Well, Clemson is 2-0 as expected and moving into the short week vs. UL.
Positives from 1st games:
Wow, 1st team D looks MUCH better than I expected.
OL looks MUCH better than expected (I was thinking dumpster fire level)
This team looks dialed in a focused.
We do seem to have 8-10 OL guys that will see game time this year.
Negatives from 1st games:
Wow, do we even practice special teams? I'm not ready to come off my 9-3 prediction b/c we are going to lose a game or two b/c of kicking/coverage.
The front 4 aren't getting much QB pressure and even with bringing an extra blitzer, we aren't exactly all over the QB.
Our 2nd string LBs don't look good at all.
Frankly, our skill players on offense haven't looked as dominate as I expected. Scott is a beast, but I've been underwhelmed by Peake and Hopper. Williams is a HUGE loss and we simply aren't the same w/o him.
Looking forward, Lousiville isn't as good as I expected. This is still a scary game, mostly b/c of the away on a short week aspect. Louisville has talent, but simply have looked pretty bad in two games. Auburn's escape this weekend castes the 1st week's loss in a new light. Overall, I'm more optimistic about this game now than I was at the beginning of the season.
I think my hope comes mostly from comparing the two teams games themselves. Clemson rested their 1st string guys in both games (especially against Wofford), but Louisville has been in two dogfights already. I think that's going to be a significant advantage for Clemson in the short week. I like Clemson vs. UL straight up, but the advantages of a home Thursday made me think of this game as a pure tossup. Now, I think the advantage is clearly Clemson's right now.
Positives from 1st games:
Wow, 1st team D looks MUCH better than I expected.
OL looks MUCH better than expected (I was thinking dumpster fire level)
This team looks dialed in a focused.
We do seem to have 8-10 OL guys that will see game time this year.
Negatives from 1st games:
Wow, do we even practice special teams? I'm not ready to come off my 9-3 prediction b/c we are going to lose a game or two b/c of kicking/coverage.
The front 4 aren't getting much QB pressure and even with bringing an extra blitzer, we aren't exactly all over the QB.
Our 2nd string LBs don't look good at all.
Frankly, our skill players on offense haven't looked as dominate as I expected. Scott is a beast, but I've been underwhelmed by Peake and Hopper. Williams is a HUGE loss and we simply aren't the same w/o him.
Looking forward, Lousiville isn't as good as I expected. This is still a scary game, mostly b/c of the away on a short week aspect. Louisville has talent, but simply have looked pretty bad in two games. Auburn's escape this weekend castes the 1st week's loss in a new light. Overall, I'm more optimistic about this game now than I was at the beginning of the season.
I think my hope comes mostly from comparing the two teams games themselves. Clemson rested their 1st string guys in both games (especially against Wofford), but Louisville has been in two dogfights already. I think that's going to be a significant advantage for Clemson in the short week. I like Clemson vs. UL straight up, but the advantages of a home Thursday made me think of this game as a pure tossup. Now, I think the advantage is clearly Clemson's right now.
