Tigers looking for another fast start
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) -- C.J. Spiller thought about it since last December -- how could a Tiger team that looked so good most of the season stumble so badly when it mattered most.
"I think we lost focus," Clemson's tailback said Tuesday.
After the team opened 7-1 and rose to No. 10 in the country, Spiller said the Tigers went to Virginia Tech for a nationally televised Thursday night game thinking the roll would continue.
Instead, the Hokies slammed Clemson 24-7 -- and may have shown future opponents how best to stop Spiller, fellow star runner James Davis and the Tigers' offense.
"It was a shock," Spiller said.
Clemson went on to lose three more times down the stretch, including disheartening defeats to rival South Carolina and to Kentucky in the Music City Bowl. The Tigers finished 8-5 after looking like surefire Atlantic Coast Conference champions.
"If there was one word, it would be more focused on both sides of the ball," said Spiller, a sophomore who rushed for 938 yards.
The goal starts Monday night when Clemson faces No. 19 Florida State at Death Valley.
Offensive lineman Thomas Austin, a sophomore, says the team lost its attention to detail down the stretch. "We had all the talent. It was just a mental toughness thing," Austin said. "You lose a game or two, you can't throw the whole season away."
The team's motto this offseason was "Finish the Job."
The Tigers kick it off with one of their most important ACC rivals.
Florida State and Miami had played on Labor Day night the past three years. When the Seminoles needed another holiday opponent, Clemson jumped in.
"I expect there to be a little more enthusiasm, a little more electricity" at sold-out Memorial Stadium, Tiger coach Tommy Bowden said.
Bowden has liked his team's work ethic this offseason, despite the bad finish of a year ago.
The offense, though, will have similar questions to answer as it did in 2006.
Part of the team's struggles then came when Will Proctor, a fifth-year senior who had not had the starting job before last fall, could not rally Clemson's passing game when opponents stopped the run.
This time around, the Tigers enter the season with a first-time starter in redshirt junior Cullen Harper at quarterback.
Bowden and offensive coordinator Rob Spence have worked to get the backfield duo of James Davis and Spiller on the field together more often this year. The pair combined for more than 2,100 yards rushing and 27 TDs.
"It gives me chill bumps to think about" what the two can do at the same time, Spiller said.
Spiller grew up a Florida State fan in Lake Butler, Fla. A year ago, though, Spiller ran just twice for minus 4 yards in his third college game. He promises to have more of an impact this time around. "My mom was all upset" after the game, Spiller remembered. "I told her not to worry because I was just a freshman."
On defense, the biggest question is who will take over for All-America end Gaines Adams, the No. 4 overall draft pick by Tampa Bay. Sophomores Kevin Alexander and Ricky Sapp have battled for Adams' spot.
Defensive coordinator Vic Koenning thinks his group was fairly consistent during the Tigers' strong start and their final slide. The one exception, he says, was allowing 492 yards and surrendering a two-touchdown second-half lead in a 31-28 loss to the Gamecocks last November.
Koenning expects a spirited performance out of his unit against Florida State and new offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher.
"I don't get overconfident," Koenning said. "But you've got to expect success, and we've tried to prepare our players for that."
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