The "Winning by a Nose" Edition

Clemson sneaks out of Louisville with a 20-19 win, while South Carolina has an epic collapse in College Station, losing 31-30 after leading 30-3 at the half over No. 3 Texas A&M.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Each time for Climpson Sports Talk with Lawton Swan. Now finally,

(00:44):
Clemson Sports Talk has come back two drive time. Hello everybody,
and Swan back in the saddle once again. It is
the show that shakes the south Land. Clemson Sports ang
for you each and every afternoon as you make your
way around the great state of South Carolina and beyond,

(01:04):
listening to us on incredible radio stations like Fox Sports
Radio fourteen hundred the Midlands. Hear around the world on
the iHeartRadio application Download today, It's free. The website. Put
the dot com on it, dog Garnet, that's Clemson Sports
Talk dot com. Eight O three four five oh zero

(01:24):
zero eighty six. That is the text line in the
phone line. And of course on a Monday, William Qualkinbush
joins us here to talk about your Clemson Tigers coming
up an hour number two and we'll get his thoughts
on the Tigers victory on the road at Louisville. It

(01:45):
was a one point win for Clemson. It was a
one point loss for South Carolina. This weekend, South Carolina's
lost coming in a much much more heartbreaking fashion, I
would venture to guest, and even Clemson's victory over Louisville
came in terms of a heartbreaking fashion for the Louisville

(02:06):
Cardinal faithful out there, and look, it may very well
be the first time in the history of these two
programs where both teams had a one point finish on
the same weekend in college football. Not to mention one
going one way with Clemson fans being excited about the
fact that they will likely make a bowl game and
that South Carolina fans with their loss at Texas A

(02:29):
and M, are likely left out because the best of
the game Cops can do is five and seven if
they win this week against Coastal Carolina and then next
week against Clemson. So we'll see how it all shakes
out the rest of the way. I just know this,
what you witnessed once again for Clemson at Louisville, to me,

(02:51):
was more about the opponent than it was Clemson for
so many years, the Tigers went into your house and
they took what they wanted, and they did what they wanted,
and you couldn't do anything about it. Much like a
week ago against Florida State, what I said here on
the program, Clemson was fortunate to win that game. I
really thought Florida State did more to lose it than

(03:13):
Clemson did to win it, and that was the same
this weekend for Louisville. They did much more to lose
that game than Clemson did to win it. Certainly, the
Tigers had to make some plays, and Dabosweny tips his
cap to the special teams for Clemson because that was
really the difference. Clemson's special teams Nolan Hoosier ten straight
made field goals, not to mention the fact that the

(03:35):
reason Louisville loses that game is not only because of
two missed field goals, but the missed extra point and
maybe more than anything, a saving grace if you will,
for Clemson punter Jack Smith, who did a phenomenal job
not only in this game but throughout the season. And
Dabos Wheny talks about Smith, will hear that in a
little bit. But Jack Smith on a skipped ball didn't

(03:59):
make the play worse. And I'll be honest with you,
I'm not sure that play has to be that bad.
I think if Peter Woods actually blocks his man, I
think Jack Smith might have had the chance to get
the ball and punt it away. Perhaps maybe he keeps
his balance either way, you survive in advance. This is

(04:19):
not a sport where you have to be perfect to win.
Clemson was far from perfect, but they still found a
way to win that game twenty to nineteen. This Friday
or this past Friday up in the Derby City, Tiger's
by a nose, you might say. Anyway, a quick look

(04:39):
at some of the statistics here on the program this afternoon.
First and foremost, Cade was not spectacular, twenty two of
thirty four, one hundred and eighty seven yards, no touchdowns,
no interceptions, but he still put up one hundred and
ten quarterback rating with a sixty completion completion percentage. Adam

(05:06):
Randall nice job. Fifteen carries, one hundred and five yards,
two touchdowns with a long of forty seven average seven
yards per carry.

Speaker 2 (05:14):
Gideon Davidson.

Speaker 1 (05:17):
Just four attempts in the game. A little bit surprised there,
Gideon Davidson. The four tempts twenty four yards. He averaged
six yards of carry. Antonio Williams also had a couple
of carries for thirteen yards, and then everything else was
either zero or negative. Peter Woods had a carry that

(05:38):
was fumbled at the goal line, and then on the
next play on fourth down, Kay Clubnick Dabo Sweeney during
his teleconference on Sunday. Here's what he had to say
about this play by Kay Clubnick.

Speaker 3 (05:57):
I mean he's got a brain fart. I mean just
at a critical mistake. I mean just just Peter's lead
blocker on that. I just for whatever reason, he just
had a mental.

Speaker 2 (06:09):
Air mental error.

Speaker 1 (06:11):
And you could argue that Kate Clubney throughout his career
has had some real mental errors in key spots.

Speaker 2 (06:20):
And you know, here's the thing.

Speaker 1 (06:22):
You got me thinking, like I'm not saying Kay Clubs
is not a smart guy.

Speaker 2 (06:26):
Okay. I don't know what the.

Speaker 1 (06:29):
Pressure is like to have, you know, an unbelievable amount
of fans and and teammates and everybody wishing that you
would do well and rooting for you. Like, I don't
know what that pressure feels like. But in some key
critical moments, man, he does. He has some some big mistakes,

(06:51):
and I think it's something that he can't overcome, not
just at the collegiate level, but if he gets a
chance to play professionally, I think it is something that
you can overcome. I don't think you have to be consistently,
you know, stricken by this for life. But man, if
you saw Kay club mean try to hand that ball

(07:12):
off to Peter Woods when clearly it's not a handoff
to Peter Woods and thought yourself, that's the dumbest thing
that I've seen this weekend. You are probably right. I
mean it was pretty bad. That was a pretty dumb
play by k Clubnick. I don't know what his GPA is.
I'm assuming this doesn't have to do with his aptitude
and more has to do with the pressures that he's

(07:32):
facing in those moments. But yes, Kay club Nick just
had a moment. Had a moment. Tonio Williams led the
way for Clemson with receiving seven receptions for fifty two yards, TJ.
Moore with six receptions for sixty eight, Adam Randall with

(07:54):
three for twenty seven And talking about Adam Randall for
a second, I mean, can we give this guy a
shout out? He has been a bright spot. Even going
back to when Clemson lost against Georgia Tech, Adam Randall
has been a huge bright spot. And John Blow from

(08:15):
the Posting Courier has done a tremendous job of putting
together some numbers on what Adam Randall has done by
comparison to his previous years at Clemson, and you know,

(08:37):
when you go through them, I think you'll be pretty
shocked to hear some of the way his career has
played out this season, because yes, he is a converted
wide receiver to running back. And you saw on that
big forty six yard run that Randall looks like a

(08:59):
natch at running back, and you could see why this
coaching staff likes him at running back. He has more
all purpose yards this season one thousand and ninety six
than he had in his previous three seasons combined, which
was just six hundred and sixty six. He also has

(09:21):
a new career high in receptions. He has twenty nine
receptions this year out of the backfield. He only had
twenty two at the most as a wideout, and he
is currently eleven yards short of tying his all time
high as a receiver. In terms of yardage, two hundred
and fifty is what he had is high in his

(09:42):
career in a single season. He is at two hundred
and thirty nine with two regular season games remaining. Hard
to imagine that he doesn't top that number as well.
So again, we'll hear plenty from Dabo Sweeney. Certainly the

(10:03):
storyline this weekend for Clemson was just survive and get
an opportunity to go to a bowl game with a
victory coming up this week with Firman coming to town,
which the Tigers should do. Then conversely, for our fine
feathered friends hanging out with us and being a part

(10:27):
of the program today so you could.

Speaker 4 (10:29):
Continue to peek over the fence at the best radio
showing the nation.

Speaker 1 (10:34):
Here we are, game cog fans, here we are. I
don't know what to tell you. I mean, that was
one of the epic meltdowns of all time collegiately in
the Southeastern Conference. None of that really matters when it

(10:57):
comes down to what happened. It's the fact that it
did happen. And one of my buddies pointed out, he said,
you know, Swanny, it's really it's really kind of unfair
to beat South Carolina up because the only thing that
happened in the second half was the same thing that
happened in the first half. It just the other team.

(11:18):
Did you know, did the happening? You know, it happened
to the other team, so to speak, And that is true.
But the odds that that would happen, and the way
it happened again, South Carolina led thirty to three at
the half, and they were dominant, and Marcel Reid looked

(11:41):
and nept Marcel Reed. It was questionable in my opinion,
if Texas A and M might go to a backup,
might say Marcell just can't do it today. And then
the second half half started in like a wave of momentum,

(12:06):
Texas A and M just continued to chip away at
South Carolina's lead, and they stormed back for a thirty
one thirty victory, scoring twenty one points in the third
quarter alone. They scored a touchdown off in Isaiah Williams

(12:27):
twenty seven yard reception from Marcel Reed with eleven twenty
six left to make it thirty to ten.

Speaker 2 (12:33):
Then with four eighteen left, they.

Speaker 1 (12:36):
Got another thirty nine yard touchdown pass from Marcel Reed
to Ashton Bethel Roman to make it thirty to seventeen
with four eighteen left in the third quarter. And that's
when you felt like the game was really tightening up
from the South Carolina perspective.

Speaker 2 (12:53):
And that can happen.

Speaker 1 (12:54):
I mean, we've been we've all been around this game
long enough to know that that can happen, and the
game got can get the ball back, and they promptly
go three plays four yards in a punt A and
m gets the ball, bang bang, two plays a seventy
six yard pass and then a fourteen yard touchdown pass

(13:17):
and they go two plays eighty yards in thirty eight seconds,
and it's thirty to twenty four. And I'll be honest,
in that moment, I really felt like it was over.
Like I thought, I don't think South Carolina can recover.
I've been in games like this, not football, but I've
been in basketball games where you jump out to a
huge lead, you get comfortable. We'll hear what Shane Biemer

(13:40):
had to say after the game in just a minute.
But you get comfortable, and then at some point when
it gets to be thirty to seventeen, you starting to go,
h oh, we're only up by a couple of scores.
We better turn it back on. And you can't turn
it back on. I mean, that's the task that was

(14:01):
at hand. South Carolina ran I think twenty six plays.
If my memory serves me correctly, I think it was
twenty six plays in the second half. Yes, it's just
not gonna do it. And you know the game Cocks
had their opportunities, they really did, but yet time after time,

(14:24):
hostile environment at Texas A and M, they couldn't. They
just could not find the answer in the second half.
So South Carolina is three and seven. One and seven
is how they will wrap it up in the Southeastern Conference.
They have concluded SEC play a matchup this weekend against

(14:48):
Coastal Carolina, then a matchup against Clemson to wrap up
the regular season. And you know, had Clemson lost to Louisville,
that game Williams Brice Stadium in a couple of weekends
could have been one where South Carolina, regardless of what
happened to them against Texas A and M, South Carolina

(15:10):
could have kept Clemson out of a bowl game.

Speaker 2 (15:14):
Now there's really nothing they could do.

Speaker 1 (15:16):
Bragging rights are the only thing that they have to
fight for in that contest. And I'm not saying bragging
rights aren't important.

Speaker 2 (15:24):
They are.

Speaker 1 (15:27):
But I do wonder about some of the players, and
I haven't seen anything about it, but will any of
these guys say, well, we're not going to a bowl game.
Do I want to risk being injured. We've already got
players that sit out bowl games. Could we see players
sit out any of these final two regular season games,
I guess that time will tell on that. I will

(15:47):
say this, I think if you play against Coastal, you're
playing against Clemson. I mean I feel that way. Right
before the South Carolina game, fans among us, boy, the
slide has been immense. We knew it would be a
tough row to hoe. They have lost five consecutive games.

(16:07):
Their last victory came nearly two months ago. September twenty
seventh was the last time South Carolina won a football game,
thirty five thirteen over Kentucky. And now we just wait
for the Palmetto rivalry to get here. Now we just wait.

(16:30):
Obviously CLEMPS has got work to do against Furman. You
win that game and you qualify for a bowl game.
The Tigers are heavy favorites this weekend in a matchup
that will be on the CW. Furman and Clemson kickoff
at four point thirty and ESPN's matchup Predictor. As I mentioned,
the heavy favorite ninety eight point nine percent chance that

(16:52):
Clemson wins this game. So basically, at this point for
the Tigers, you have a ninety eight point nine percent chance.
So going to a bowl game. That's kind of where
you are. Also this week, because of his stellar play
against Louisville, Sammy Brown was named one of the Atlantic
Coast Conference Defenders of the Week at linebacker with eleven

(17:16):
total tackles, four solos, one sack, and two tackles for loss.
So congratulations of the Sammy Brown for that accolade. Obviously,
you know this clip's Tiger team. There's still a lot
a lot left to be desired right from this group.

(17:36):
I don't know anybody that watches them that just goes man,
you know what, that's great, that's great football. I Mean,
there's a lot of issues, so we'll hear from We'll
hear from Dabo Sweeney coming up in just a little bit,
and some of those issues even include Sammy Brown. But
this is Sammy Brown's first award or recognition this year
for the ACC Linebacker of the Week, his third ACC

(17:59):
regular season honor of his career. He had a double
selection as the ACC Linebacker of the Week and the
ACC Rookie of the Week against Virginia Tech back in
twenty twenty four. Since nineteen sixty eight, Clemson has now
garnered a total of five hundred and ninety ACC Weekly Awards,

(18:20):
including four this season. So again, congratulations to Sammy Brown
for that recognition. You'd love to see more of these
this year for the Tigers, But I think that kind
of tells you how things are going. And speaking of
how things are going, how about how things are going
for Brent Vintables. We could talk about this later in
the show. And Brent Vintables and Tony Elliott, those two

(18:44):
dudes right now have combined for a seventeen and four record.
Tony Elliott and Virginia go in and take care of
business against Duke Tracking towards an ACC championship game birth
and then Oklahoma this weekend beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Brent

(19:04):
Vinibles is two and zero against Alabama since joining the
Southeastern Conference a year ago. And by the way, Brent
Vinibles' son t Bone Tyler Vinibles went and watched his
dad's team play against Alabama. Great to see Tyler hanging

(19:26):
out with his dad. Weird to see him where it's
some Oklahoma gear, but you know you're supporting your father.
You got it like that. So a little a little
payback for Tyler, or I guess we'll pay back for
Brent from Tyler going and watching their victory against the
Crimson Tide, which will certainly shake up the college football

(19:48):
playoff landscape, as are a three four five o's zeros
or eighty six way to quick break. We'll come back
with more. We'll hear from Dabo Sweeney when we get
back stay with us. Clemson's sportstal low and swamp back
with you again. A reactionary Monday to a couple of
one point games here in the state of South Carolina.

(20:08):
Clemson winning by one on Friday night twenty to nineteen,
South Carolina collapsing on Saturday after being up twenty seven
thirty to three at the half. They get beat thirty
one p thirty by Texas A and M. But the
show the shakesa of south Land. Obviously the majority of
our attention on Clemson, but it feels apropos to talk

(20:33):
about the South Carolina game Cocks as well this week,
given the way things took place out in College Station
on Saturday. Nonetheless, though up in the Derby City it
was Clemson by a nose, as we tweeted out at
the end of that game. Clemson wins, they survive a
victory of refirming this weekend, as I mentioned earlier, will

(20:56):
make them Bowl eligible before coming down to Colombia to
face off in one of the great rivalries in all
of college football against South Carolina the Metal Bowl. Here's
dabboswingy though. Following Clemson's win at Louisville, Oh man, Uh.

Speaker 3 (21:16):
What a game that one that was. That was amazing.
I've been a part of a bunch of crazy moments.
That was one that went our way, and just thankful
for the favor that we had tonight this first of all, man,
Just just thankful for the for the favor that the
Lord Lord showed on us tonight. I mean, because that

(21:38):
was a game obviously that that could have gone either way,
and both teams battled their tails off. I mean, I
think both teams deserve a lot of credit for the
competitive spirit and fire. The both teams just fought and battled,
and there was you know times where you're like, we're
gonna win it, and then it was like, oh, this
ain't good. Uh, oh we're gonna win it. Oh, this

(21:58):
ain't good. It was kind of a back and forth,
and we made enough mistakes to lose the game, and
they made mistakes too, But We just made just a
couple more critical plays than they did. And obviously we
made the kicks they miskicks. The extra point was huge. Obviously,
you never know when those things are gonna when those

(22:20):
things are going to kind of come back to get you.

Speaker 1 (22:23):
That's Dabosweeny again. Following Clemson's victory, we actually put together
an article I wrote it over on the weekend for
just kind of talking about the special teams play and
how that was so key for Clemson. Not just the
fact that you've got Nolan Hoosier who's now made ten
consecutive field goals, but you also take a look at

(22:46):
the situation with Jack Smith and the way he's played
throughout the year. And then to survive that moment where
Philip Lorenzo, who most people wouldn't even know about the snapper,
the long snapper until he skips one late in the game.
That looks like it's gonna cost you, and Davosweeney said
after the game, man Philip Florenzo's made one, had one

(23:10):
bad play in five seasons one and still Clemson because
the Louisville couldn't convert a field goal and they tried
a different kicker because of that fact, Clemson still wins.
Like there were so many moments in that game where
you felt like Clemson was going to snatch defeat from
the jaws of victory, but yet somehow they continued to

(23:33):
hold on. Here's more from Sweeney as he talked about
another one of those situations in the game that nearly
cost the Tigers, and that was back to back plays
on the goal line. They give the ball to Peter
Woods on third and goal to one. He sort of
dives towards the end zone, puts the ball out, It
gets knocked out and fumbled. Clemson recovers it. Then on

(23:54):
fourth down, kay Klebnick inexplicably tries to hand the ball
back off the Peter Woods, who is supposed to be
a lead blocker on that play, and yet Clemson somehow
finds a way to win what I felt like was
a must win game. Here's Dabosweeney talking about the fumbles
down at the goal line and Clemson's issues in the

(24:17):
red zone so to speak.

Speaker 3 (24:19):
You know, obviously the just debacle on the goal line
on fourth and one, and oh my goodness, on third
down and fourth down the fumble and then we we
just was to hand the ball to the back and
we turned around and tried to hand it to Peter
and just that was just that was just unbelievable. And

(24:42):
so we had some critical mistakes, but the defense winner
got a big stop that was a huge three and
out with Penn deep and then the offense goes right
back down and scores. It was just incredible, and get
another fourth and one and just a gritty, gritty run
by eight and everybody just getting them in then zone
and and then obviously they get the trick play, you know,

(25:06):
and get back down there. We only had one sack,
but it was big. It was big Sammy Brown, and
you know, they it wasn't a game where they were
just gonna drop back and throw the ball a lot
and asked asked them to protect against our front. They
were just trying to run the ball and and control
the clock and you know, quick game and getting the
ball out. But that sack right there was that was

(25:29):
big time because it obviously pushed him back and we
end up missing the field goal, and and then we
go out there and you know, we got a chance
to put it away right there and we didn't do it.
And then we get then we get the snap. I mean,
it's just like you got to I mean, like you
got to be kidding me, and you know, so just
my heart was breaking for flow and and then lo

(25:51):
and behold we go out there and and you know,
we push him back. I thought Kate part was awesome
down the stretch. Uh he was a grown man out there,
and so critical situations down there. But uh, you know,
they we brought some pressure. They did a nice job
on the field goal block at least, you know, trying
to just create some heat. And fortunate that that he

(26:12):
missed it. But just a just an awesome game, man.
I mean, you don't usually, you know, win games that
you fumbled the ball on the goal line and you
you have a snap at the end of the game
like that on a one point game. But let me
tell you something. You usually win games when you have
two hundred plus two hundred plus. You usually win games

(26:32):
when you score forty five points too, And we've lost
games this year in both of those situations. So hey, man,
you got to take the good with the bat, and tonight,
you know, it went our way. But the credit belongs
to the players because they just never quit. I mean,
they just hung in there and battled and it's just
special to see. I mean, I can't even put it

(26:53):
into words. And I said, I told it to the
staff this week that the tougher this season has gotten,
the closer this team become, the stronger that they've gotten,
the more pain and the more disappointment, the more they
dug in, and it's just been amazing to witness it.
It just is. And you know, I just it's been

(27:13):
special to see that. And you think you know, but
you don't really ever know until you get put in
situations and you find out.

Speaker 1 (27:21):
So there you go, Dabo Sweeney again talking about Clemson's
victory over Louisville. With a break, we'll come back with
here a little bit more from coach Sweeney right after
this Lawton Swan, Clemson Sports Talk on a Monday, Don't
forget about our friends at Alumni Hall. Hey, it's the
final home game of the season, the Furman Game this
weekend up in Tigertown. Go check them out at Alumni Hall.

(27:43):
Right there on the corner of Campus of College Avenue,
just a stoons throw away from historic Riggs Field. You
can literally see Bowmanfield the second you step out of
the store there at Alumni Hall. Check out their incredible
hat wall and let them know we sent you. Don't
forget Clemson students, faculty members and all military. Get timperson
and off went shopping in store at Alumni Hall. It's

(28:03):
Alumni Hall. We're Tiger fans shop, all right. Dabo Sweeney
talking about Clemson's special teams, the job that those guys
have done this season, and more specifically the job they
did helping deliver a twenty nineteen victory at Louisville in
the face of some adversity.

Speaker 2 (28:18):
For sure.

Speaker 1 (28:20):
Here's Sweeney talking about those guys, including Nolan Hoosier, Jack Smith,
and then Phillip Florenzo.

Speaker 3 (28:29):
To me, special teams won this game. Special teams won
it a couple more field goals. That's ten in a row.
That's ten in a row for Whosier, ten in a row.
And you know, Jack Smith as much as you know y'all,
everybody wanted to just you know, create all kinds of
stories and narratives, and Sweeney's crazy and we don't get

(28:50):
a portal punter, and you know, maybe just maybe we
might have a little bit of an idea of what
we see at every day and maybe that can be
a lesson moving forward before we start crucifying people. A
kid ain't even had a chance to play. This kid
has been an MVP for us this year. And it's

(29:13):
amazing because not one nice word was said about Jack
Smith in the offseason, nothing, and he has been amazing
all year, all year. And that play he made tonight, Listen,
that's a tough situation, but he didn't make it worse.
You know, he just covered the ball and gave us

(29:33):
a chance to play defense. And man, I'm just really
proud of him. Four or five inside the twenty that
we were really concerned about that returner zero return yards.
Awesome job placing the ball and just a great job.
And listen, man, my heart just broke for Flow because
same thing. We don't have a more Clemson guy than Florenzo.

(29:57):
And you know what, nobody even probably knows who he is,
but they knew who he was tonight. And I'm sure
there was a lot of hate going on on social
media for Lorenzo because he made one bad play in
five years. In five years, and he didn't think he
was going back in lo and behold, we got to
go back in there, and he didn't think he was
going back in there. I said, oh no, you're going
back in there. There ain't nobody I believe in more

(30:19):
than Florenzo. I said, you going back in there, and you're
gonna throw a freaking dart. That's what you're gonna do.
What you've done for five years. And boy, he did.
What a dark And so I'm so thankful that the
Good Lord worked it out for him to go back
out there and be able to finish the game, because
that guy deserves it. And just man, because a tough

(30:42):
way to end, you know, if it had not gone
our way right there.

Speaker 1 (30:46):
Final thing from Dabo Sweeney. He talked about the fact
that you know, if this team continues to play like
they're playing, that they can have They can't change the
beginning of the season. They can't change where they sit,
but they can still win their final two regular season game,
James and go in a ball game if they play well.

Speaker 3 (31:02):
I mean, if we continue to play like we're playing,
you know, just just with the with the toughness and
the grit and the will to win, and we can
have a great finish and can't do anything. We can't
go back and get a start, but we can dank
sure to have a type of finish that we want
to have. You know, anybody can have a great start.
Now everybody can finish well. And we got a chance
to finish well. And I'm really really proud of that.

(31:24):
So hey, next week, got a chance to be back
in the Valley for Senior Day. And and these guys
are special. This is a special group of human beings,
a bunch of winners. I mean Blake Miller or Tristan Flow,
Caspers and wood ass Club, Nick Adam Antonio. I mean,
these guys are amazing. They're amazing, Jay Lou. I mean,

(31:45):
we just have so many great Cuddy, so many great seniors,
and I'm excited to celebrate them in the Valley. And
we got a chance to punch our ticket to the postseason.

Speaker 1 (31:58):
And we'll see if the Tigers can do that coming
up this weekend as the Firm and Paladins, Clemson's oldest
rival comes to death Valley.

Speaker 2 (32:06):
Maybe not rival, that might not be the best word.
Clemson's oldest opponent.

Speaker 1 (32:10):
I'm sure at some point, I'm sure, at some point
along the way it was a rivalry. Back in eighteen
ninety six when this thing got kicked up and Clemson
won at fourteen to six. Apparently I did some research
over the weekend. That was an upset. It was an
upset that Clemson came away with a victory over the

(32:32):
Firman Paladins back in eighteen ninety six. Now, we've occasionally
throughout the year, if you follow our work on social media,
you know that we've put out some tweets with like, oh,
what's the right word I'm looking for here? We put
out tweets with like some graphics that say something like

(32:53):
were you there? You know, tell us your tell us
your thoughts about this trip, whatever the matchup is right
and whatever year.

Speaker 2 (33:02):
I don't think I'm doing one for the eighteen ninety
six Clemson Firman game? Were you there?

Speaker 1 (33:07):
What did you think about it? But you do have
a chance to be there this weekend Memorial Stadium, the
final home game, a four to thirty start on the CW.
And if you're a Clemson fan and you've never been
to a Clemson game, this might be one to try
to get to. Tickets just nine dollars, just nine dollars

(33:29):
to get in to the venue this weekend for Clemson.
Tiger Faithful South Carolina conversely, not Bowl eligible cannot get
Bowl eligible, and the only way they can go bowling,
as I mentioned earlier, is if they get to five
wins and a five and seventeam gets in. Because of
not having enough qualifying six and six teams. The game

(33:51):
Cocks are twenty three and a half point favorites over
Coastal Carolina. That game set for four fifteen so on
the SEC network, So the Tigers and the game Cocks
will be going head to head a week before they
actually go head to head in Williams. Brice Stadium in
Columbia for the final game of the regular season for

(34:14):
both teams and possibly the final game of the season
for the South Carolina game Cocks. There, I don't know
what the numbers look like in terms of six and
six teams and who's gonna get there. I did think
about this, though, not to rub it into the face
of our fine feathered friends who are hanging out with
us today, because look, both teams. Both teams had aspirations

(34:38):
of the College Football Playoff, but I think South Carolina
might be the first team that had aspirations of the
College football Playoff that I am feel pretty certain has
been eliminated from postseason play all together. I don't know
if there's anybody else that's had a worse year than
South Carolina that was expected to have a great year.

(34:59):
Clemson certainly it's one of those teams. With a win
over Furman their Bowl eligible stay with US final seven
to NUER one coming up. Williamqwalkin Bush in our number
two Man talked earlier about Brent Vinnables and Tony Elliott.

Speaker 2 (35:16):
You know, I don't know.

Speaker 1 (35:19):
Kind of given the Southeastern Conference standings, you know, I
don't know if there's some kind of I'm sure sure
somewhere on a Oklahoma website, somebody's probably trying to scheme
up what's the way that Oklahoma could get into the

(35:43):
SEC championship game. I don't know that they can A
and M. Right now at seven to zero in the league,
regardless of what happens with Texas, I would think would
be pretty close to being locked in Georgia at seven
and one, Old miss now at six and one, Alabama

(36:05):
at six and one after their loss to Oklahoma.

Speaker 2 (36:09):
That say, I've been Old.

Speaker 1 (36:10):
Missus six and one and then Texas four and two,
in Oklahoma four and two, along with Vanderbilt at fourn two.
But what a job he has done. For sure, gonna
put himself right in the right square in the mix
of the college football playoff conversations. And then in the
Atlantic Coast Conference Georgia Tech nine and one overall, six

(36:35):
and one in the league, Virginia nine and two, six
and one in the league, Pittsburgh five and one, seven
and three overall, and SMU five and one, seven and three.
And I don't know all the h SEC tiebreaker scenarios
right off hand, but I would imagine that we've got

(37:00):
a pretty good chance to see Virginia and Georgia Tech. Now,
you gotta win the rest of your games, right and
I know Georgia Tech's in the driver's seat that I
do know. Georgia Tech reaches the ACC Championship game if
they beat pitt Okay, Georgia Tech would lock in first place.

(37:27):
Virginia would reach the ACC Championship if they beat Virginia Tech,
or if SMU loses to Louisville or cal Virginia would
also reach a CC championship if pitt loses to Georgia.

Speaker 2 (37:43):
Tech or Miami.

Speaker 1 (37:45):
I think that's another scenario, but basically, right now, Georgia
Tech and Virginia win. I believe those two teams are
in the ACC Championship game. Miami can get there if
they beat Virginia Tech and Pitt, and Virginia beats Virginia Tech,
and Pitt beats Georgia Tech, and Duke beats North Carolina
and SMU beats a little like, let just don't see

(38:07):
that happening, right, I mean to me, the best case
scenario would be a situation where Georgia Tech in Virginia Tech.
It should be Georgia Tech in Virginia and I think
that's the most likely scenario. End up facing off and

(38:28):
with both teams with very winnable games to finish their
regular season in conference play, one would think that they
will get there. You know, Georgia Tech this past week
survived though against Boston College. No doubt they were in trouble.
I saw tweets some people said, maybe this is just
a team of destiny. They've got pitted this weekend, that's

(38:54):
a seven o'clock game in Atlanta, and then they wrap
up the regular season against the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia Tech
could be the key to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Maybe
having two teams in the NCAA or the College Football
Playoff almost called the NCAA Tournament.

Speaker 2 (39:15):
Here's why.

Speaker 1 (39:16):
If Georgia Tech were to win their next two games,
it's a big if they would be eleven to one
with a victory over Georgia, a Georgia team that may
very well be playing for the Southeastern Conference championship. Right

(39:40):
then if you go, if you go and lose in
the ACC Championship game to Virginia, and Virginia's got the
body of work that they have already and they would
be in, then you you would likely also be in

(40:01):
if you're Georgia Tech. It's hard to imagine the committee
like overly blemishing Georgia Tech for a loss in the
ACC Championship game, a game that you really don't need
to play technically, you know, it's not a game that's
on everybody's schedule. You earned it, and you also went

(40:23):
and beat one of the participants in the Southeastern Conference
Championship game. Like, honestly, I think you would cross over
into this realm of how could you take the loser
in the Southeastern Conference Championship game if it were Georgia
and not take the loser in the ACC Championship game.

(40:45):
If said loser in the ACC championship game just beat
said loser in the Southeastern Conference championship game. I don't
care about your leagues. I don't care about how strong
they are are. All that Rigglemarole. I would just know
that when those two teams played, right, if Georgia Tech won,

(41:11):
then what you know, everybody gets into this conference thing.
We could talk about this in hour number two conference
conference conference dude, who are you as a team?

Speaker 2 (41:23):
Right?

Speaker 1 (41:24):
And I would think at that point, if Georgia Tech
were to beat Pitt and beat Georgia and go to
the ACC championship game and get beat by Virginia, you
can't You can't to me in any way, shape or form.
And I'm sure I'll bring this up again over the
next couple of weeks. You cannot at that point justify

(41:45):
leaving out Georgia Tech for any team in the Southeastern Conference,
any except for the conference champ I just don't see
how you could ever look in the mirror and go
that makes sense. And I don't care where you think
Georgia Tech should or shouldn't be ranked, or how do
you think they played against Boston College. If the yellow

(42:06):
Jackets went out and losing the ACC title game. There
will be two teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference in
the college football playoffs. I have no doubt about it.
All right, quick break. Willia Quaga Busch joins us around
the band each time for Clipston Sports Talk with Lawton Swan.

Speaker 2 (43:02):
It is our number two.

Speaker 1 (43:05):
That's drivetime right here on the show The Shakespare South Lane,
Clemson Sports Saloon.

Speaker 2 (43:09):
Swan, Hey now with you on a Monday.

Speaker 1 (43:12):
William qualkinbus joins the program and the course of the
show That Shakespare South Lane brought to you in part
by our difference over at Mets Plumbing Matt's plumber dot com.
Two two six seven one oh eight two two six
seven one zero eight. Give me a call today. That's
Mets Plumbing online at mets plumber dot com. William qualker Bush,
what's up man, Welcome in.

Speaker 4 (43:30):
How are you, Swanny? I'm doing great. I hope you're
doing well. It's a it's a beautiful day in Clemson,
and it's better after wins. We say it all the time.
I knew the birds are chirping a little louder, sons
a little brighter. It's just it's a beautiful thing.

Speaker 1 (43:43):
Listen, man, here's the thing though, it's the same. I
hate to say this, qualk. I don't want to be
Debbie Downer. That's just not in my nature.

Speaker 2 (43:51):
It's the same thing as last week.

Speaker 1 (43:53):
Once again, Hey, these teams at Clemson are playing are
snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. It's not Clemson
going out there and winning these ballgames.

Speaker 2 (44:02):
It is bizarre.

Speaker 3 (44:05):
You know.

Speaker 4 (44:05):
I don't disagree with you, but let me ask you this.
Would you rather play better against SMU, maybe even be
the better team against Duke, maybe be the better team
against LSU, or would you rather win the game because
I like winning swanee and listen, you're right that Louisville.
Louisville lost the game more than Clemson won it. But

(44:29):
I also, and I'm sure I said on your show,
I said it many times on my show as well,
at some point Cleinson was going to face a team
that was not having its best day. Now, I put
some of the blame for that on Clemson allowing teams
to get comfortable. I compared it to shooters who come
into the gym facing a team that has a poor
three point percentage defense. If I feel like I'm gonna

(44:51):
get shots up, it doesn't really matter how well you play.
I'm probably gonna feel comfortable to start, and you might
you might dissuade me that notion eventually, but I'm gonna
come in thinking I'm getting my shots up today. So
Clemson kind of had to deal with that now. After
Troy Syracuse, SMU and Duke played arguably the best game

(45:14):
of their entire season against Clemson, they were due for
some clunkers from opponents, and the last two weeks where
they I believe they've played better defensively, They've gotten better
personnel groupings, they've gotten better efforts on the defensive side.
I think mental effort first, and in physical effort that
has roughly coincided with two teams wetting their pants. And
so you put those things together. I'm not playing a
calls in an effect game. But you put those two things together,

(45:36):
and you've averaged fourteen and a half points allowed the
last two weeks. That is a winning effort from your defense.
That is two weeks, by the way, after you gave
up forty six and lost the game where you scored
forty five. That's not good enough. Swanny and so yes,
I think it is great to want Clemson to show

(45:56):
up and just beat its opponents, but there's something to
be said for, hey, this is a very flawed team
and quite honestly, they're not gonna give me that. So
I think you know that level of expectation that you
just you just pointed out, like, hey, you might have
to wait till next year to see that brother, like
Clemson just show up and beat a team. Yeah that
might that might be next year. Yeah, A good team,

(46:17):
a quality team.

Speaker 5 (46:17):
Louisville.

Speaker 4 (46:18):
By the way, Louisville. Louisvill was undefeated in regulation this year.
They were seven and they did not play well in
this game, but they were seven and two this year,
with two losses coming in overtime. And that's where the
quarterback in Miller Mallson nobody likes and uh with some
you know, questionable personnel groupings and things like that. I
just I feel like Clemson made the winning plays and

(46:38):
even if that meant Louisville didn't make the winning plays,
that's good enough for me. Was it great?

Speaker 5 (46:43):
No?

Speaker 4 (46:44):
But is it a win? Is it a better result
that when you play well and you don't get the win.
Because you didn't make the winning plays. I would argue, it.

Speaker 2 (46:52):
Is not yeah, the old saying, what's the old saying? Uh,
I'd rather win ugly than lose pretty?

Speaker 4 (46:59):
Correct? Ten times out of ten, you rather win ugly.

Speaker 1 (47:03):
Well, Clemson has put together several master classes of winning
ugly this year. And what I think is most bizarre
about at Quawk is that even throughout the beginning of
his tenure at Clepson, I mean, the Tigers certainly found
ways to win games. And maybe if we look back
at what was it the twenty fifteen season where Clempson

(47:27):
had so many close ballgames but still just kind of
managed to win, I mean, maybe that's the prime example
of surviving advance. But my goodness, it's something just feels
a miss with this program by comparison to all those
other years.

Speaker 2 (47:41):
And I don't want to think I'm reading too much
into it.

Speaker 1 (47:43):
I really think there's just something that's not quite right
with this team right now, and I can't put my
finger on at qualk.

Speaker 4 (47:51):
Well, I would agree. I mean, it's some of the
parts is greater than the whole right now, which is
the opposite end of the spectrum where you want to
be and it's you know, I keep wanting to like
give Garrett Riley creditor, or at least not like jump
to criticize Garrettrightley, because I feel like that's an easy
thing to do. But man, you just feel like there's

(48:13):
a lack of feel right, And I'll go back to
the term that I've used before. It feels like a
general lack of conviction and what they're doing offensively. It
just it does. If you think that there is that
the players that you have are better than the results
that you're giving, then one of two things is true. Okay, well,

(48:33):
I guess one of three things. One is you're wrong
about your players, so you could be wrong about your players.
Two is they are frustrated and they are playing like it,
or three you're not allowing them to play fast. So
it's one of those things. And we routinely are seeing
like there are people up said not listen. I'm upset, Okay,

(48:55):
I'm upset by a couple of things. One is we
continue to see potentially productive play just completely a wall
from the offense. At certain points, Clemtston was having a
hard time moving the ball in the middle of the game,
and Gideon Davidson he did not carry the ball between
the first play or maybe the second play of the
second quarter to until the last play of the third quarter.
Those were points in time where Clemson could have used

(49:16):
somebody to touch the ball, like an explosive play maker
to touch the ball when you receivers are wearing oven
mits and they can't catch. And when Adam Randall, you know,
until he busts a forty six yard run, but that
was almost half of his yards. I mean, like down
to down. This was not the greatest game for Adam Randall.
Davison meanwhile, again only two carries, but he's averaging five
and a half yards to carry. He can give you something.

(49:37):
Where's he at? We don't see him, We got no idea.
We're throwing it to receivers that aren't catching it. So
that's that's number one. Number two, a lot of throws
short of the sticks and ask him receivers to get
yards after the catch. Now, I would argue that that
is a staple of the air raid offense. That the
air raid offense is not throw a jump ball, it's

(49:58):
not throw a you know, run at the posts like
they've got a little bit of like double post to
a wheel kind of stuff. But like the air raid
offense is short throws. It is don't run the ball
as much. And I know that it's modified because Garrett
Riley doesn't believe in full throated like how Mummy Mike
Leach air raid principles. But like the reason you run
mesh as a concept is because you're not gonna run

(50:20):
it two downs. You're gonna throw it one of those downs,
and you're gonna run a shallow cross and you're gonna
run mesh. You're gonna run why cross. You're gonna get
these crossing patterns and you're gonna manipulate the defense that way,
and then you're gonna let receivers get yard after the catch.
So it's it's built on speed. Well swanee uh. When
your receivers are having a hard time catching a ball,

(50:40):
when your quarterback throws it behind and too high and
receivers aren't catching the ball in stride, you can't get
the yards after the catch. So on third and seven,
when you're throwing, you know, little swing passes or checkdowns
or whatever with space, even throw receivers are not able
to get the first down. I'd like to see more
throws to the six, and yet if the receivers aren't

(51:00):
catching the ball, I don't know what you do. So
this is one of those games where I didn't think
Gary Riley called a particularly good game. But at the
same time, I'm like, well, throwing short of the sticks
doesn't matter because the receivers can't get there and the
quarterback's not putting it on them. And throwing past the
six that matter because receivers are dropping the ball. And
this was a game where you really could have liked it,
would have liked to have Bryant westco. I don't know

(51:20):
what happened to Tyler Brown, but it felt like third
down Tyler Brown from two years ago could have definitely
been used in this game, and he was nowhere. So
it's just, you know, it's it's one thing after another
after another. And then we ain't even talked about the
play call inside the five where you give it to
Peter Woods. And look, I ain't gonna get mad because
I think a running back who tries to stretch the
ball at the goal line and the defender's helmet hits

(51:41):
it is gonna fumble. That was not giving the ball
to the to the defensive tackle. What's more infuriating is
you use a time out, you come out of the formation.
He's supposed to be a lead blocker, and the fourth
year quarterback, third year in the system, doesn't know what
play he is running. I mean, that's that's just crazy.
On fourth down, yeah, got out of a huddle. I
don't know whose fault that is, but it like this

(52:03):
offense just can't. You can't have a good drive where
it click click clicks. The best drive of the whole
game they had Swanny was the first one and didn't
even score touchdown. He had to get a field goal.
And that's just infuriating. He continues to be an infuriating
experience watching this offense trip over his own feet.

Speaker 3 (52:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (52:18):
I think, by the way, that's williamqualking Bush on Twitter
at qualk Talk joining us here today. I really think
in that moment on that fourth and five when or
excuse me, that fourth and goal, when that fumble takes place,
I really think in that moment, a lot of people
may have shifted a little bit towards Can this really
all be about play calling in Garrett Riley or is

(52:40):
it possible that you know, some of these issues really
do just revert back to k Klubnick and some of
the things that we saw from him early on in
his career, in big moments in big ball games where
he just for whatever reason fumbled it away. I mean
literally and figuratively.

Speaker 4 (52:59):
It really is like everything like I did a This
isn't really addressing her question, but it goes to a
broader point here. I was on a Louisville radio station.
My friend Martin has had me on last week and
he said, you know, what's the deal with the two coordinators?
And I was like, well, first of all, it's just
one coordinator. Because Dabo really likes Tom Allen. He basically
blames everybody but Tom Allen. And so the reason I

(53:19):
point that out is because you go to the coordinators first.
But in reality, I mean, I think Dabo understands that
the personnel issues are a development issue. It's a talent
acquisition issue, it's a talent evaluation issue, and that goes
down to position coaches. So like, are you blaming Garrett
Riley because he doesn't have great pieces to work with?

(53:40):
I mean, what, listen, I don't think Garret Riley's going
to be back next year. I don't actually think that's
like a wild thing to say at this point, I
think that's pretty well understood by most everybody involved. It'd
be more surprising if he was back. But one of
the what is that I'm gonna have is what if
he got to decide who his quarterback was ever in
his Clenson tenure. That's not to say that things would

(54:01):
go well. This was also an offensive coordinator quarterback coach
who chose Max Duggan. Oh, excuse me, chose Chandler Morris
over Max Duggan the year that Max Duggan led TCU
to the National Championship game. Max Duggan was not his
first choice.

Speaker 3 (54:16):
Up right?

Speaker 4 (54:18):
Yeah, I mean so it ain't like gar Riley had
a stiller track record. Now, I would point out that
TCU's quarterback right now, Josh Hoover, is a guy that,
for example, Garrett Riley offered at both SMU and TCU
as a three star player in Kate club Nick's recruiting class.
I think there was this idea that Kate Clubnick, a
Texas quarterback, would fit handing love into a Texas style

(54:42):
or what you know, whatever you want to call it air
a Texas style offense that Garret Riley was running that
a Texas quarterback had just had success in Well, it
turns out that it just hasn't been. Whether it's Kate
or whether it's Garrett's just a fit thing. It just
hasn't It hasn't fit. Whether it's O line or skill
or whatever the case, it hasn't come together. And I
do think you're seeing some of the issues that Kate

(55:03):
Clubmick's had in his career. Look, I'll I'll say a
couple of things here on either end of the spectrum.
Kate Klubnick has yet to be the quarterback better than him.
He's I think he's out of chances. Lenora Seller's having
a terrible year. But Kate Clubnick, just like his predefessors,
even Dju, had some games in some like some big

(55:25):
moments like that was a winning that was a winning player,
not a great player, but a winning player like it
would make the few plays in the offense to kind
of get going and you lean on the defense all
that stuff. Kate clubmicks track record there is just far
beneath his three excuse me four predecessors if you count
Kelly Bryant there. But then the other thing is you
look at you look at road games. Okay, let's look

(55:47):
at road games. My cohusband millst had asked me this
to day, and I still don't know the answer. When's
the last time Clemston beat a team that was better
than it on the road? And I was thinking about,
like a true road game of a team that is
widely considered to be better than Clemson, like favored in
the game. I don't know, man, you'd have to go back.
I mean Virginia twenty sixteen, Auburn maybe forget that was

(56:11):
twenty eleven. I said, two thousand and nine, Miami, Like
we're talking about like fifteen years. And when he asked
me that, I'm thinking, we're not making a big enough
deal about this. We're so beaten down from the season
and five and five and all this stuff, and Louisville
looked terrible and all this stuff. That Clemson went on
the road and beat a team that everybody would have
said before the game that best case scenario, these are

(56:34):
even teams, but nobody would have said Clemson is better.
And that's the first time in the lug. Now, some
of that is that Clemson is a top three team
for like ten years.

Speaker 2 (56:41):
In there, right, top five for like.

Speaker 4 (56:43):
Ten years, So you're better than everybody, even the team
you're playing on the road. But that is like one
of the most significant accomplishments of Kate Klubnick's career. If
we put that on quarterbacks the way that we do,
I'm not saying he played great, but man, the guy,
I'll say this. Man, Look, he wasn't perfect in the game.
You got another play on fourth down. He had twelve incompletions.
I think six of them were catchable. Statistically, the receivers

(57:08):
are credit with three drives. I think they should have
doubled it. Tristan Smith had two and the status he
says one and there's no way that he's getting out
with only one drop out of that game. So I
felt like they were not very good a round Kate
in this game. And you know what, if we're gonna
give quarterbacks credit for win, there's been a lot worse
quarterback play's getting credit for wins. So I'm gonna at

(57:28):
least say this about Kate Clubman. That might be the
best win away from Clemson or the best true road
win I'll say of his career.

Speaker 1 (57:36):
It's and like you said, it's the best true road
win in a long time.

Speaker 2 (57:40):
For Clemson.

Speaker 1 (57:41):
Really again William Qualkin Bush every day noon until three
o'clock out of bounds with qualking ben one of five
to five the row in the Upstate. All right, it's
almost that time. We could turn our attention to South Carolina,
especially given the way things unfolded there in College Station
this past weekend. I'm not saying I'm shot. As a
matter of fact, my sister can attest that when she

(58:03):
called me when South Carolina was up thirty to three
at the half and said, oh my gosh, what's gonna happen?
What are we gonna do in a couple of weeks?
I said, just give this game time, let this thing marinate. Now,
I would be lying if I told you I thought
that they were gonna get skunked in the second half
and it was gonna be thirty one to thirty. But
either way, that's what did happen. What is to be

(58:26):
taken away from that from anybody that watched it, well.

Speaker 4 (58:31):
A couple things. First of all, and I'll say this,
I watched it on skycam, and so no announcers, just
like the ambient noises, right, and the ability to feel
that happening in real time, as it was happening. I
think you could see it immediately, like I don't know
if you're trying to take in the game through like

(58:54):
from a playoff play standpoint, if you could really feel it.
But South Carolina fails on the fourth and one the touchdown,
Texas A and M goes right down, scores. South Carolina
goes three and out. They score again, and like the
game was over if they was thirty twenty four, but
the game was over and you knew it was over.
Like they were so beating down in the second half
after being up twenty seven and a half that Leonora
Sellers wasn't even trying to make a first down at

(59:15):
the end of the game. He wasn't even trying. I
mean that that was It was such a thorough beating
after half, I think South Carolina thought the game was over.
And let me let me just say this too, man,
Well a couple things. Marcel Reid played one of the
worst first halves of football I've ever seen. He had
two interceptions with six of eighteen and I swear more

(59:37):
than six balls hit the hands.

Speaker 2 (59:38):
Of the Probably should have had two additional pick sixes. Yeah,
probably should have two more pick.

Speaker 4 (59:43):
Like I think there should have been at least five interceptions.
I don't know what he's looking at. It was almost
like he was playing with a VR helmet on a
different game, like he was seeing a different game where
the defenders were in different places. Because he was throwing
the ball away from his guys and directly the defenders.
It's one of the most confound things I've ever seen.
And for him to come out and play like he
did the second half after that is one of the

(01:00:05):
great efforts that I've seen, because it was like the
worst thing I've ever seen in the first half, and
that was a thing of beauty in the second half.
The other thing is this it ain't his fault. I
love how coach is saying. I say it's good coach speak,
but man, I think it is so dumb to say
control the controllables. I think that's so dumb because the
uncontrollables get you. Shane Biemer didn't ask for somebody to

(01:00:28):
follow him with a camera going into the tunnel, putting
two arms in the air, you know, celebrating with the
fans of thirty to three, and then go to the
podium after and say, nobody in that locker room thought
the game was over, as the social media team is
basically doing his victory march into the halftime locker room.
He didn't ask for any of that. In fact, he

(01:00:48):
might have thought the game wasn't over, but the way
it was framed by his own side made it seem
like he thought the game was over. I'll be honest,
I don't know how you come back from that. I'm
not saying to fire him. In fact, I think they
should keep him, not in a snarky rival way, but
just because I don't think South Carolina is above a
coach winning nine games, then four or five, and nine
games then four or five as long as you keep

(01:01:09):
doing the nine thing. I don't know they're winning nine
next year, but I don't. I'm not sure that that's
that they're above that in this era. But man, I
don't know how in the world you come back from
that from a perception standpoint, when people already grumpy. You've
already you know, either fired or should have fired two
of your three offensive coordinators, and the one that you
shouldn't have fired basically had six good games before he left.

(01:01:34):
I don't know how many more chances you get. But man,
if Clinton loses to that bunch that is so mentally
weak that they blew a twenty seven point lead in
like an hour, like was what twelve minutes left in again,
ten minutes left in the game when Texas A and
M took the lead, They took the lead, didn't score
again in South Carolina never even threatened to score him.
I ever, they got thoroughly pants in the second half,

(01:01:56):
and A and M didn't even put the keep the
pill to the floor very long. It was a bizarre game, Swan.

Speaker 1 (01:02:02):
I'm telling you again, that's William Qualkin Bush hanging out
with us here on a Monday afternoon.

Speaker 2 (01:02:06):
All right, wait a quick break, we'll come back with more.

Speaker 1 (01:02:08):
I want to talk with Qualk about the game Cocks
a little bit more and get his thoughts on that
when we return. Keep it a lot right here on
Fox Sports Radio fourteen under the Midlands and around the
world on the iHeartRadio app Clemson Sports salt At and
Swan back with you on a Monday afternoon, William Qualkin Bush,
the man, the myth, the legend, on the guest line
with us man.

Speaker 2 (01:02:28):
I remember when qualk first got his start in radio.

Speaker 1 (01:02:31):
I was it was a Saturday morning and I turned
on one O five to five the roar, and I
heard this young whipper snapper, and I went, that guy's
good and he does a tremendous job. But qualk, enough
of of flattery here for you. Let's talk about South
Carolina real quick, because it's an interesting case study, as
we mentioned, and we're in a strange era, qualk, where

(01:02:54):
some players will sit out Bowl games, which is certainly
something that we've all a But man, if you're Lenora
Sellers or any of these guys, whether you're gonna go
pro or maybe go to a new school or whatever,
you know, via the transfer of portal, do you really
want to roll it out there the next two weekends
in games that really don't matter, or do you think

(01:03:14):
we'll see these guys play out the regular season?

Speaker 4 (01:03:17):
You know, I would have said that though for them,
you know, going into this game, I guess they're three
and six. That did look like a team that was
just sort of mentally beaten down. I mean, Sellers hadn't
been getting the ball to receivers very well. They just
they haven't had consistent production from that position. Defensively, like,
I think the defense has been pretty good. They've been okay.
I mean statistically then I've been great because they've had

(01:03:38):
a couple of games where they's just been overwhelmed and
that second half was I mean, that was atrocious on Saturday.
But I like, I think they will still get up
for Clemson. You know this Swannee that the Clemson South
Carolina game matters more for South Carolina than it does
for Clemson. That I believe, and this is not disrespectful

(01:03:58):
to Clemson. I think it's more of a an admiration
for South Carolina. Williamsbryce Stadium I think is more difficult
to play in the rivalry game because they have a
reckless abandon and I think Clinton fans go into that
rivalry game basically with pucker pucker syndrome, like please don't
lose today. South Carolina fans that they're gonna make that
place in Inferno and that's gonna be their whole season.

(01:04:18):
They're not gonna make a bowl game. They can't do it.
They're gonna be four and seven probably if they can
beat Coastal Carolina, this will be.

Speaker 3 (01:04:26):
Their bowl game.

Speaker 4 (01:04:27):
And you might have some players check out, but I
think a lot of players in the state major O
Bennett Lenora sellers like those are two in state kids, right,
They're gonna want to play and beat Clinton. The guys
that played and beat Clinton last year are gonna want
to do it again. I actually think it could be
a factor this week against Coastal unless Shane and his
staff are able to convince them that the next two
games is to win the state championship, that this week's

(01:04:49):
the semi and next week's the finals or whatever. But
I do think they will come ready to play against Clemson.

Speaker 1 (01:04:56):
Man, what a what a strange season that's been for
both the Clemson Tigers and the South Carolina game Cocks.
That game was originally thought to be gonna be played
on ESPN or ABC because it was gonna be a
Marquee game. It has now been relegated to the SEC
Network in a couple of weeks here in Colombia again,
williamqualkinbush with us for just a few more minutes.

Speaker 3 (01:05:19):
Qualle.

Speaker 1 (01:05:19):
Let's also talk about the larger picture and more specifically
former Clemson coordinators the job Brent Vinnibles has done this season,
specifically this weekend against Alabama on the road and then
Tony Elliott, who you and I know very well and
the job that he's done at Virginia and to watch
him go in and play the way they did against

(01:05:41):
a Duke team that came in and beat Clemson into
Valley just a couple of weeks ago. Man, that tells
the story to me about how good of a job
he's doing as well. What do you think about just
watching these guys and what they've managed to do this season?

Speaker 4 (01:05:57):
Yeah, I love watching watching Tony. Listen. They had not
played well. I mean, regardless of the chand of Morris injury,
they hadn't played well in about a month. And he
was grumpy at the press commerce with Washington State, like
he's he's just been. He's just been a grumpy gus.
You know, Tony's just not I think he was frustrated.
His team hadn't played very well and it culminated in

(01:06:17):
a loss to to Wake Forest, And so it was
nice to see them not just win, but like play well.
They didn't have to win by the skin of their teeth,
and that was good from an acc perspective. You just
get in that horrible nightmare of a potential four loss
Duke winning the league and being shut out of the

(01:06:38):
CFP field or whatever. That would have been bad for optics.
So yeah, you love that from Tony and then Brent.
You know, they got out game two to one. I
don't even know what like from a power rating standpoint,
I don't even know what to do with this game,
because it's hard to look at the game and say
that Oklahoma wasn't better and yet Alabama's moved the ball
on him. You just had like an eighty yard pick

(01:06:59):
six and you had the tip field goal. I mean,
Oklahoma once again another example of sometimes the game is
not about the eighty plays. Sometimes it's about the four plays.
And Oklahoma made the four plays. You know, they made
all the big plays in the game. They harassed Ty Simpson.

Speaker 3 (01:07:16):
I think.

Speaker 4 (01:07:16):
I think somebody said they had eleven pressures in the
first half, the pressures or sacks, which is crazy, but
that I mean, that's preventables. That's the way they're gonna
have to win, and that's the way I think he's
comfortable winning. I love watching him have success. You know,
it's one of those like on again, off again, Like
will they continue to do six wins, ten wins, six wins,

(01:07:38):
ten wins? I don't think so, But the Oklahoma folks
are gonna love it if they can get the ten
wins this year because that'll mean.

Speaker 3 (01:07:44):
They're going to the playoff.

Speaker 2 (01:07:45):
Well final thing.

Speaker 1 (01:07:46):
I don't know if you've thought about this yet, but
I know there's a lot of you mentioned the ACC
and the Collage Fotball playoff.

Speaker 2 (01:07:51):
There's a lot of.

Speaker 1 (01:07:52):
Belief that this league only deserves one team and will
only get one team, and that's that's possible, Okay, But
I want to say this, there is no way in
my mind that if Georgia Tech beats Georgia and then
loses in the ACC Championship to Virginia. If that's the
scenario that we get in the Atlantic Coast Conference and
we get Georgia playing in the SEC Championship against A

(01:08:13):
and M and you have Georgia get beaten that game,
I don't see how you could put in the team
that loses the SEC Championship that just lost head to
head to the team that loses the ACC Championship and
not put the two teams in from the ACC first. Yeah,
I mean, I think Georgia Tech is the team that

(01:08:34):
you need to win out and probably Miami.

Speaker 4 (01:08:36):
Honestly, like if Georgia Tech loses to Miami, for example,
you could just buy both those teams getting in because
there's this there's this narrative and I'm not saying it's wrong,
but it is a narrative that Miami is the only
ACC team that looks like it can like they can
hold up in a playoff, like the Pitt dream is dead,
Virginia doesn't look it. Duke was a paper tiger anyway,

(01:08:57):
and so you know a lot of those have been
like the schedules has borne that out. Like if Georgia
Tech beats Georgia, then that means that they physically can hang,
because they did. They did physically hang. Now it doesn't
mean that the stench of giving up fifty almost NC
stayed and having a comeback from ten down to Boston College, like,
those are things that are there. If that Georgia Tech
team shows up and happens, they went in and we

(01:09:19):
ain't got to worry about it. But if Georgia Tech
shows up and wins it, you know, I guess not Athens,
but at Mercedes Benz. Right, If that Georgia Tech team
shows up and beats Georgia, that means they're pretty good
and so yeah, we got to start thinking about them
as a playoff team.

Speaker 1 (01:09:34):
Hey, Qualt, I'll tell you what. Let me put you
on hope. We'll come back. We gotta get a quick
break in.

Speaker 2 (01:09:38):
We'll come back.

Speaker 1 (01:09:39):
We'll let Qualt wrap up his thoughts on Georgia Tech,
the Georgia Tech Georgia College football playoffs situation obviously, as
those two teams face off in a couple of weekends
as well, and what will be a huge game quick break.

Speaker 2 (01:09:52):
We'll come back with quot rafter that Clempson sports a
Lawton Swan.

Speaker 1 (01:09:55):
Hey, don't forget about our friends at Alumni Hall right
there on the corner of Campus on College a new
downtown Clemson. It's a Lovenay haul for your officially licensed
Clemson merchandise hats, T shirts, T'll get geared Moore.

Speaker 2 (01:10:08):
Go check them out today.

Speaker 1 (01:10:10):
Or online at alumnihaul dot com. It's a Lovemnae Hall
where Tiger fans shop. By the way, don't forget to
ask them about their Alumni Hall rewards program while you're
in store. All right, Qualk, you were talking about Georgia
Georgia Tech and just the nature of how this is
winding down in the college football Playoff, and you know,

(01:10:30):
the committee always has an interesting view of it, even
by comparison to the fans.

Speaker 4 (01:10:36):
The College Fotball Playoff Committee tried very hard last year
not to penalize teams that had to play in their
college in their conference championship games. I think that is
a good thing. One thing that's true of the committee,
that has been true of the keepers of college football,
whether it's the Bowel systems or AP voters or whatever,
is that they are actually tasked with the good of

(01:10:58):
the game. Like even that undergirs all the other stuff.
They are tasked with the good of the game. To me,
it would be bad for the game if teams got
penalized for losing conference championship games, and teams that didn't
do well enough in the regular season to qualify for
the conference championship games benefit from not quote unquote having
to play. That's bad for the game. If we're gonna

(01:11:20):
have conference championship games, there cannot be a disincentive to
play in a game. We have to incentivize playing in
a game, particularly for teams that don't get absolutely obliterated
off the map. So I think the Committee's going to
continue to do that. If so, then a Georgia Tech
lost to Miami with the winover Georgia should get two
teams in. We'll see if the committee does that, because

(01:11:41):
I think they will be tempted to put in another
SEC team because the SEC is the strongest league. I
think if there's a significant gap between the SEC and
the Big Ten, the Big twelve, and then I think
the ACC is behind them as a league. So yeah,
I'm fascinated to see what they do. But for now,
I've got faith that they'll they'll do what's best for
the game in the long run.

Speaker 1 (01:12:02):
I wouldn't typically keep you here this long, but I
do have to ask you some breaking news coming out
of Blacksburg, Virginia. Sources have confirmed that they are going
to hire James Franklin as their new head coach. That's
kind of been rumored for a while. I think really
what he was waiting for was to clear up the
situation at Maryland, which is where he was in assistant
years of going to Ralph Region. But what do you

(01:12:25):
think of this news? James Franklin reportedly going to be
the next head coach for the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Speaker 4 (01:12:32):
You know, I appreciate how Virginia Tech played this. They
got a head start because their candidate pool was probably
a little bit weaker, and then like an Auburn or
an LSU or like they're gonna go af through some
bigger fish. So you go after the best unemployed coach,
which is James Franklin, because you can hire him before
the season. You can give a little hope. Maybe you

(01:12:53):
even jazz up in the last couple of games. I mean,
they've got Miami going there this weekend. It'd be awesome
to think, hey, this is a little shot in the
arm that we need to go upset Miami. Everybody's feeling
good about the you know, the the program as it stands.
I do think that this is a pretty good fit.

Speaker 3 (01:13:08):
Now.

Speaker 4 (01:13:09):
It's interesting that it felt like Virginia Tech had to
put the s crews to Franklin a little bit because
he was waiting to see if Mike Loxley was going
to be out of Maryland. Maybe if Mike Norvelle is
going to be out at Florida State. My opinion, if
Mike Norvelle's not out at Florida State, then James Franklin
takes this job. I think it's trending more that way
because it looks like they're going to make a bowl

(01:13:30):
and they do not want to pay out fifty nine
million in head coach buy out. It's upward of one
hundred million dollars to hire the next coach. Florida They
does not have that kind of cash right now, and
so they don't actually want to do that. I think
some fans do, but the money people really don't have
the appetite for it. So let's say they move next year.
There is nothing keeping James Franklin from taking the Florida
State job next year if that's when it comes open.

(01:13:52):
At Virginia Tech, there's just not James Franklin's not been
an overly loyal guy in his in his life or career,
and Florida State's a better job than Virginia Tech. So
to me, you take Virginia Tech, you build what you
can build, You explore opportunities as they come, and you
do that. But it seemed like Franklin was, as you said,
doing what we all had buddies in college that would
always be like, yeah, well maybe do that, we'll see

(01:14:13):
what else comes up. He was kind of doing that, Uh,
doing that like like one of your buddies making plans. Uh.
He was kind of doing that at Virginia Tech, and
eventually Virginia Tech was like, look, man, we can go
hire Bob Chesney, we can go hire some other people.
We gotta know because we're trying to have a coach.
And so I think James Franklin did a smart thing
in taking that job. And he is a clear upgrade
on what they've had here recently.

Speaker 1 (01:14:34):
Every day noon until three o'clock, all of bounds, quaking
b in one oh five to five of the Roar.
You can listen in the tune in app. The Roar
also has an app. Follow this man on Twitter at
quawt Talk Quat buddy. Always great to catch up with you.

Speaker 4 (01:14:45):
Thanks, Wanni, always going to be with you.

Speaker 1 (01:14:47):
There you go, William Qualga Bush and again. Sources have
reported James Franklin finalizing a deal to be the new
head coach at Virginia Tech. Franklin the former head coach
of both Penn State and Vanderbilt. He holds a one
twenty eight and sixty record all time over fifteen seasons,

(01:15:08):
won more than sixty eight percent of his games, had
an appearance in the twenty twenty four Coage Football Playoffs
semi final won the Big Ten Championship between twenty six.
He will replace his former defensive coordinator Brent Prye, who
was fired in September after an zero to three start
and a sixteen to twenty four record with the Hokies

(01:15:32):
through four seasons. James Franklin's arrival in Blacksburg will give
Virginia Tate their most accomplished coach since that of Hall
of Famer Frank Beamer, who retired in twenty fifteen after
twenty nine seasons at the school. Of course, for South
Carolina fans, this is probably a bit of a sigh

(01:15:55):
of relief regardless of the outcome at A and M.
There are probably some that would be okay if Shane
Beemer left and went to Virginia Tech, and maybe maybe
that time will come for him, but it won't be
now obviously, as James Franklin takes over at this job. Well,

(01:16:16):
what is interesting that, like Qualk said, what if what
if the Florida State job comes open next season? I
think the key factor in some of this might be
what does that buyout look like? And I've been arguing
that while yeah, I think coaches is great that you

(01:16:36):
get all this money and this, that and the other.
I'm looking for the coach that's taken maybe a little
less for longevity and to be able to build their
program and allow for the school to provide more for
the players or vice, you know what I'm saying, Like
in some way, shape or form. So I'm intrigued by
all contracts henceforth, I am absolutely intrigued by contracts, buyouts,

(01:17:00):
and whether or not coaches are going to continue to
let these things escalate or maybe do a little more
risk it for the biscuit with the potential to be
able to move Like say, hey, look, I don't want
a big buy out. I don't want a big buy out.
You don't have to pay me as much either. I
don't want a big buy out because if something comes
up and I want to leave, I want to be
able to leave, or I want to be able to

(01:17:21):
get more to the players. Like let's change the game
a little bit to improve it for everybody. All right,
final segment, flip side, keep it locked.

Speaker 6 (01:17:31):
What have you done for me lately? It's a fair question.
Just don't lose sight of the bigger picture. Don't forget history.
Lucky for us at Clemson, the answer to the questions
what have you done for me lately?

Speaker 5 (01:17:49):
And what have you done? Always are the same. We win.

Speaker 1 (01:18:43):
Final savent on the Monday, one point win for Clemson,
one point loss South Carolina. Man, what a weekend it was.
And I know game Cock fans are certainly frustrated with
the season. Clemson fans are as well. And for this

(01:19:06):
game to sort of be chip down the Palmetto Bowl,
chip down to the SEC network.

Speaker 2 (01:19:15):
Just not fun.

Speaker 1 (01:19:17):
You know, this was gonna be a big marquee game.
We thought it would be a national game. We thought
it would be a game of two teams contending for
the college football Playoff. It is going to be a
matchup of one team that has barely gotten into a
bowl game and the other that has to consider the
matchup their bowl game. And so you know, I thought about, like,

(01:19:41):
has it ever happened other than when they played each other? Right,
like a couple of years ago, what was it two
thousand and oh man, what year was that? Twenty twenty two?
Twenty twenty two? It was a thirty one to thirty game, right,
South Carolina beat Clemson thirty one to thirty. But when

(01:20:06):
have they ever had that scenario happen when they're not
facing each other? And I don't really care what direction
it could be Clemson with a one point loss or
South Carolina with a one point win, but for both
teams to do it in the same weekend. I know
it's called a score of gomi when you score a

(01:20:28):
score in a game that has never happened before. So
this isn't a score a guy. I guess it's a
score of goami in the series, meaning that these two
teams may have never had a day until this past
weekend where both teams margin and victory was one And heck,

(01:20:50):
I don't even care if it's both in the positive
or both in the negative. I almost think that's probably
never happened until this weekend. And boy, the heart break. Now,
the two games were a day apart, which I saw
some people saying, Hey, I like the Friday road game. Okay,
Friday Road game, Okay. I think Tiger Commenter put up
a poll and it did favorably. I mean, I do

(01:21:13):
think people enjoy having a football Saturday free. I don't
think they enjoy them quite as much when there's a
bye week. But to have a had a game. I
think some people liked it. So looking back, let's see
Pit forty three forty two beat Clemson back in November

(01:21:36):
November twelfth, twenty sixteen, and South Carolina got beatn by
thirteen that weekend. So the only way to do it,
I guess, would be to kind of go through one
team schedule and then find anytime that team had a

(01:21:57):
one point loss, which is not going to be often,
and then cross reference it with the other school. I mean,
I'm not doing anything for the next twenty two hours.
I've been hanging out with the family obviously, but I
mean it's not like I like, I gotta go to
the you know, an eight hour shift at work.

Speaker 2 (01:22:19):
That's in the rear view already. School day's done for me.

Speaker 1 (01:22:23):
Yeah, I'll continue to look this past weekend, we may
have had a first in the history of the Clemson
South Carolina rivalry in that outside of a matchup where
the two teams were facing off. And I don't even
know how many one point games that have been in
the series. I'll know that by tomorrow. I'll look that up.
I know of the one that I mentioned because it

(01:22:44):
wasn't all that long ago. But I'll keep nosing through
this and see if I can find a time in
the history of Clemson in South Carolina where both teams
had a one point win or loss on the same
weekend where they weren't playing each other.

Speaker 2 (01:23:09):
It may not exist. It may that we may have had.

Speaker 1 (01:23:12):
A first in the history of this rivalry. And that's
what we do here. We deliver first on the show
the Shakespeare south Land. Again, don't forget about our friends
at Alumni Haul right there on the corner of campus
on College Avenue in downtown Clemson. And also, thank you
to all of our sponsors here on the program. Please
support them, let them know you heard about them on

(01:23:33):
this program, and don't forget. If you want to support
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(01:23:56):
you're doing here in the Midlands and I'm thankful that
you're doing it, and come be a part of it.
Help us out man. We could definitely use the support
over on the website as well. All right, eight oh
three four five zero zero eighty six. Still digging in
the archives, I found the game. September ninth, two thousand
and six. Clemson lost in double overtime to Boston College

(01:24:19):
thirty four to thirty three, and South Carolina lost eighteen
to nothing to Georgia. And back to the hunt we go.
We're twenty we're twenty years deep, my friends. We'll see
if it's ever happened. I'll let you know tomorrow for sure.
All right, until then is always you'll take care now,

(01:24:40):
Hey go Tigers