THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
10 | SPORTS
Thursday September 19, 2013
Clemson Tigers out for revenge against N.C. State
AP
Wide receiver Sammy Watkins stiff-arms a Virginia Tech defender. RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney hasn’t forgotten what happened the last time his Tigers carried a top-10 ranking into North Carolina State. He’s focused on ensuring it doesn’t happen again Thursday night. The third-ranked Tigers (2-0) enter Raleigh with their highest ranking in 25 years and the Atlantic Coast Conference favorite is squarely in the national championship chase. That means they can’t afford a repeat of their inexplicably bad performance two years ago against the Wolfpack (2-0). Clemson, ranked No. 7 during that last visit, played without injured star receiver Sammy Watkins, gave up 27 secondquarter points and lost
37-13. Swinney called it “one of the most miserable games I’ve ever been a part of,” while Watkins said the Tigers “didn’t deal well with the success we had as a team.” “My job was to have the team ready, and when they’re not ready, that’s on me,” Swinney said. “We went up there and executed a plan to lose – four turnovers, three of them inside our own 20, against a good football team at their place? You can’t win that way. “Hopefully these guys on our team have grown through their whole team experience, and will put their best foot forward.” While that experience is one the Tigers would like to forget, it offers confidence for the Wolfpack and first-year coach
Dave Doeren. He inherited a team that followed its upset of Clemson with a come-from-behind win against No. 3 Florida State last year with a last-minute touchdown. Doeren is hoping that his team, a two-touchdown underdog, can upset a top-10 team for the third straight season. It also marks the Wolfpack’s first ACC game under Doeren, the former Northern Illinois coach. “Those games aren’t going to win this game for us,” Doeren said. “But at least there’s guys in the room that remember. Our young guys are just out there playing. They don’t know any better. For the older guys, I think it’s a source of pride and our fans obviously are a big part of those wins with
the noise we can generate on third down and on key moments defensively.” Here are five things to watch in Thursday’s Clemson-N.C. State matchup: TEMPO: Both teams like to get plenty of snaps in no-huddle schemes. Quarterback Tajh Boyd directs Clemson’s attack, which averaged nearly 86 plays in wins against highly ranked Georgia and South Carolina State. N.C. State averaged about 82 plays in its wins against Louisiana Tech and Richmond. That could lead to some worn-out defenses Thursday night. WOLFPACK’S SECONDARY: N.C . State struggled to slow Richmond quarterback Michael Strauss, who completed 29 of 45 passes for 300 yards and two scores
on Sept. 7. In addition, four Spiders grabbed at least five passes in the 2321 win by the Wolfpack. N.C. State’s secondary, which lost three of its four starters from 2012, will face even more pressure from Boyd and Watkins. DAYES & CREECY: N.C. State running backs Tony Creecy and freshman Matt Dayes could play a big role in keeping the Wolfpack in this one. N.C. State must move the chains to sustain drives while keeping Boyd and the Tigers’ offense on the sidelines. Dayes has already scored four touchdowns in his first two games. THOMAS’ GROWTH: N.C. State lost starting quarterback Brandon Mitchell to a broken foot on the third series of the season opener. That
meant Colorado State transfer Pete Thomas had to take over leading an offense that’s better suited to Mitchell’s skillset. Doeren said Thomas has benefited from his increased practice work with the starters. “He hasn’t seen a defense like this one yet so this will be a tough test,” Doeren said. PEAKE’S ABSENCE: This will be Clemson’s first game since losing secondleading receiver Charone Peake to a season-ending knee injury in practice. That means reserve Adam Humphries is expected to move into the starting lineup. Humphries has started five of 29 games in his career with 63 catches and one touchdown. “Where this really hurts us is our depth,” Swinney said.
Reid ready to make return to Philadelphia with Chiefs PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Andy Reid cleared his throat, uttered some familiar phrases and downplayed his return to Philadelphia. Same old Andy. “That’s not where I’m at right now,” Reid said when asked if it’s going to be emotional when his Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) play the Eagles (1-1) on Thursday night. “I don’t feel that way. If we weren’t playing a football game against a good football team, maybe your mind goes there. I don’t see my mind going there. My mind is going to be on the job at hand and what we’ve got to get accomplished in a tough place to play.” Reid led the Eagles to nine
playoff appearances, six division titles, five NFC championship games and one Super Bowl before he was fired after going 4-12 last year in his 14th season. While he’s off to an excellent start with the Chiefs, who were 2-14 last year, Chip Kelly has reinvigorated the Eagles and their fans with his fast-paced offense and all-around energy. “I have great respect for Andy,” Kelly said. “If you’re a coach in the NFL, anybody head coaches in one spot for 14 years, you kind of look to them and say, ‘Holy Smokes!’ If you just walk down these hallways and look at the championships, the division championships, the confer-
ence championships, what he’s done, he’s had a huge impact on this organization. “There’s not a lot of guys out there in this profession that carry themselves, from a coaching standpoint, when you get a chance to be around them, like Andy Reid.” Five things to watch for in Chiefs-Eagles: WHAT GIVES ON THE GROUND?: Led by LeSean McCoy’s NFL-best 237 yards rushing, the Eagles are second in the league with 352 yards on the ground. The Chiefs’ defense is second against the run, allowing 54 yards per game. Something has to give. “Their front seven is pretty good,” McCoy said. “ So far, it’s the most com-
plete defense we’ve played. But with the offense we have, it falls on us. We just have to execute.” PASS-HAPPY ANDY VS. POROUS SECONDARY: Reid has always employed a pass-first philosophy and it’s no different with the Chiefs. Alex Smith has thrown on 59 percent of Kansas City’s plays, excluding his scrambles that probably started as pass plays. The Eagles’ woeful secondary only gives Reid more incentive to pass, allowing 748 yards passing, third worst in the league. “They try to give you a lot of unorthodox looks,” Smith said of Philadelphia’s defense. “We have to be on with our communication.
Loud stadium, so everyone is going to have to be on the same page.” BLOCKING POE: Chiefs nose tackle Dontari Poe already has 3 1/2 sacks, including 2 1/2 on Tony Romo last week. “He’s big, he’s got really good feet, he looks strong in his upper body. He’s a smart player, too,” Eagles right guard Todd Herremans said. MISTAKE-FREE MIKE: Michael Vick is off to an excellent start in Chip Kelly’s up-tempo offense. Vick threw for a career-best 428 yards last week and has a 119.0 passer rating. He’s accounted for six TDs (four passing, two rushing) and zero interceptions.
“He’s very explosive, he brings the run aspect to his position, and him being a dynamic player, you always have to account for him and make sure you know what’s going on,” Chiefs safety Eric Berry said. TIRED LEGS: The Eagles are the first team in NFL history to start the season with three games in 11 days. The Chiefs are playing their third game in 12 days. Expect some weary players out there. “I’m happy that we’re doing this at the beginning of the season,” Eagles linebacker Connor Barwin said. “If we were trying to get three games (in 11 days) in Weeks 12, 13 and 14, I don’t know if you could do it.”