What Is Not To Believe?

Clemson DE Andre Branch sacks VT QB Logan Thomas
late in Saturday night's game in Lane Stadium.

  If anyone out there is not a believer heading into the game this weekend with Boston College, you probably won't be hearing them say so.

   Even Kirk Herbstreit seems to have become a believer picking the Tigers to win one yesterday in Blacksburg. (I doubt he thought Dabo & Co. would do it in such a stout and dominating fashion.)  Yes, the offense struggled, but when was the last time an offense waltzed into Lane Stadium and didn't struggle?  What this game proves above all else is that there is leadership on this team.  Dwayne Allen was open all night on that defense, while Tajh Boyd didn't let a second quarter interception faze him.  Jaron Brown made some incredibly tough catches on third downs to keep key drives going.
  The defense?  The defense struggled with David Wilson early and throughout the game, but who doesn't?  Wilson is a world-class athlete that will be playing pro football for a long time.  The key was that Logan Thomas was harassed continuously thoughout the second half and on two consecutive third downs, was sacked quickly by the former two star DE from Richmond VA, Andre Branch.  Branch was lights out, and was clearly a man among boys as the Hokies even made a switch in personnel at LT to try and contain him.  Branch dominated both in stunning fashion!  Branch had a career high 11 tackles with 5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. The other standout defensive player was freshman linebacker Stephone Anthony.  Anthony has to see the field more often this year.  The more he played, the less he was out of position and the more he made big plays.  I was continuously scanning the field when we were on defense to see if he was out there.  More often than not, when the Tigers needed a big play, Anthony made it when given his opportunity.  Jonathan Willard also played a great game with 9 tackles.  Willard made a key third down stop early in the second quarter dragging Logan Thomas down by his shoe strings.
  I still have the nagging feeling in the back of my head that next week has the possibility of a let down against a BC team that always gives us trouble.  One thing I am sure of though, they won't let us down next week without having a sold-out Death Valley behind them.  Clemson can put all fears to rest with a dominate performance against a 1-2 BC team that should not beat us in our back yard.  There is no excuse for Dabo & Co. not to carry a 7-0 record into the UNC game.  Yes, we still have to beat UNC, Georgia Tech, and what looks like an underperforming USC squad.  Yes, we now have to play with a Bulls-Eye on our backs. Yes, we still have seven games to play, but I think that this was just our coming out party.  This team has a completely different look to them.  This team has the look of a group that is hungry for a championship!

Dabo's Speech @ the West Zone