 in 34 games in a Clemson uniform.

He won pretty much all the awards you can win in the American Conference at Tulsa. He’s been our most accurate player with 15 SOG on 24 total shots – a .625 percentage that ranks second in the ACC and eighth in the country. But, as a noted issue for the middle part of the season for the team, Meinhard has the third least number of goals of the top 15 players ranked in shot accuracy.

But here’s hoping that Meinhard, who scored three of his goals in the first four games of the season, is getting back in the groove with a goal against Queens last week.

Clemson is in third-place in the ACC Standings at the moment with games against Syracuse (6-5-3) at home on Friday and at VT (7-4-2) on Nov. 1 left. Remember, top four in regular season standings won’t have to go on the road in the ACC tournament until neutral site games in Cary, NC for the semifinals and final.

The Tigers also sit at No. 18 in RPI – 6th best in ACC behind Pitt (1), Stanford (4), Duke (6), UNC (10th), and NCSU (15). NCSU took a big jump beating ranked SMU 5-1 on Saturday.

Go Tigers! Beat Upstate!

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Hope they’re calling into Finebaum and saying this

From intern Toby Corriston:

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I have been screaming about how we don't know anything about this team due to the schedule. But if we win out I think we can all agree we have a very good team. That said whats the chances we win it all? We aren't as good as Oregon, UGA or Texas but everyone else seems like fair game.

The teams I see most mentioned for making it as of today, not including Clemson. Outside of the teams I mentioned above I wouldn't hate our chances against any of the teams listed below. I guess it all shakes out on who you draw and when/where. But if we can somehow continue to get these young guys more reps perhaps we could be a very solid defense with some depth by the end of the year.

Oregon
UGA
Miami
PSU
BYU
OSU
Texas
Indiana
Iowa State
Tenn
Boise State
ND
Army
Pittsburg
Bama

We used to call it being held back and nobody wanted to be held back, but now they just call it "reclassing". I'm starting to see it a lot in baseball and football.

My question is, how old can you be and still play HS Sports? You can't be 20 years old in 12th grade, can you?

I ask because I happen to know an 8th grader who is absolutely dominating his peers. He also will be turning 15 next month. Another kid I know will be a 13-year-old 6th grader.

@GoodWord28 & @CUPLAYER1- could you imagine if our group in 8th grade stayed back to play the group below us? I saw this kid on the football field, and he looked like a freshman playing a bunch of Middle Schoolers. Turns out, he's supposed to be in 9th grade. My observation was correct.

Aside from the obvious reason of dominating kids younger than you, what's the advantage here and why is it becoming "the thing to do"?

Lastly, went to a PG tournament a few months back and it was a 12u event. All of the top 20 guys were well over 13 and at least 8-10 were about to be 14. There's about 5 inches and 30-40lb difference between an 8th grader and a 7th grader, much less a should be 9th grader playing against them. It certainly is taking over youth sports quickly.

From Rivals.com national analyst Adam Friedman this morning:

Just watch for economic news on Russia. Here's where things REALLY start getting bad ......the Russian alcohol industry is on the ropes. When the people sober up and get through the shock of no Vodka on the horizon, Putin is going to have quit hiding.

Now he's(Putin) importing North Korean soldiers. 8 or 9 were sent a couple of weeks ago ....ran like escaped prisoners.

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Check out a TON of Clemson inventory at least 25% OFF HERE at The Tiger Fan Shop! (Use checkout code: CIDER)

From intern Toby Corriston:

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SMU's value to the ACC ? I think we have. I think they have been handed an opportunity that they have been waiting for, and will take full advantage of it.

Thoughts?

.

I've thought about this, and I honestly don't know the answer. Obviously, morally wrong and legally wrong are two different things but if WWE is fixed and considered Entertainment, aren't professional sports considered Entertainment?

There have been countless umpires, referees and former players over the years who have said it's often controlled and/or fixed at times. Maybe not all of the time, but most definitely certain games at certain times.

A quick google search says it's against Federal Law to fix sports through bribery. So how does WWE get away with it?

If sports were fixed in any way, would it bother you? (which we know it has been proven to be in the past)

Do you think they have it controlled and every person who has done it has gotten caught and therefore nobody is still doing it?

What say you?

Has anyone looked at the on3 NIL reported compensation by position group for the top 10 players at each position? It is interesting to see. Not sure how accurate this info is, but it kinds of paints a picture of what kids are getting thrown at them if they are elite. I could see where Clemson really needs a top DE, DT, QB, or OT in a class and they look at the funds (booster funds) they have and try to put together some deals to buy players. There seems to be a workable solution.

QB - 200K up to 1.3 Million NIL reported deals
RB - 200-400K NIL reported deals
WR - 200-600K reported NIL deals
TE - Up to 250K reported NIL deals
OT - 250K - 1.5M reported NIL deals
OG/OC - Up to 400K NIL deals

DE - 200-550K reported NIL Deals
DT - 200-550K reported NIL Deals
LB - Under 400K NIL Deals
CB - 200-500K reported NIL Deals
S - 200-500K reported NIL Deals
ATH - Under 250K reported NIL Deals

Ranked in order by highest to Lowest:
1. OT - 1.5 Mil
2. QB - 1.3 Mil
3. WR - 600K
4. DT/DE - 550K+
6. CB/S - Up to 500K
8. RB - 200-400K
9. ATH/TE - Up to 250K

If Clemson wants to remain in the elite level, we absolutely have to find sponsors in SC to for OT, QB, WR, DT/DE every year. I believe we can do fine in the less competitive spaces at CB/S/RB and TE without using the funds. However, every year we are going to need someone to commit 1-2 million every year for a QB, someone to commit 1-2 million for an elite OT, 1 million for 2 elite WR's, 1 million for 2 elite DT's, and another 1 million for 2 elite DE's. This would be in addition to the money for the kids already on campus and any portal guys we take on. Approving the college kids to pay extra for the sporting events each semester is going to really help to take care of some of these things. It is going to be interesting to see how much more money Clemson brings in from the performance bonuses this year, extra funds from additions of SMU, Stanford, and CAL, extra funds from ACCN, and extra funds if we make and do well in the post season. All of these things could really give us a major boost in the revenue department. We could start reallocating funds for NIL and others to internal projects (Coaches pay, facilities improvement, etc.). We could see all or most IPTAY and the NIL collective money go strictly to player acquisition as well as retention if we can fund our entire athletic program with the TV and bonus performance money.

Could be one of the best, we’ve ever had.
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As Paul mentioned earlier this month, National Signing Day will be on Dec. 4 this year.

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Where has time gone?

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Does not surprise me at all.

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BREAKING: Federal Government Whistleblower Exposes $347M Contract for Transporting Unaccompanied Minors - "What You Know, You Cannot Unknow,"

"My line in the sand moment was when I found out that GSA had awarded a contract to a company to transport unaccompanied minors,” shared current General Services Administration (GSA) Contract Specialist Clarissa Rippee, revealing shocking details about a $347 million contract awarded to the company responsible for transporting unaccompanied minors across the United States. “It felt like someone kicked me in the gut,” Rippee added.

Rippee, who works inside the General Services Administration (GSA), described the unaccompanied minors as being treated like “commodities... like potato chips on a truck.” The contract, which she highlights as an enormous "big money business," involves moving children, often separated from their families, under inhumane conditions.

"What you know, you cannot unknow," Rippee stated, saying that the horrifying conditions she witnessed inspired her to speak out: “It’s about the children, and it’s my duty now to speak up.”

Rippee also noted the troubling normalization of such activities within the government, saying, “It’s just an accepted part of the bureaucracy. But the reality is, this is exploitation, and it has to stop.” Rippee’s revelations come on the heels of Border Patrol Agent Zachary Apotheker (@ZachApotheker) blowing the whistle on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the film “Line in the Sand.”

Support brave whistleblowers like Rippee and Apotheker by donating to the Citizen Journalist Foundation at okeefemediagroup.com/donate/. Your contribution ensures that courageous individuals can step forward and reveal the truth, helping to hold those in power accountable.

If SMU wins out and beats Miami with its only loss being BYU they take ACC spot.

Miami would have 1 loss in the acc title game.

Does Clemson get in the playoffs?

There are 7 at large spots. Any chance the committee would actually give Miami and Clemson 2 of the 7 at large spots.

Going to the FEC. @iceheart08

Gig is up. Some of these donations are undoubtedly laundered stolen taxpayer funds.

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BREAKING: Texas AG Ken Paxton has uncovered BOMBSHELL evidence confirming that illegal funds are currently being laundered to Democrat campaigns using ActBlue. His findings have been sent to the FEC

"Namely, it appears that straw donations are systematically being made using false identities, through untraceable payment methods."

“Our investigation into ActBlue has uncovered facts indicating that bad actors can illegally interfere in American elections by disguising political donations. It is imperative that the FEC close off the avenues we have identified by which foreign contributions or contributions in excess of legal limits could be unlawfully funneled to political campaigns, bypassing campaign finance regulations and compromising our electoral system.”

This confirms everything Election Watch's @PeterBernegger has been exposing for years. Democrats aren't just rigging elections in the traditional sense. They're also pumping dark funds into their campaigns to outspend Republicans. Bernegger has shown that this "smurfing" scheme totals hundreds of millions of dollars every election cycle in all 50 states.

Conclusion? Democrats are using the identities of unsuspecting elderly people to launder money into the campaigns, and the most important Attorney General in the country just confirmed it to the FEC.

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I think that I can make the practice squad…

Edit: Obligatory “you should have seen me in my prime.”