SON KNOWS BEST: Clemson Edges Florida State…Again

Monday Night’s 24-18 loss at Clemson had the same old result for Florida State: another game against a competent defense, and another inept offensive performance.

In the past, the blame has been presented squarely on the feet of Drew Weatherford. But blaming Weatherford as the reason for the Seminoles’ anemic offense the last few years would be taking the easy way out. Not only was he not the problem for Florida State against Clemson, but he actually played reasonably well.

The real problem for the Seminoles is their god-awful offensive line.

Clemson got pressure in the backfield and stopped runs behind the line three times in the first quarter. The only time Weatherford had a chance to step into a throw the entire game was on 15-yard touchdown pass to Richard Goodman. And though Weatherford stepped up on the throw, he was hit in the mouth by a Clemson defensive tackle that beat his man.

Other than a brief period extending from late in the third quarter to early in the fourth, the offensive line couldn’t create any running lanes, and allowed six sacks to six different Clemson defenders over the course of the game.

Sure, Weatherford doesn’t look like a potential Heisman trophy winner. He threw a couple of bad balls to the wrong shoulders of his receivers and took a couple of sacks too many. But he made a number of nice plays on the run, and he seemed to always be on the run. Weatherford also made several big throws as the ‘Noles were trying to struggle back into the game and kept his composure in difficult circumstances.

He can lead Florida State to success if he gets a little bit of time. But with the offensive line he has, particularly freshman left tackle Daron Rose, Weatherford will be running for his life all year.

As for Clemson, they had a flawless game plan from the start. Every play had a reverse or decoy reverse to keep the aggressive FSU linebackers honest. C.J. Spiller and James Davis were explosive running the football, with Davis on one play, breaking a tackle and making four separate cuts to get into the end-zone. Once the linebackers stepped up to fill, bubble screens like the 41 yard touchdown to receiver Aaron Kelly would go for huge gains.

Clemson QB Cullen Hooper managed the game smartly and made some good throws on some short passes. Still, he doesn’t look like a guy who will make big plays. But, his composure and his intelligence allowed the play calling and the talent to win the game.

Most of all, Clemson’s secondary was solid and the front seven was dominant. The Tigers blew up the line of scrimmage repeatedly, chased down the Seminole athletes, and made things miserable for Weatherford.

If Clemson can play a complete 60 minute game, and shore up a few special teams and long snapping gaffes, they can be dangerous in the ACC. The lack of a great quarterback, and their overall inconsistency will hurt them against more polished teams like Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

—E. Blasco