By Will Vandervort.
By Will Vandervort
CLEMSON — While fans and the media alike speculate on whether Clemson will land in a BCS Bowl this year even if it doesn’t win the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Tigers only focus right now is on the Duke Blue Devils.
“It is in the back of our minds, but we don’t really talk about it,” Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd said. “When you start to talk to about it, you become less engaged and focused on the things you have to control.”
What the ninth-ranked Tigers are trying to control is their own egos as they head to Durham, N.C. Saturday for a 7 p.m. start against Duke. This time last year, Clemson was flying high and was dreaming about playing for a national championship after starting the season 8-0.
But the Tigers were doing just that, they were dreaming and looking ahead to the future as opposed to being a wake and focused on the the task at hand. Their lack of focus down the stretch caused them to spiral to a 2-4 finish.
But the failures of the 2011 team might be the reasons for success in 2012. At 7-1, including a 4-1 record in the ACC, the Tigers still have a chance to accomplish every goal they set out for this year, and have an opportunity to be an even better team than they were in 2011.
“I think they are focused. I really do,” head coach Dabo Swinney said. “They have more experience. Last year at this time we were 8-0, and we are 7-1 right now. I just think the experience they have had is going to pay off for them. That is usually the case.”
That seems to be the case when talking with players and coaches this week. But talking is one thing. Walking the walk is another thing all together.
“If we take care of business, we can get that at-large (BCS) bid, but until then, if we don’t handle what we are supposed to do, then we are not going to go anywhere that we want to go,” Boyd said. “So we just have to continue to focus each week and take advantage of these opportunities.”
Boyd has played a big role in why the Tigers appear to be a different team than they were a year ago. The Hampton, Va., native has become more of a leader in the locker room and on the field. Following the loss to Florida State on Sept. 22, he called a players-only-meeting and asked his teammates to give all they have the rest of the year no matter what the circumstances and not to lose focus on what they wanted to accomplish.
“Last year, I had a hard time getting guys to take me serious at times because I’m one of those guys who is always in a good mood and smiles a lot,” Boyd said. “I mean that’s who I am, that’s not going to change. But that’s me off the field. On the field, it’s business. When it’s time to buckle down and go to work, I’m working as hard as anyone.
“When things started going bad last year, I think some of the guys didn’t really understand how serious I was when I tried to talk to them. I’m sure they were like, ‘That’s Tajh. He isn’t mad.’ So that’s something I had to work on. I had to show in my work and my preparation and in everything I do that there is a time to work and there is a time to play. That way, when I address the team or address certain guys, they understand how serious I am.”
Since Boyd’s speech to the team, Clemson has won four straight games, beating its opponents by at least 14 points in every game – a first against ACC foes since Steve Fuller led the Tigers to an 11-1 finish in 1978.
“I felt like we got a little distracted last year,” Swinney said. “We lost our focus a little bit and did not pay quite as much attention to detail, and some of the guys will probably tell you that.
“The next thing you know, the things we were doing well, we weren’t doing well.”
One of those things was taking care of the football. Clemson had 16 turnovers in its final six games. In the Tigers’ four losses, they turned the football over 13 times.
“The number one thing is turnovers,” Swinney said. “We became a turnover machine down the stretch. It is hard to win games when you commit 16 turnovers in six games. Hopefully, these guys understand that.”
It seems as if they do. Clemson leads the ACC and ranks 13th nationally in turnover margin at plus-eight and has committed only eight turnovers all season. The Tigers have very rarely shot themselves in the foot either with costly penalties. They have been penalized only 42 times.
In other words, Clemson has been a pretty focused football team.
“They have been that way all year long, and I’m confident with the guys we have and their commitment, that’s not going to change,” Swinney said. “We just have to go do it. One week at a time. You can’t do it all in one week. We have to take it one game at a time and keep improving.
“I see our team getting better. I see guys improving gradually. That’s a good trend.”