Thursday August 14, 2008

Many Stars....One Football / Ryan Update

Ryan Update 8-14
After 74 days in the hospital, Ryan came home today.

He is in a great mood and was extremely excited to finally be out of the hospital. He said the food was the worst part of staying that long in a hospital so we had cheeseburgers, corn on the cob and macaroni and cheese for lunch.

He is coming to Clemson tomorrow and we are excited about the weekend. We would love to have you come by for his birthday drop-in Saturday at Valley Walk behind the Esso Club Saturday anytime between 4-7 PM.

Thanks again for your prayers.

Many Stars…One Football
Rob Spence has a wonderful problem this season. He has major weapons at his disposal. He has record setters at quarterback, running back and wide receivers. But he will have to play the game with only one football and he has a lot of superstars to keep happy.

Part of the solution is the players and their attitudes. I have little doubt that they will act unselfishly and will be team players. It always helps to win, though. It makes it harder to become a squeaky wheel if losing sets in.

The thing that most of the players realize is the more balanced the offense, the more opportunities they will have for big plays because they defense cannot key on any one player.

So, who will have big years in this year’s offense?

James Davis
I truly believe Davis came back for his senior season for a reason and I expect a monster season from the Atlanta native. Davis has a great chance to become the school’s all-time leading rusher and could have a chance to break the ACC record with a huge year.

To me it all comes down to opportunities. Davis had 165 carries as a freshman, 203 as a sophomore and 214 last season. If he is giving a chance to carry it 225-250 times then he could have that monster season. Spiller and the balance of the passing game will take away some carries but I think Davis will be the focal point of the offense.

His best season was his sophomore campaign where he rushed for 1187 yards and 17 touchdowns. I think he can have a 1200 yard season but I am not sure he will repeat the touchdown total.

My guess is Davis goes for 1250 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns in 2008.

C.J. Spiller
A sophomore slump set Spiller back a year ago. After bursting upon the scene with 938 yards and 10 touchdowns as a freshman, Spiller had only 768 yards and three rushing touchdowns a year ago.

Reports have Spiller getting very dedicated in the off-season and I expect a break out year here. I think you will see a stronger and more physical running back this season. He still will be a major part of the offense in the passing game and the return game. In two years he has 19 touchdowns including the rushing, receiving and returns but I think he can get close to that two year total in one season.

My guess is Spiller rushes for 800 yards and 10 touchdowns, has 350 receiving yards and about three touchdowns and a couple of returns for touchdowns.

Jamie Harper
Reports coming out of camp have Harper making a tremendous impression on the staff. He has excelled in all aspects of the game including pass protection which is usually the most difficult for freshmen backs.

I think Harper can have a very good freshman season but I am not sure he will have a ton of opportunities just quite yet. Unless Davis or Spiller get nicked up, I think Harper will se mostly mop up duty. However, he will give us a glimpse of the future.

My guess is Harper gets about 400 yards and five touchdowns on the ground in limited action.

Cullen Harper
Who could have imagined Cullen Harper would have broken 22 records in his first year as a starter? His surprising season have him poised to have a great senior season. Many consider Harper one of the top senior quarterbacks in the country. In fact, he is the ACC pre-season MVP from the ACC media days.

I can Harper being very efficient again this season and 65% completion percentage is not out of the question. I do think it is slightly unreasonable to expect another season with close to 3,000 yards passing and 27 touchdowns with only six picks.

My best guess is that Harper throws for about 2,500 yards and 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Aaron Kelly
Aaron Kelly will break the all-time receiving record in his first game and records could continue to fall all season. I think he has worked very hard once again this year and Kelly has a chance to impress NFL scouts.

Kelly is in the best shape of his life and is as good as ever. However, I think it would be terribly difficult to have another 88 catch, 1100-yard 11 touchdown season.

My best guess is Kelly will grab 70 receptions for 900 yards and 8 touchdowns.

Tyler Grisham
Few could have expected Grisham to increase his catches from 25 as a sophomore to 60 as a junior. I think it would be extremely difficult for Grisham to repeat that kind of season. However, his value will continue to increase because he excels at so many aspects of the game.

My guess is Grisham has 50 receptions for 400 yards and six touchdowns.

Jacoby Ford
Here is my big breakout guy this season. As a freshman he had 15 receptions for 187 yards and two touchdowns. Last season he was injured and had 17 catches for 310 yards and four touchdowns. Ford will become a major part of the scheme as a junior. I can see his speed becoming a huge factor.

My guess is Ford goes for 50 catches for 700 yards and 8 touchdowns.

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