Tigers on the prowl.

If anybody hasn't been paying attention to the Clemson Tigers, their body of work over the last 3 weeks should be enough to merit a look.  


First, they started by knocking off defending national champions Auburn 38-24 (in impressive fashion too), ending Auburn's 17 game win streak.  Then, they continued their recent home dominance against Florida State, winning 35-30.  And for their final act, they traveled to Blacksburg, VA, (a very tough place to play) and basically just dominated Virginia Tech, winning 23-3; becoming the first ACC team to beat ranked opponents 3 weeks in a row.

Hokies QB Logan Thomas could not escape the eye
of the Tiger.

Their wins against Auburn and Florida State came within the confines of their vaunted "Death Valley" stadium, and most pundits didn't give them much of a chance against Virginia Tech; being that this was Clemson's first outing away from home.  Like I mentioned earlier, not too many teams come out looking good after a visit to Blacksburg.  However, the Tigers had other plans.


While their offense took most of the most of the plaudits over the last few weeks (and rightfully so), it was Clemson's defensive performance that stole show, holding the Hokies to only a field goal, while forcing 2 turnovers (an interception and fumble recovery), and 4-16 on 3rd downs.  Also of note, Clemson snapped Virginia Tech's 12 game win streak in league play.


With Miami facing NCAA sanctions, and Florida State not quite where they were hoping to be at this point in the season, Clemson has not wasted any time to stake their claim as possibly the best team in the conference.  Of course, they still have that showdown against Georgia Tech on October 29, in what will likely be a preview of the ACC title game.

Tajh Boyd's performances has opened
eyes across the landscape.

Outside of Georgia Tech's "triple option" attack, Clemson has a very potent offense led by sophomore QB Tajh Boyd.  A native of Hampton, VA, Boyd has been nothing short of exciting, passing for over 1400 yards and 14 TDs against 2 INTs.  Should he keep up at this rate, he will most likely be the first Tiger QB to get serious Heisman hype since the days of the recording setting Woody Dantzler.


Also another player worth mentioning is freshman receiver, Sammy Watkins.  Over the last couple of weeks, he emerged as Boyd's favorite target, making big plays in the wins against Auburn and Florida State.  While he had an off day against Virginia Tech, junior Tight End Dwayne Allen picked up the slack.  Also chipping in were running backs Andre Ellington and Mike Bellamy (whose 31 yd TD run sealed Clemson's win over the Hokies).


The ACC has proven to be a very unpredictable "dog eat dog" kind of league.  Today you're hot, tomorrow you're not; you can never really know who's going to win on any given weekend.  While Clemson are sitting pretty at the moment, even they know there's still some work to do if they are to win the league.

Dabo Sweeney has had a lot laugh about over
the last three weeks.

After going through a tricky conference schedule, Clemson close their regular season on the road against the rival South Carolina Gamecocks.  While a loss to the Gamecocks wouldn't ruin the Tigers' shot at a BCS bowl, it would wipe out any shot at a national title should Clemson find themselves in that position.


Whether Clemson emerges as the top team out of the ACC remains to be seen, but what we know is they'll definitely put on quite the show.