Caroline's Tiger Pause: Are you ready for some Clemson football?!?

Well ladies it is FINALLY football season and I am so ready to watch the Tigers in the Valley! Football season is always an exciting time of year but with a new coaching staff and a new offensive and defensive philosophy the start to this season is all the more intriguing. I am ready to see the look of Dabo's Tigers. I am really looking forward to seeing Kevin Steele's defense. I fervently believe that this is the best defense Clemson has fielded in a decade and I look forward to watching them in action.

Middle Tennessee is a scrappy team full of former Clemson coaches that looks to really compete in their conference this year. They beat Maryland last year and played Kentucky to the wire. The biggest mistake any team could make is to underestimate them. Luckily, I don't think the coaching staff has underestimated them at all. I think Clemson is prepared and I think they are playing with a chip on their shoulder-I think they have spent the entire off season hearing how several teams in the ACC are better than them and I think they are ready to prove otherwise. Clemson has a big game next Thursday night against Georgia Tech, but I do not think they are looking ahead. I think this coaching staff is committed to not having the let down game that has plagued us for years-I think they are committed to winning the games they should. And that is what I want to see. I can't handle anymore of beating Miami only to lose to Duke.

I am really looking forward to seeing CJ and Jacoby kick off their senior seasons. Middle Tennessee is likely going to stack the box with 8 or 9 defenders in an attempt to take away the running game. So the beginning of the game I expect to see a pretty aggressive passing attack. The beautiful thing with CJ is if you clog up the running lanes we can just line him up at receiver. Particularly in the 2nd half I expect our running game to take over due to fatigue and the fact that I believe we will start to burn them in the passing game. I am really looking forward to seeing Kyle Parker in action and seeing how we utilize the Tight End this season. I also cannot wait to watch Rendrick Taylor-if he stays healthy-I think he will be a hero for us in short yardage situations.

The great thing about Middle Tennessee is their offense runs 4 to 5 receiver sets-the reason this is a good thing is their offense could not look more different than Georgia Tech's. It is going to be difficult for Tech to watch tape on this game and really get a feel for the defense that we will be fielding against them. This offense is the kind that secondarys love-and our defensive backfield is excellent. Because of this I really hope to see two interceptions. Our defensive line is among the best in the nation, every starter has an NFL future. Simply put, I think our defensive line is far too physical for Middle Tennessee. This game could stay close in the 1st half, but I think it blows up in the second. Middle Tennessee is a great team with talented athletes, but I just do not think they can handle our speed and athleticism. I think Clemson is ALL IN and I think this is a statement game where they win big. Go Tigers!

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