Week 3 was a banger, Week 4 will be crazier

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You Showed Me Something, Bill: Why programs should not be buried quite so quickly!

Blake Toppmeyer spent the week wondering whether Bill Belichick might help accelerate Dabo Swinney’s downfall.

Instead, Dabo reminded everybody why digging the grave of a two time National Champion in September is hazardous work.

Clemson beat North Carolina 28-20 Saturday, rallying from a 17-3 deficit and scoring 13 points in the final five-plus minutes. Freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds, making his first career start, threw for 215 yards; Gideon Davidson rushed for 105; and Clemson’s defense made the plays that mattered after a 2½-hour lightning delay.  The one that really mattered?  Smacking Carolina in the mouth post lightening delay when Bobby Petrino went to the pass on 4^th  and goal.  The Tar Heels had been dominating in the run game all day.  It's their strength.  My preferred play calls after the delay?  2^nd  down - June.  3^rd  down - June.  4^th  Down - direct snap to the fastest true freshman on the roster for a mad dash to the pylon while telling him that his scholarship and NIL depend upon him reaching that orange stick.

Yeah...I told you: The funny thing about supposedly dying programs is that when they play the right schools, they sometimes remember who they are.  Clemson can be diminished. Dabo can be under pressure.  A 51-10 loss to LSU can be embarrassing.  But none of that makes Clemson at Clemson some kind of clearance-rack victory for the Carolinas of the world.

Programs matter. Talent matters. Home field matters. And institutional pride matters most when everybody outside the building has decided yours has disappeared.

Saturday supplied the evidence.

The Tar Heels actually played well enough for long stretches to make this loss hurt.  Benjamin Hall ran for 135 yards, the QB was awful but did find Hall for a touchdown, and UNC’s offensive line repeatedly moved Clemson’s defensive front around. The Tar Heels weren't yet exposed as frauds. They were leading 20-15 after the weather delay with barely six minutes remaining. 

Then came the part championship programs tend to remember: "Hey...were better than most of those dudes in high school, and damnit, I'm not losing to anybody wear powder blue!"  Davidson scored from eight yards. Carolina turned it over on downs. Tyler Brown ripped off a 34-yard touchdown. Edwards’ final opportunity ended with an interception.

Ballgame.

And that brings us back to Bill....Billllllllll, Bill, Bill.

I said before kickoff that this was a Remember the Titans game:

SHOW ME, BILL. SHOW ME!!

Well, he showed me what we already kind of knew:  He's not ready yet, and neither are the Tar Heels.

Carolina is tougher. The defense is legitimate. The offensive line traveled. This team went into Death Valley and had Clemson hanging over the edge.....by their toe nails.   And then they let them off the hook! 

And that's the standard now. Not whether Carolina can look respectable against Clemson. Not whether the Tar Heels can make the game interesting:  Can you beat them?  BEAT SOMEBODY, BILL!!!

Had Carolina finished Saturday, it would have been a damned good win, not evidence Clemson had become meaningless.

That is where Toppmeyer’s argument had itself tied in knots. He needed Clemson to be sufficiently important that losing to Belichick might help end Dabo’s tenure, while simultaneously portraying the Tigers as sufficiently broken that beating them wouldn't tell us much about Carolina.

Saturday Clemson picked for us all.  Dabo’s program was wounded.  It wasn't dead.

They found a capable quarterback, and when the game reached the moment where pride, talent, crowd and history started pulling in the same direction, Clemson found enough Clemson to win.

My prediction was Tigers 17, Heels 10.

Wrong score.

Right reason.

Program + Talent + Home Field = Clemson.

Show me again, Bill.

Next time, BEAT SOMEBODY.  Oh...Notre Dame is next up?  Ok, we'll be watching. 

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Last weekend was certainly quite interesting, and as you know I’m inclined to start off with my weekly mocking of Carolina, but this week I cannot, for the Heels have been outdone by their neighbors to the west, NC State. Show of hands, if you’re a fan of an ACC team, would you rather lose to Alabama by 40 or to Vanderbilt by fumbling the ball in your own end zone with 6 seconds to play? I thought so. Losing to Bama is far more respectable than losing to Vandy the way State did. Carolina let James Madison put 70 on them at Kenan Stadium and Mack Brown briefly resigned after the game, and even THAT wasn’t this embarrassing (but I just love bringing it up!). NC State has set a new low in blowing a game . . . oh how the mediocre have fallen. Carolina looked great for two quarters and then, back to normal! Which for you non-sophisticates is a reference to the movie Barfly when Mickey Rourke’s character, portraying writer Charles Bukowski says, “Ain’t got no job, ain’t got no money, ain’t got no woman; back to normal!” Ed will cover that game in detail, and it is quite fulfilling when I don’t have to write bad things about Carolina, because their own fans do it for me. 😊

#5 Miami 33 Wake Forest 20 (Miami -21, O/U 56.5)

Wake covered, their defense played great in the 2^nd half, holding the ‘Canes to a touchdown with the help of Miami’s conservative play calling. The game was a LOT closer than the score indicated, as Wake gave up 100 yards on two penalties in the 4^th quarter. A 40 yard and a 60 yard punt return were called back on penalties that only the referee on the far side of the field saw, one of which would have put Wake on the Miami 10 and the other inside the 50. The Deacs looked good, but face another big test at Louisville this weekend.

#2 Georgia 45 Arkansas 17 (UGA -24.5, O/U 54.5)

Georgia won, some Hogs fans wore bags on their heads, which had nothing to do with the football game, they’re just embarassed to go to Arkansas, and everything turned out as expected.

Florida State 36 #10 Alabama 50 (Bama -19.5, O/U 48.5)

Florida State was up 21-6 with three minutes to go in the 2^nd quarter, then the FSU defense collapsed and gave up three touchdowns in the final 2:36 of the half. The ‘Noles briefly regained the lead in the 2^nd half before falling to a better team. It wasn’t all bad, and FSU showed enough fight that the season is not lost, but they need to win one of their back to back road trips to Louisville and Miami in October.

West Virginia 38 Virginia 27 (UVA -10.5, O/U 53.5)

The Cavaliers have brought shame on their state and conference, at least their polo team bested Yale over the weekend. FYI, UVA really does have a polo team, and it’s considered quite gauche to heckle at a polo match. I found that out when in was in college and several friends and I were harangued into going to a polo match by some young ladies from UVA. Thankfully, we brought beer, and no, we were not invited back.

#7 LSU 24 #8 Ole Miss 32 (LSU -3, O/U 58.5)

One more time!

Hotty Toddy, good gosh almighty,

Who the hell are we?

Flim flam, bim bam,

Ole Miss by damn!