Slept On It: Loss to Clemson and Going Forward

From last night....

The clock's officially struck 12:45am  and I've run out of the Bourbon that's fueled me over the last few hours. Staring at the empty bottle I guess it's time to try to piece together all of the emotions I and many fans felt over the course of the 45-37 loss at the hands of a number one ranked Clemson squad.

First, let me give credit where it's due: Clemson is a very good football team. Tonight we watched one of the best teams in the country operate both effectively and poorly in the same game, sometimes within the same drive. Deshaun Watson is Carolina's Daddy having racked up a stat line in two games that's about as talented as you can find:

It his two games against Carolina (2014 and 2015) Watson is:
A combined 53-78 (68%) throwing for 724 yards 9 touchdowns and two INTs
He's rushed for 162 yards and a pair of scores as well.
He's 2-0.
If Watson put together another game of this nature against Carolina he'll be nearing Russell Wilson status. If I had a vote for the Heisman, Watson would get it. He's simply the best player I've watched this year in college football with Dalvin Cook coming in second and the freight train known as Derrick Henry in third.

I also want to give credit to Clemson's ability to control the offensive line. Clemson had the tedious task of replacing virtually everyone from last year's dominant defensive line and very good offensive line and both units improved steadily over the year. The offensive line, as David Hale of ESPN pointed out, did not give up a sack in their last 4 games. On both sides of the ball Clemson dictated how the game would be played. Their front seven attacked and abused Carolina's offensive line. From one side of the line with Spain all the way to the other side with Jon Heck, Carolina's offensive line got beat from the point of attack. Clemson's Defensive Coordinator (one of the best in the country) Brent Venables slanted and stunted his way through the Carolina offensive line. Outside of a handful or so runs, Carolina's couldn't establish anything on the ground. The attack when Carolina decided to pass, flustered the OL and gave Quise fits. The quarterback who can usually pick a defense apart, struggled to find a rhythm as he dipped and dodged Clemson pass rushers all evening. Carolina's offense didn't ever completely comfortable until they were down by three scores. Clemson had the better athletes, better gameplan and played the better game tonight.

From this mornin'

On the botched call:
Did the refs miss the offsides call on the recovered kick? Yes. Was it at a very inconvenient time? Hell yes. Did it determine the outcome of the game? Maybe. Is it the reason Carolina lost? Hell no. Go watch the ballgame again. Clemson dominated this game from the point of attack. I hate it most for the players who made the play to not get rewarded.

On the offense:
For those who watched it shouldn't come as a surprise when I say that Carolina did not play it's best game. Quise looked rattled for much of the game and the offense failed to establish any kind of consistency until the game was out of reach. As I wrote earlier, much of the credit needs to be given to Clemson. The talent across their roster was evident in all phases of the game yesterday. What;s encouraging even for as poor as Carolina played for a majority of the game, they still managed to have a shot at the end of the game to make things interesting. That's a testament to this team and coaching staff's resilience. They keep fighting and fighting until the bitter end.

On the defense:
The defense gave the offense virtually every opportunity they could yesterday. Yes the 2 minute drill was a let down and the defense couldn't do much after spending a majority of the first 45 minutes of game play on the field; but the defense gave the offense a shot to make the game interesting. We've seen all year the bend but don't break nature of this defense. This defense, while it still has a ways to go, showed some positives against a very good Clemson offensive attack.

Going Forward:
Last night's result should ABSOLUTELY NOT take away what this team's accomplished over the course of this season. This fan base was extremely fortunate to have had this bunch of Seniors leading this squad. The quad of Jeff Schoettmer, Marquise Williams, Shakeel Rashad and Landon Turner helped lead a group which overcame three coaches, a whirlwind of scandal. national disrespect and complete program turmoil. This quad completely flipped the direction of the program with the #IGotYourBack campaign, with their resilience, with their desire and with their constant fight. Kudos are also in store for this coaching staff.

Not enough can be said about the defensive overhaul we've watched over the last 11 months. We went from a group that had given up on the men coaching the defensive side of the ball to a whole team and recruiting class that's bought into the messages of #IGotYourBack and Smart.Fast.Physical. I love where this program's come in the last few months. We went from the lows of losing to Sakerlina in disappointing fashion, to the highs of winning in Atlanta for the first time in 18 years, beating the shit out of Duke and clinching the Coastal in Blacksburg. November, and the first week of December were ballgames to cherish and remember as a fan. I'm so proud of this ball team and these players. They earned every moment on the field this year. I look forward to this bowl game as Carolina attempts to win their 12th game for the first time ever. This program's in the best spot they've been since Marvin's Tweet seen around the world. Morale's high, a large chunk of the two deep returns and recruiting's hummin for what feels like the first time since 09. Cheering for a program emerging in big time college football is such a wonderful drug.

It's always a Great Day to Be A Tar Heel.

WFP