WRAL Sports Fan

WRALSportsFan

Pack Should Have Its Hands Full With Clemson On Saturday

By J. Mike Blake

Sep 17, 2007

With two All-ACC caliber running backs at its disposal, the No. 15 Clemson Tigers (3-0) will be the favorites in this Saturday's Textile Bowl match-up against N.C. State (1-2).

The Tigers had the fifth-best rushing attack last year and are averaging 37 points per contest this season, while the Wolfpack has been gashed on defense for 216 yards per game on the ground - ranking 101st in the nation. The two-headed monster of junior James Davis and sophomore C.J. Spiller features two players that have both had breakout games against the Pack in recent years.

In Davis' freshman year, he totaled 143 yards on just 12 carries - in two quarters - as Clemson cruised to a 31-10 victory. What made his Davis' performance even more impressive is he did it against Mario Williams, Manny Lawson, Tank Tyler and the rest of the No. 8 defense in the country.

Last year, it was Spiller's freshman campaign and he notched a career high with 154 yards rushing including a 52-yard touchdown run in the Tigers' win.

Although State has failed to stop the run so far this year, the team knows it must be keep Davis and Spiller in check if it wants to win.

"When you look at them, with the two great tailbacks they have, [stopping the run] is everybody's inclination to start with," coach Tom O'Brien said. "[Davis] has been very consistent carrying the football. They have these big offensive lineman and they run the football well."

Davis is averaging 6.7 yards per carry without any run longer than 29 yards. Spiller has yet to reach that kind of consistency this season - totaling 85 yards on 26 carries and has yet to run for a touchdown in three games.

Spiller also struggled mightily against Furman last week - he had negative-1 yards rushing on nine carries. But in his place in the offensive production, Clemson has developed a passing game that, unlike last year, forces teams to respect the pass.

Quarterback Cullen Harper should have the Pack's attention in addition to the running backs. Harper, in his first year as starter, is fourth nationally in passing efficiency with 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions.

"He's leading in passing efficiency in the conference," O'Brien said. "He throws the deep ball well. They have receivers that can fly down the field. He's got a lot of deep passes and he does a lot in that offense.

He manages it well and he's done a great job ... I'm sure everybody looks at that and has dared the quarterback to beat them but what Harper has done is he's beaten them."

State will have to play better than it has to keep the Tigers' scoring to a minimum, something that O'Brien said his team is still striving towards.

"We're a work in progress," O'Brien said. " We have to be better - and we'll work on that every week to get there."