Ask TCI
By: rmacrae@bellsouth.net September 20, 2015

It is time for the latest edition of Ask TCI.  Each week we will take questions on the message board The Rock.

Each weekend we will run our Ask TCI feature with answers to some of the questions asked by the Clemson Insiders.  Make sure to get your questions in next week.

Question:  Sorry to beat this question to death, but where in the world do Zach Brooks and Tyshon Dye fit in. Why didn’t they get pt Thursday night?

TCI:  Coach Elliott said following the game that they wanted to keep Gallman in the game because he was getting the job done.  Gallman of course had a great game.  When they took him out they put Davidson in as he has been the No. 2 back since camp.

Davidson hasn’t made much with his opportunities so far.  Brooks is coming on strong according to the coaches so we may see him get a shot as the No. 2 guy at some point.  Dye is going to have to really impress to get some snaps in close games when they decide to ride Gallman who they say has separation from the others.

Don’t be surprised to see some transfers in the future at running back, especially with Feaster coming in for 2016.

Question: I know Swinney is famous for player boosting coach speak, but is he really “okay” with our ST play except for the one allowed return for a TD like he suggested in the post-game interview?? If so, I guess we shouldn’t expect him to be kickin’ tush and making any big changes….ugh!

TCI:  The kickoff coverage has been a problem this season and Dabo mentioned it as a problem after the Appalachian State game.  They focused on it during practice last week.  They did a better job until the big touchdown that let Louisville back in the game.

The staff is certainly aware that they need to improve the coverage.  They are of course very happy with how Huegel kicked Thursday.  The punting has been better the last two weeks, but of course they would have liked that last punt to have gone further when they instructed Teasdall to kick it out of bounds.

There is still work to be done on kickoff returns as well.  I would like to see Ray Ray back on kickoffs.

Question: Have not checked the stats but did Peake get any action Thursday night? Do you think it’ll just take time for Watson & Peake to hook up?
TCI:  Peake had the one catch on the sideline.  He certainly didn’t have much of an impact Thursday night.
The tight end was a bigger part of the game plan this week and it worked well of course.  Cain is coming on fast so you can expect to see him get more targets as the season progresses.  We will have to see if Charone has a bigger impact the next few weeks.

Question – Any chance Reader returns over the next 2 weeks?

TCI – We checked on the Reader situation last Tuesday and were told that nothing had changed.  He was not yet back with the team.  It didn’t sound like his return was imminent, but we weren’t told anything about a time frame for a possible return.

Questions – Where is the usage of the Tight End? We are recruiting 4 star TEs to basically be offensive lineman.

TCI – The tight ends were a bigger part of the game plan on Thursday night.  Leggett had the big touchdown catch and was open late for what would could have been another score when Watson missed the throw.  Leggett was also targeted in Watson’s first interception.  Seckinger also had a nice catch Thursday night.

With the loss of Williams you will likely continue to see the tight ends get more targets.  With the talent Clemson has at receiver spreading the field, the tight end can be a major weapon for the offense.

Question – What are your opinions on having so much time off between the first real challenge and the next one? If we had a confidence inspiring dominating win I wouldn’t be so concerned, myself. But over 2 weeks is a lot of time to be thinking about the problems without getting a chance to get out there and prove yourself again.

TCI – Sixteen days between games is certainly not ideal.  It will allow the Tigers time to get some guys healthy but they don’t really have a lot of short term injuries.

The extra days will be give the staff time to make some changes if they need.  We will likely see some more snaps at tackle for Hearn and some of the others that could be needed if there are more injuries.

Clemson shouldn’t have any trouble getting hyped up for a top ten Notre Dame team coming to the Valley.

Question – Was this game a glimpse into what we should be expecting through the season – namely more and more use of the younger guys like McCloud and Cain and not so much Peake, Thompson, and maybe even Hopper? Just didn’t see much action from the more experienced guys.

TCI – Ray Ray and Deon are very special talents.  They are certainly going to have a bigger impact as the season progresses.  We saw how much progress Deon has made when he was the target of a couple of passes in the game Thursday night at critical times.  The staff is going to use the players that give the team the best chance to win.  Those two will certainly do that more and more as we progress.

Peake, Hopper and Thompson will certainly be given their opportunities.  They will need to perform or they will accelerate the usage of the 5-star freshmen.